HOMILY FOR 23RD FRIDAY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY FOR 23RD FRIDAY OF ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
During those days 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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The Gospels tell us that “the Virgin’s name was Mary.” We may ask, ‘What’s in a name’? This question is understandable for us who do not really give importance to the name of the person. We see how people change names so arbitrarily, parents choose names devoid of meaning and dignity, and now there are systematic efforts to replace the names of people with numbers.
But in the biblical culture, the name is not something external that is attached to a person. Rather, it stands for the person himself. That is why God commands, “You shall not invoke the name of the Lord, your God, in vain” (Ex 20:7). St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians exalts the Name of Jesus:
“Because of this, 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…” (2:9-10).
Today we honor the Most Holy Name of Mary. It is understandable to honor the name of God. But Mary is just a creature. Why honor her name? The Catholic Encyclopedia gives the answer:
“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 feast commemorates all the privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces we have received through her intercession and mediation.”
This celebration stands in between two other Marian feasts: the Nativity of Mary on September 8, and Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. Honoring the Holy Name of Mary as a feast was established around 1513, but the date of the celebration has changed several times through the centuries. It was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 as a result of the liturgical reform of Vatican II. Thankfully, it was restored by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002, and it is now observed as an optional memorial.
In the celebration of Holy Mass, the name of Mary is given due reverence. The Roman Missal instructs us to bow our heads when the names of Jesus, Mary, and the Saint of the Day are mentioned. And during Solemn Eucharistic Benediction, the Divine Praises include the acclamation, “Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.”
Famous saints have given us beautiful interpretations on the Name of Mary. For St. Bernard (+1153), the name Mary means ‘Star of the Sea’. This is supported by St. Thomas Aquinas (+1274): “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.”
St. Louis de Montfort (+1716) gives a beautiful metaphor: “God the Father gathered all the waters together and called them ‘the seas’ or ‘maria’ [Latin, seas]. He gathered all His grace together and called it Mary or ‘Maria’ . . .This immense treasury is none other than Mary whom the Saints call the ‘Treasury of the Lord.’ From Her fullness all men are made rich.” To this, St. Anthony of Padua exclaims: ʺO name of Mary! Joy in the heart, honey in the mouth, melody to the ear of Her devout children!ʺ
Let us always invoke lovingly the Name of Mary, for she is our Mother. Her Name is so sweet and tender to us her children. At the same time, this Name is also our sure and powerful protection. The devil hates and is afraid of the Name of Mary. This is confirmed by the famous Vatican exorcist, Fr. Gabriele Amorth. During some of his exorcisms, he talked to the devil, who said, “I am more afraid when you say the Madonna’s name, because I am more humiliated by being beaten by a simple creature, than by Him.”
And the devil further explains: “She makes me angry because she is the humblest of all creatures, and because I am the proudest; because she is the purest of all creatures, and I am not; because, of all creatures, she is the most obedient to God, and I am a rebel!” (cf. Philip Kosloski, “This is Why the Devil Hates the Virgin Mary”, Aleteia.org 05/07/18)
Pope Francis, then, urges us to ‘take shelter under the mantle of Mary.’ In these difficult times, he said, when we have problems or worries, “Mary is our shield, guarding our faith and protecting us from evil… Where the Madonna is at home, the devil does not enter; where there is the Mother, disturbance does not prevail — fear does not win.” (Homily at St. Mary Major, 01/28/18, ncregister.com).
Today, together with the hosts of angels and saints in heaven, let us joyfully extol the Name of Mary. Let us invoke her motherly help and protection as we call on her sweet and powerful Name.
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