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The archangel Gabriel's words to Mary are well-known because they form the beginning of the Hail Mary prayer: Haile thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: Blessed art thou among women. Luke 1:28 KJV
Elizabeth's greeting to Mary then complements Gabriel's greeting in the next part of the Hail Mary prayer: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe. Luke 1:42 KJV
Gabriel and Elizabeth's words are also commonly recognized from the Latin Vulgate: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus.
which is commonly translated as Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
It is worth noting that gratia plena, full of grace, or highly favored, is a translation, rather than a transliteration of the original Greek. That is, gratia plena or full of grace in Greek would be pleres charitos (πλήρης χάριτος),whereas St. Luke chooses to use kecharitomene(κεχαριτωμένη).
Scholar Rene Laurentin points out that both theologically and philologically, kecharitomene indicates "a transformation of the subject." (Laurentin 1986, pp. 18-19) It is then natural to ask, in what sense was Mary transformed? Building on Laurentin's work, apologist Karl Keating indicates that in Greek, the word kecharitomene indicates a perfection of grace. A perfection in the original Greek context, he continues, must be perfect not only intensively, but extensively over time as well. (Keating 1988, p. 269)
Thus, when Gabriel greeted Mary as kecharitomene, or full of grace, he was greeting and recognizing her as being a perfectly transformed subject, perfectly transformed by grace both intensively in the moment, as well as extensively from the moment of her conception. This understanding of kecharitomene is also why many of the early Church Fathers refer to Mary as immaculata, i.e. stainless or without sin, thus laying Scriptural groundwork for the Church's understanding of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Absolute versus Relative Perfection
Theologians also carefully distinguish between Mary kecharitomene and pleres charitos as is predicated of Jesus (cf. Jn 1:14). Here the distinction in perfections of grace is absolute versus relative; i.e. Fulness can be understood in two senses; either one has all there is of something (absolute fulness), or one has all he can hold at the moment (relative fulness). Only Christ possesses an absolute plenitude of grace, perfect both intensively and extensively. Mary's fulness of grace is relative... (Donlan et. al. 1958, pp. 260-261)
Thus, on the one hand, kecharitomene and pleres charitos both commonly connote a perfection in duration or time. That is, Mary (kecharitomene) and Jesus (pleres charitos) both had a fulness of grace at each and every moment of time in their lives.
On the other hand, the perfection in intensity of grace over time differs between the two. As theologians point out, the grace, sanctity or holiness of Jesus is the same at the moment of His conception, as it is at His Virgin Birth, as it is through His life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. The intensity of His grace, sanctity or holiness does not increase over time. This is because of the hypostatic union of His human nature to His Divine Nature.
With Mary, the perfect intensity of grace at one moment may be added, as it were, to the perfect intensity of grace at the next moment. In this sense, Mary grows perfectly in grace, holiness and sanctity from the moment of her Immaculate Conception to the end of her life; i.e. the grace of Mary (kecharitomene) is relatively perfect, whereas the grace of Jesus (pleres charitos) is absolutely perfect.
Closing Note
N.B. The theological position presented above is sometimes referred to as high Christology. Other theologians take the route of what is sometimes referred to as low Christology; cf. Luke 2:52. Although there is a prima faciae apparent (though perhaps not actual) contradiction in drawing the distinction in grace between Mary and Jesus through low Christology, this is not to say that the obstacles are insurmountable through such an approach.
REFERENCES
The Bible Museum. The Bible: 1611 King James Version: 1st Edition, 1st Printing, (Goodyear, AZ: The Bible Museum, 2006).
Brown, R. Comfort, P. trans. Douglas, J. ed. et. al. The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1990).
Donlan, T. Cunningham, F. Rock, A. Christ, and His Sacraments, (Dubuque, IA: The Priory Press, 1958).
Laurentin, R. The Truth of Christmas Beyond the Myths, (Petersham, MA: St. Bede's Publications, 1986).
Keating, K. Catholicism and Fundamentalism - The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians", (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1988).
The angel told her that she was to carry the Child of God.
What else can I help you with?
When did the angel Gabriel appear to Joseph?
The angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him about Mary's pregnancy.
Who was the angel who was sent to tell Mother Mary she was going to have a child?
It is believed to have been the Archangel Gabriel.
What is it called when Virgin Mary was touched by the archangel?
The appearance of the Angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her she had been chosen to be the mother of God is called the Annunciation.
Who are Gabriel and Mary?
Gabriel was the archangel who told Mary she would be the mother of God.
When was Mary Gabriel Martyn born?
Mary Gabriel Martyn was born in 1604.
When did Mary Gabriel Martyn die?
Mary Gabriel Martyn died in 1672.
When did Mary Gabriel Gill die?
Mary Gabriel Gill died in 1905.
When was Mary Gabriel Gill born?
Mary Gabriel Gill was born in 1837.
What angel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she has been chosen to be the mother of the Savior?
Angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to have a child
Where in the Bible can you find the angel Gabriel's words to Mary?
The words of the angel Gabriel to Mary are recorded in Luke 1 :28 - 37.
When did the angel Gabriel appear to Mary?
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary when she was a young woman, announcing that she would give birth to Jesus.
What is the feast day gabriel appeared to Mary?
The Feast day when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary is celebrated on March 25th and is known as the Feast of the Annunciation. This feast commemorates the announcement of the conception of Jesus by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.
