Thursday, November 27, 2025

“Aba Ginoong Maria: Did Catholics Call Mary ‘Lord’? — The Linguistic Truth, Biblical Basis, and Historical Evidence”

Introduction

Among the most frequently repeated accusations of newly-formed sects in the Philippines is the claim that Catholics call Mary “Lord” because of the Filipino prayer Aba Ginoong Maria. This misunderstanding arises from linguistic ignorance, absence of historical knowledge, and misinterpretation of the liturgical translations used before modern Filipino grammar evolved.

This article presents solid biblical evidence, linguistic studies, early Christian writings, scholarly references, and the official teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) to prove that:

**Catholics have NEVER called Mary “Lord.”

The phrase “Aba Ginoong Maria” does NOT mean “Lord Mary.”
It is a biblical greeting, rooted in ancient Christian tradition.**

Let us uncover the truth.

1️⃣ The Origin of “Aba Ginoong Maria” — From Latin, Not Tagalog

The Hail Mary prayer comes directly from the Latin Vulgate, which itself comes directly from the Bible:

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28)

Aba = translation of Ave = “Hail”
Ginoong Maria = translation of the greeting of respect built into gratia plena (“full of grace”)
NOT a translation of Dominus (Lord)

In Latin, the word for “Lord” is Dominus, not Ave nor Maria nor gratia plena.
So it is linguistically impossible for “Aba Ginoong Maria” to mean “Lord Mary.”

Catholics simply translated the biblical greeting of the angel Gabriel, nothing more.

2️⃣ Linguistic Evidence: “Ginoo / Ginuo / Ginô” in Old Filipino

The error of the sects is simple:
They assume that modern Filipino meaning = ancient Filipino meaning.

But before the 20th-century standardization, these words meant differently.

📚 Authoritative Linguistic Sources:

Fr. Juan Felix de la Encarnación, Diccionario Bisaya-Español (1851)
Juan de Noceda & Pedro de Sanlucar, Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (1754)
Soledad Reyes, Philippine Forms of Address

These historical dictionaries show:

Old Meaning of “Ginoo / Ginuo / Ginô”:

✔ “person of honor”
✔ “noble person”
✔ “respected one”
✔ gender-neutral title of dignity

Not the modern meaning of “Mr./Sir.”

And absolutely not the meaning of “Lord.”

Thus, the phrase “Ginoong Maria” originally meant:

“Honored Mary”

“Most Esteemed Mary.”

This is consistent with the biblical meaning of gratia plena (“full of grace”), a title of heavenly honor.

3️⃣ Biblical Foundations of the Hail Mary

The Hail Mary prayer is not Catholic invention.
It is a direct quotation of Scripture.

📖 Luke 1:28 — The Angel Gabriel

“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”

This corresponds to the Filipino:

Aba, Ginoong Maria, napuno ka ug grasya…

📖 Luke 1:42 — Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit

“Blessed are you among women…”

This corresponds to:

Bulahan ka sa mga babaye…

Meaning, the Hail Mary prayer is simply:

✔ Gabriel’s greeting

✔ Elizabeth’s greeting

Put together into one Christian prayer.

No Catholic invented new words.
No Catholic called Mary “Lord.”
Everything is 100% Scripture.

4️⃣ Early Christians Already Prayed the Hail Mary

Long before there were Protestant denominations,
long before Filipino sects existed,
early Christians already honored Mary with the same words.

St. Irenaeus (A.D. 180)

“The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by Mary’s obedience.”
(Against Heresies 3:22:4)

St. Ephrem (4th century)

“Hail, full of grace, most holy Lady of grace.”
(Hymns on the Nativity)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (A.D. 350)

“Hail Mary, full of grace.”
(Catechetical Lectures)

The Sub Tuum Praesidium (A.D. 250) — Oldest prayer to Mary

“Under your protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God…”

Clearly:
Early Christians saw Mary as honored and full of grace — exactly the meaning of “Ginoong Maria.”

5️⃣ Scholars on Luke 1:28 and “Full of Grace”

The Greek word used by Luke is:

κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitōmenē)

Greek scholars confirm this means:

✔ “perfectly graced”
✔ “completely endowed with divine favor”
✔ “having been and continuing to be full of grace”

📚 Biblical Scholar Sources:

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament
Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary (NT)
Fr. Raymond Brown, S.S., The Birth of the Messiah

This proves that Mary’s title used by the angel is a divine honor,
which in old Filipino was naturally expressed as “Ginoong”—honored one.

Not “Lord.”

6️⃣ What the Catechism (CCC) Actually Teaches

CCC 722

“Mary is full of grace because the Holy Spirit has made her so.”

CCC 2676

“The Hail Mary is the greeting of the angel to Mary.
It is God Himself who greets Mary through the angel.”

CCC 2677

“In saying ‘Hail Mary,’ we are entrusting our supplications to her.”

Nowhere does the Catholic Church teach that Mary is “Ginoó” (Lord).
Not a single paragraph.

The accusation is therefore false and unbiblical.

7️⃣ Why Modern Sects Misinterpret “Ginoong Maria”

Because they:
❌ do not know Latin
❌ do not understand Greek
❌ do not study biblical linguistics
❌ do not study early Christian history
❌ do not study old Filipino usage
❌ judge ancient prayers using modern slang

The result?
A false accusation that collapses the moment we analyze Scripture, linguistics, and the Catechism.

⭐ Conclusion

The accusation that Catholics call Mary “Lord” is entirely based on ignorance, linguistic confusion, and anti-Catholic propaganda.

✔ “Aba Ginoong Maria” does NOT mean “Lord Mary.”

✔ It is a faithful translation of the biblical greeting of the angel.

✔ “Ginoong” in old Filipino means “honored one,” not “Lord.”

✔ Early Christians used the same greeting.

✔ Scholars confirm Mary is “full of grace.”

✔ The Catechism affirms this prayer comes directly from Scripture.

Catholic devotion to Mary is deeply rooted in the Bible, the early Church, and the original Christian faith — not in modern linguistic misunderstandings.

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