FEAST OF THE DAY
TUESDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER, 2023
MOST HOLY NAME OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
In accordance with Jewish custom our Lady's parents named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary therefore follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. The feast originated in Spain and was approved by the Holy See in 1513; Innocent XI extended its observance to the whole Church in 1683 in thanksgiving to our Lady for the victory on September 12, 1683 by John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the Turks, who were besieging Vienna and threatening the West. This day was commemorated in Vienna by creating a new kind of pastry and shaping it in the form of the Turkish half-moon. It was eaten along with coffee which was part of the booty from the Turks.
The ancient Onomastica Sacra have preserved the meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. These etymologies suppose that the Hebrew form of the name is Maryãm, not Miryãm.
From the time of St. Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The revival of Hebraic studies, which accompanied the Renaissance, led to a more critical appraisal of the meanings assigned to Our Lady's name. Miryãm has all the appearance of a genuine Hebrew name, and no solid reason has been discovered to warrant rejecting the Semitic origin of the word. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World.
We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.
- From Mariology, 3 volumes (1955-1961), edited by Juniper B. Carol, O.F.M.
ST. BONAVENTURE SAYS ON THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY: “That thy name, O Mary, cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly… Grant, O Lady, that we may often remember to name thee with love and confidence; for this practice either shows the possession of divine grace, or else is a pledge that we shall soon recover it.”
“That Mary is the salvation of all who call upon her.”
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY TOLD ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN: “that there is not on earth a sinner, however devoid he may be of the love of God, from whom the devil is not obliged immediately to fly, if he invokes her holy name with a determination to repent.”
“that all the devils venerate and fear her name to such a degree, that on hearing it they immediately loosen the claws with which they hold the soul captive.”
“that in the same way as the rebel angels fly from sinners who invoke the name of Mary, so also do the good angels approach nearer to just souls who pronounce her name with devotion.”
JESUS SPOKE TO SAINT BRIDGET SAYING THAT HIS MOST BLESSED MOTHER WOULD GRANT 3 SPECIAL GRACES TO THOSE WHO INVOKE HER HOLY NAME WITH CONFIDENCE:
That He would grant them perfect sorrow for their sins.
That their crimes should be atoned for.
That He would give them strength to attain perfection, and at length the glory of paradise.
And Jesus further added, “For thy words, O My Mother, are so sweet and agreeable to Me, that I cannot deny what thou askest.”
SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY DI LIGUORI ASSERTED: “In every danger of forfeiting divine grace, we should think of Mary, and invoke her name, together with that of Jesus; for these two names always go together. O, then, never let us permit these two most sweet names to leave our hearts, or be off our lips; for they will give us strength not only not to yield, but to conquer all our temptations.”
WE MUST KNOW THAT TO SAY THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY IS A PRAYER IN ITSELF. THOMAS À KEMPIS, A PRIEST, MONK, AND WRITER OF THE POPULAR BOOK THE IMITATION OF CHRIST, SAID THAT “The invocation of the sacred names of Jesus and Mary is a short prayer which is as sweet to the mind, and as powerful to protect those who use it against the enemies of their salvation, as it is easy to remember.”
SAINT BONAVENTURE EXCLAIMED THAT “Blessed is the man who loves thy name, O Mary. Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name, O Mother of God! For thy name is so glorious and admirable, that no one who remembers it has any fears at the hour of death.”
PATRON: People named Stella Maris, Estelle, Astrid, Astra, Muriel or Mary.
PRAYER: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, for all who celebrate the glorious Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she may obtain your merciful favor. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.