MARY, OUR MOTHER

The Holy Name of Mary

The name of Mary brings grace, hope, and sweetness to the hearts of all peoples. Saint Bernard declared that the name of Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, should ever be on our lips and in our hearts. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary was first fostered in Spain in 1513, then invoked against the Turks at Vienna in 1683 and in thanksgiving for the deliverance of Europe from a seige of that city. Pope Innocent XI extended observance of the feast to the whole Church. After a number of years of being abandoned, it has been restored by Pope John Paul II as an Optional Memorial.

PRAYER

O Almighty God,

Your faithful people rejoice in the protection

of the most holy Virgin Mary

and delight in her name.

Deliver them from all evil here on earth

and make them worthy of everlasting

happiness in heaven

through her loving intercession.

Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

***********************************************************************

The Holy Name of Mary

In this divine consistory and tribunal of the most Holy Trinity it was determined to give a name to the Child Queen. As there is no proper and legitimate name, except it be found in the immutable being of God Himself (for from it are participated and determined according to their right weight and measure all things in infinite wisdom) His Majesty wished Himself to give and impose that name in heaven. He therefore made known to the angelic spirits, that the three Divine Persons had decreed and formed the sweet names of Jesus and Mary for the Son and Mother from the beginning before the ages, and that they had been delighted with them and had engraved on their eternal memories to be as it were the Objects for whose service They should create all things. Being informed of these and many other mysteries, the holy angels heard a voice from the throne speaking in the person of the Father: "Our chosen One shall be called MARY, and this name is to be powerful and magnificent. Those that shall invoke it with devout affection shall receive most abundant graces; those that shall honor it and pronounce it with reverence shall be consoled and vivified, and will find in it the remedy of their evils, the treasures for their enrichment, the light which shall guide them to heaven. It shall be terrible against the power of hell, it shall crush the head of the serpent and it shall win glorious victories over the princes of hell." The Lord commanded the angelic spirits to announce this glorious name to Saint Anne, so that what was decreed in heaven might be executed on earth. . .

On the eight day after the birth of the great Queen multitudes of most beautiful angels in splendid array descended from on high bearing an escutcheon on which the name of MARY was engraved and shone forth in great brilliancy. Appearing to the blessed mother Anne, they told her, that the name of her daughter was to be MARY, which name they had brought from heaven, and which divine Providence had selected and now ordained to be given to their child by Joachim and herself. The saint called for her husband and they conferred with each other about this disposition of God in regard to the name of their daughter. The more than happy father accepted the name with joy and devout affection. They decided to call their relatives and a priest and then, with much solemnity and festivity, they imposed the name of MARY on their child. . . Thus was the divine Princess named by the Holy Trinity: in heaven, on the day of her nativity, and on earth, after eight days.

(Excerpted from "The City of God", by Ven. Mary of Agreda; Book 1, Chapter XXI)