"FULL OF GRACE"

The Blessed Virgin was superior to any of the Angels in the fullness of 

grace, and as an indication of this the Angel showed reverence to her by 

saying: "Full of grace." This is as if he said: "I show thee reverence 

because thou dost excel me in the fullness of grace."

The Blessed Virgin is said to be full of grace in three ways. First, as 

regards her soul she was full of grace. The grace of God is given for two 

chief purposes, namely, to do good and to avoid evil. The Blessed Virgin, 

then, received grace in the most perfect degree, because she had avoided 

every sin more than any other Saint after Christ. Thus it is said: "Thou 

art fair, My beloved, and there is not a spot in thee." St. Augustine 

says: "If we could bring together all the Saints and ask them if they were 

entirely without sin, all of them, with the exception of the Blessed 

Virgin, would say with one voice: 'If we say that we have no sin, we 

deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.' I except, however, this 

holy Virgin of whom, because of the honor of God, I wish to omit all 

mention of sin." For we know that to her was granted grace to overcome 

every kind of sin by Him whom she merited to conceive and bring forth, and 

He certainly was wholly without sin.