Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
The opening words of this prayer—"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment"—may seem odd at first. But they reflect the Christian belief that moments in the life of Christ—His conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation; His birth in Bethlehem; His death on Calvary; His Resurrection; His Ascension—are not only special but, in an important sense, still present to the faithful today.
The repetition of the first sentence of this prayer is designed to place us, mentally and spiritually, there in the stable at His birth, just as an icon of the Nativity or a Nativity scene is meant to do. Having entered into His presence, in the second sentence we place our petition at the feet of the newborn Child.
Definitions of Words Used
Hail: an exclamation, a greeting
Blessed: holy
Most pure: spotless, unstained; a reference to Mary's Immaculate Conception and her lifelong sinlessness
Vouchsafe: to grant something, especially to someone who doesn't deserve it on his own
Desires: something one wants strongly; in this case, not a physical or gluttonous desire, but a spiritual one
Merits: good deeds or virtuous actions that are pleasing in God's sight
