“Chosen One, ‘Full of Grace’: The Greek title of Mary in Luke 1:28”

Kecharitôménē: The Unique Title of Mary at the AnnunciationWhen the archangel Gabriel enters Mary’s home in Nazareth, he does not greet her by name but gives her a unique title: *Kecharitôménē* (χεχαριτωμένη), usually translated as “full of grace” (Lk 1:28). This term, which appears only once in the entire Scriptures in this full sense, is the indispensable starting point for any serious Mariological study. Its Greek morphology is precise and revealing: it is a perfect passive participle of the verb *charitóō* (χαριτόω), “to grant grace,” in the passive voice. Mary did not earn this grace but received it from God.The perfect Greek tense expresses an action in the past whose effects persist in the present. *Kecharitôménē* therefore means “those who have been permanently and wholly transformed by grace.” The state of grace in Mary is not contingent or episodic; it is a stable condition prior to the moment of the Annunciation. This grammatical detail is of immense theological importance: it suggests that the grace that fills Mary was granted to her before the instant when Gabriel speaks, that is, from her conception.*Kecharitôménē* and the Dogma of the Immaculate ConceptionThe connection between *Kecharitôménē* and the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Pope Pius IX, *Ineffabilis Deus*, 1854) is the most debated topic in biblical Mariology. The Magisterium does not assert that the Greek perfect proves the dogma alone, but that the biblical text is consistent with and points towards it. The dogma is defined based on the totality of Scripture, Tradition, and the *sensus fidei* of the Church. Modern exegesis, notably the work of Ignace de la Potterie (*Marie dans le mystère de l’Alliance*, 1988), has shown that the passive perfect *Kecharitôménē* implies a prior ontological transformation, not merely a favorable moral disposition.There is a second text in the New Testament where the verb charitóō appears: Ephesians 1:6, “in whom we have obtained grace” (echaritōsen hēmas en tō egapēmenō). In this context, grace is granted to all baptized in Christ. The difference between Ephesians 1:6 (aorist) and Luke 1:28 (perfect) is significant: the aorist in Ephesians 1:6 expresses a point-in-time act (baptism). The perfect in Luke 1:28 expresses a permanent, prior state. Mary is, therefore, the recipient of a grace qualitatively distinct from the ordinary baptismal grace.Kecharitôménē in Patristic and Liturgical TraditionThe Greek Church Fathers commented on Kecharitôménē with awareness of its uniqueness. John Damascene (Homily I on the Dormition) saw in this title the expression of a total and original sanctity. The Eastern liturgical tradition, which never ceased to celebrate the Conception of Mary as a feast of purity and grace, finds in Kecharitôménē the scriptural foundation for universal Marian devotion. The current Roman liturgy, on December 8th, uses Luke 1:28 as the Aleluia verse, inscribing Kecharitôménē at the heart of the dogmatic celebration.Deepen Your Studies: Explore Immaculate Conception, Gabriel the Archangel, Mary in the Bible, Mariology, the Master’s in Mariology, and grace in Greek.