Honoring the Holy Name of Mary

Today’s feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary has an interesting background and history. The feast was originally instituted in the universal Church by Pope Innocent XI in 1683 following a clash between the forces of Christian Europe and the expanding Muslim Ottoman empire. The Polish king Jan Sobieski had led a campaign against the advancing Ottoman army. Before the Battle of Vienna, Sobieski stopped at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa and begged Our Lady for her intercession and for her blessing upon the Christian troops. The battle commenced on September 12, 1683, and the larger Ottoman army was defeated. Pope Innocent XI established the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary in the universal Church as a way of honoring and giving thanks to the Mother of God for her intercession. Then, following the Second Vatican Council, when the liturgical calendar was reorganized, this feast was removed. Finally, in 2002, the same year during which he introduced the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, Pope St. John Paul II reinstated this feast in the calendar once again.

It is interesting to note that this feast was restored nearly a year after the September 11 attacks in the US. In an Angelus address he delivered several days after the attacks, Pope John Paul II invoked Our Blessed Lady saying: “May the Blessed Virgin bring comfort and hope to those who suffer on account of the tragic attack of the terrorists, that last week seriously harmed the beloved American people. To all the children of this great Nation I direct my heartbroken and heartfelt consideration. May Mary welcome the dead, console the survivors, support those families who are particularly tried, help all to resist the temptation to hatred and violence, and to dedicate themselves to the service of justice and peace.”

The Church typically invokes the name of Our Lady throughout the day, most especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In fact, every Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Missal includes the Holy Name of Mary explicitly. Wherever we find Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Eucharist, we also find Our Blessed Mother. The Catechism teaches in paragraph 2682: “Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.”

A name in general is more than simply a word that we use to identify a person. When we hear or see a person’s name, we often associate certain qualities to that name such as their identity, reputation, personal and public perception, background, and character (including both good qualities and flaws). In the Old Testament, names would often signify a characteristic about the person or would indicate something about their mission or vocation in life. For instance, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, signifying the covenantal blessing that God bestowed upon him and that he would be the father of many nations. Throughout the centuries, the people of Israel would recall Abraham with fondness as their father and remember the promise that God had bestowed on him. They saw themselves as beneficiaries of the covenantal promises to Abraham. For the ancient Israelites, the name of Abraham was held in such reverence and esteem.

Even today, when we hear a person’s name, we are likely to have either a positive or a negative response depending on what we think or how we feel about the person. Some names remind us of people who are dear to us while other names are people we might prefer to forget. Names are so important to us that the Church reminds us to have the utmost respect, not only for God’s holy name, but also for a person’s good name. In fact, it is a sin to say or do anything that would intentionally and maliciously besmirch a person’s good name. This includes sins such as lying, detraction, gossip, slander, libel, tale bearing, rash judgment, spreading misinformation, and so on.

Aside from the name of Our Lord, the name that fills the Church with the greatest love and devotion is the Holy Name of Mary. Our Blessed Lady has accompanied the Church with her presence, her prayers, and her example throughout the centuries. Most importantly, it is through the consent, the fiat of Mary that the world has received its most glorious Savior, Jesus Christ. For this reason, she is given the greatest honor and praise among all the saints in heaven. While we do not worship Mary as if she is divine, we do give her great honor as the Mother of her divine Son, Jesus. In honoring her, we share a particularly intimate connection with Jesus, who also bestowed the highest honor upon his Mother by making her the Queen of Heaven and Earth. As the Catechism says in para. 2677: “Because she gives us Jesus, her son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother; we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us as she prayed for herself: ‘Let it be to me according to your word.’” As a poor, humble, and lowly servant of the Lord, Mary opens the door for all her poor, meek, and humble children to have access to the Lord and to his saving grace.

I wish to close with some beautiful words from St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who loved to address Mary under the title “Star of the Sea” (Stella Maris). It is my hope that these words will be a comfort for all who rely upon Our Lady’s help and the support of her prayers, especially in times of trial and distress. He says, “Oh, whoever you are that perceive yourself during this mortal existence to be rather drifting in treacherous waters, at the mercy of the winds and the waves, than walking on firm ground, turn not away your eyes from the splendor of this guiding star, unless you wish to be submerged by the storm! When the storms of temptation burst upon you, when you see yourself driven upon the rocks of tribulation, look at the star, call upon Mary. When buffeted by the billows of pride, or ambition, or hatred, or jealousy, look at the star, call upon Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary. If troubled on account of the heinousness of your sins, distressed at the filthy state of your conscience, and terrified at the thought of the awful judgment to come, you are beginning to sink into the bottomless gulf of sadness and to be swallowed in the abyss of despair, then think of Mary. In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name leave your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may more surely obtain the assistance of her prayer, see that you walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you shalt not be deceived; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection, you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.”

– Fr. Matthew Mary, MFVA