Hail, Mary!

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has looked upon His handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. - Lk 1:46-49

Blessings to all who chose Sept. 12, the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, as the day they entrust their lives to her. Congratulations on your consecration to Jesus through Mary!

Why do we celebrate the names of Jesus and Mary? Because a name is a very personal thing, and Jesus and Mary are persons who should be celebrated! As Gandalf says to Bilbo when he first meets him in JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, "I do know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!"

Sometimes there's just no substitute for a name. When my extended family is gathered together, there's a lot going on. It's noisy, and crowded, and everyone's talking to everyone else. Sometimes, my mother is at the center of so much and there are so many mothers gathered in one place, she can't hear me when I call, "Mom!" So occasionally when I need her, I have to resort to calling her by her given name, "Anne!" She looks over right away. It's amazing the difference a name makes and how closely a name and a person are tied together.

The Holy Name of Jesus, for instance, means "the Son of the Most High." (Lk 1:32) It means "Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." (Is 9:6) It means "Savior of the World." (Jn 4:42) It means...well, Jesus! And because the Person and the Name are so closely connected, that name has power.

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. - Phil 2:9-11

So holy is the name of God that many modern Jews will not write out the word "God." They'll use "G-d" instead, seeking to obey the commandment: "You shall not invoke the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes His name in vain." (Ex 20:7) When Moses asks God what His name is, God answers him, "I am who I am." Then He added, "This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." (Ex 3:14) God reveals who He is through His name - God is the Being who Exists eternally and independently of all others, the Uncreated, the Source of all. To know God's name is, to a certain extent, to know God.

So the name of Mary matters, as well. It's the name of the Mother of God and humanity. It's the name of the woman who loves God and neighbor perfectly. It's the name of the woman who has enmity with the serpent, who is totally free from the dominion of sin and the devil. It's the name of she who was a person so beautiful in all ways that she became the Spouse of the Spirit, the Mother of the Eternal Son, a parent of Jesus alongside God the Father. It's the name of...well, Mary! And she's certainly worthy of a feast.

According to an ancient tradition, today we are celebrating the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. Indissolubly linked to the Name of Jesus, for Christians this name is the sweetest, for it reminds everyone of the Mother they have in common. Jesus, dying, entrusted us all to her as children.

May Mary watch over humanity in this time that is marked by overwhelming explosions of violence. May she watch especially over the new generations who are eager to build a future of hope for one and all. - Bl. Pope John Paul II, Angelus, Sept. 12, 2004.

If you consecrated to Jesus through Mary, we'd love to hear your story. Please take a moment and share your journey below. If you have pictures, we'd love to see them, too. Just email them to HAPP@Marian.org!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.