Memorial
of the Most Holy Name of Mary
 |
| The picture is “Madonna of the Roses” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1903 |
Readings:
[4]
Reading
1: Galatians 4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had
come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the
law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive
adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts,
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave
but a son,
and if a son then also an heir,
through God.
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Commentary on Gal 4:4-7
“God sent his Son, born of a
woman.” This passage, taken as part of the Gospel proclaimed by St. Paul,
provides the Galatians with the important fact that Mary gave birth to Jesus.
He did not mystically appear to us. Jesus is (was) true man: meaning he went
through the biological birth process. It also means that Mary, the Mother of
God, went through the difficult physical process of giving birth.
St. Paul goes on to remind us
that, through this action, we are all adopted by God and are entitled to call
God our Father, “Abba,” a familial term of endearment (translated into American
usage as “daddy”).
CCC: Gal 4:1-7 1972; Gal 4:4-5 422; Gal 4:4 484, 488, 527, 531, 580, 702; Gal
4:5-7 1265; Gal 4:6 683, 689, 693, 742, 1695, 2766
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Responsorial
Psalm
"My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior."
R. The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R. O Blessed Virgin Mary,
you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"For he has looked upon
his lowly servant.
From this day all generations
will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great
things for me,
and holy is his Name."
R. The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R. O Blessed Virgin Mary,
you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has mercy on those who
fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of
his arm,
he has scattered the proud in
their conceit."
R. The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R. O Blessed Virgin Mary,
you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has cast down the
mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good
things,
and the rich he has sent away
empty."
R. The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R. O Blessed Virgin Mary,
you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
"He has come to the help
of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his
promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our
fathers,
to Abraham and his children
forever."
R. The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name.
or:
R. O Blessed Virgin Mary,
you carried the Son of the eternal Father.
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Commentary on Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53,
54-55
We are given a selection from
the Magnificat, the beautiful Canticle of Mary. Her song of thanksgiving and
humility captures the saintliness that has become synonymous with our image of
Mary the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. In
her dedication of the service she offers to God as vessel of the Messiah she
sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.
CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722,
2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097;
Lk 1:48 148,
971, 2676, 2676; Lk 1:49 273,
2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465;
Lk 1:54-55 706;
Lk 1:55 422
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Gospel: Luke 1:39-47
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill
country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of
Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s
greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the
Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and
said,
“Most blessed are you among
women,
and blessed is the fruit of
your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of
your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped
for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by
the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my
savior.”
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Commentary on Lk 1:39-47
The story of Mary’s meeting
with Elizabeth following the annunciation by Gabriel that she would carry the
Son of God proclaims the coming of the Lord and the faith of Mary before the
nativity event. We note that Elizabeth is first to identify Jesus as Lord as
she says:” how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?” She not only professes the identity of the infant but
foreshadows Mary’s leadership standing, elevating the stature of her much
younger cousin with reverence. Elizabeth continues her praise of Mary by
establishing that her (Mary’s) faith had allowed her to accept the incredible
role God had offered her.
In response, we hear Mary’s
humility as she begins with the opening verse of the Magnificat: “My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
CCC: Lk 1:41 523, 717, 2676; Lk 1:43 448, 495, 2677; Lk 1:45 148, 2676; Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097
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Reflection:
We begin this reflection with two quotes, first from the New Advent online Catholic Encyclopedia:
“We venerate the name of Mary because it
belongs to her who is the Mother of God, the holiest of creatures, the Queen of
heaven and earth, the Mother of Mercy. The object of the feast is the Holy
Virgin bearing the name of Mirjam (Mary); the feast commemorates all the
privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces we have received through her
intercession and mediation.”
And next from the Franciscan Media:
“Mary
always points us to God, reminding us of God’s infinite goodness. She helps us
to open our hearts to God’s ways, wherever those may lead us. Honored under the
title 'Queen of Peace,' Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building
a peace based on justice, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights of
all peoples.”
As we celebrate this thousand-year-old feast, we contemplate what
the celebration of the name of a person or thing means. The use of a
powerful name implies that acts or actions taken in that name are directly
attributed to it. For instance, when a judge or justice invokes their
authority, they generally do so with a statement like: “By the authority
invested in me by (naming the appointing governmental jurisdiction)”; they are
saying that the name under which they serve has the power to achieve the
actions they propose.
Similarly, when explorers find new land, they might plant their
country’s flag saying: “I claim you in the name of (a country or land to which
they hold allegiance).” And of course we are all aware of the great
commissioning that took place at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel wherein Jesus
told his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy
Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Invocation of a name and the power associated with it is most
clearly present in the kenotic hymn from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.
In the final strophe of that ancient song we hear that because of Jesus’ great
humility and obedience: "God greatly exalted
him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father."
Our veneration of the Most Holy Name of Mary, as is stated in the
quotes above, is based upon our faith in the Blessed Mother’s ongoing impact on
our lives, and our world. She, who was so loved by our Lord and Savior
(whose name is above every other name) that he crowned her Queen of Heaven, has
constantly directed us toward the source of our salvation. The Most Holy
Name of Mary reminds us whose authority we are under and whose kingdom we
proclaim.
Scripture reminds us that the Mother of God accepted her charge
from God willingly, sacrificing all that she was and had for the greater glory
of God, thinking nothing of herself. It is this deference to God’s will
that becomes our example and we are reminded of it each time we invoke the name
of Mary.
Today we pray that our Blessed Mother’s name will be constantly in
front of us, leading us to her Son, and guiding us in holiness.
Pax
[1] These are readings suggested by
the USCCB for this Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be
taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (#707-712).
[3] The picture is “Madonna of the
Roses” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1903.
[4] The readings are taken from the
New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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