Luke 1:28-29
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Here is a place where we can illustrate how tradition often gets added to truth when it comes to the Holy Land and the life of Christ. If you are ever privileged to visit the Holy Land, when you are in Nazareth you will be shown “Mary’s well.” The tradition is this is the location where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and made the announcement of the birth of Christ.

The earliest written account which lends any credence to a well or spring being the site of the annunciation comes from the Protoevangelium of James, a non-canonical gospel dating to the 2nd century. The author writes: “And she took the pitcher and went forth to draw water, and behold, a voice said: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, you are blessed among women.'”

Luke does not mention water in his Gospel account of the annunciation. In fact the word translated “went’ argues against the idea of the meeting being outside.

The word “went” or “entering” is used of visiting a friend, relative, or neighbor. One would enter by the door. The familiar word of salutation, namely, “Greetings,” shows us from the very start the angel is trying to create an atmosphere of tranquility.

Gabriel continues, “You are highly favored!” Here Jerome’s Latin version, the Vulgate, reads gratiae plena, “full of grace.” This was wrongly interpreted as if it meant, “Mary, you are filled with grace which is at your disposal to bestow on others.” Unfortunately, this is how the verse has been interpreted in the teaching of Catholicism. This “small error” has created a disastrous doctrinal problem by allowing Mary to enter into the obtaining of salvation.

For over 1,000 years (c. AD 400-1530), the Vulgate was the definitive edition of the most influential text in Western European society. For most Western Christians, it was the only version of the Bible ever encountered. The Vulgate’s influence throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance into the Early Modern Period is even greater than that of the King James Version in English; for Christians during these times the phraseology and wording of the Vulgate permeated all areas of the culture.

However, Jerome got it wrong! The true sense is, “You are full of grace which you have received . . . you are in a unique sense a divinely favored person.” The following context proves this interpretation is correct, for the angel adds, “The Lord is with you.”

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15