A Most Holy Name to Recite

September 12th is the celebration of the Most Holy Name of Mary. It is a day to contemplate the blessed name, and to say the name in the form of litanies, chants and song. The feast day originated in Spain in 1513 and the official Memorial date was moved various times until settled at its present liturgical date in 2003 by Pope John Paul II.

The reasons for veneration of the name of Mary center on her title as Mother of God, the holiest and most privileged of all humans; as no other person has been entrusted with, or entitled to, these honors.

The name Mary comes from these ancient names: in Hebrew “Myriam” and in Aramaic “Maryam”. There are several interpretations of the original meaning of the name, but the one that stands out as being the most representative is that the name developed from an Egyptian name meaning “beloved”.

The Name of Mary in Scripture
The name of Mary, in reference to the Blessed Mother (as opposed to the other “Mary’s” in the Bible such as Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, etc.), is mentioned in over 130 verses of the Bible. Nearly all of the references occur in the New Testament mostly associated with the birth of Jesus, but others occur later in Jesus’ history including, the wedding at Cana (John 2:1), Mary at the foot of the cross (John 19:25) and Mary in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14). Mary’s name is also included twice in the traditional prayer of “Hail Mary” which is partly based on Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46) spoken during her Visitation of her cousin Elizabeth.

Memorable Quotations of Saints associated with Mary
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux: “O most holy Virgin Mary, your name is so sweet and admirable that one cannot say it without becoming inflamed with love toward God and You.”
Saint Alphonsus Mary Liguori: “Mary was the most perfect among the saints only because she was always perfectly united to the will of God”
Saint Maximilian Kolbe: “Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God's heart.”
Saint Louis de Montfort: “Have you strayed from the path leading to heaven? Then call on Mary, for her name means ‘Star of the Sea, the North Star which guides the ships of our souls during the voyage of this life,’ and she will guide you to the harbor of eternal salvation.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary's maternal intercession."

Saying the Name of Mary
Just as the Blessed Mother was privileged in her part of the Incarnation and ongoing Redemption, it is grace-filled to be able to say her name aloud (or in the silence of your heart). One of the oldest approaches to prayer is via chanting, such as the recitation of a litany which by definition is a ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession.

The Litany of The Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Litany of Loreto contains many wonderful attributes of Mary, including these urging Holy Mary to Pray for Us:

Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of Heaven,
Morning star,

On the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, one can chant or pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary in full which can be found on the "Devotions" page on churchwonders.com at https://churchwonders.com/