{"id":2265,"date":"2012-09-12T07:02:54","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T07:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2012\/09\/and-the-virgins-name-was-mary\/"},"modified":"2012-09-12T07:02:54","modified_gmt":"2012-09-12T07:02:54","slug":"and-the-virgins-name-was-mary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/2012\/09\/and-the-virgins-name-was-mary\/","title":{"rendered":"And the Virgin’s Name Was Mary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"20060910anna_und_maria_murillo.jpg\"<\/a>
\nThe Most Holy Name of Mary<\/strong>
\nIn 1683 Pope Innocent XI extended the existing Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary to the universal Church to thank Our Lady for the victory of John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the forces of militant Islam. On September 11th, 1683, Muslim Turks attacked Vienna, threatening the Christian West. The next day, Sobieski, invoking the Blessed Virgin Mary and placing his forces under her protection, emerged victorious.
\nThe Holy Mother of God is no stranger to the struggles of her children in this valley of tears. She is attentive to every situation that threatens this world of ours, to every assault against the Church and, when we invoke her holy name, she is quick to intervene.
\nThe Power of the Name<\/strong>
\nWhen it comes to calling upon the name of Mary, there is no struggle too global and too enormous, and no struggle too personal or too little. In the Bible, the name wields a mysterious power. Names are not to be pronounced casually or lightly. Names are not to be taken in vain. The invocation of the name renders present the one who is named. So often as you pronounce the sweet name of Mary with devotion and confidence, Mary is present to you, ready to help. So often as you pronounce the sweet name of Mary, you have her full and undivided attention.
\nAs Oil Poured Out<\/strong>
\nThe saints, drawing on a verse from the Song of Songs, compare the name of Mary to a healing oil. “Thy name is as oil poured out” (Ct 1:2). Oil heals the sick; it gives off a sweet fragrance, and it nourishes the flame of the sanctuary lamp. In the same way the name of Mary is like a balm on the wounds of the soul; there is no disease of the soul, however malignant, that does not yield to the power of the name of Mary. The sound of Mary’s name causes joy to spring up in the midst of tears; the repetition of Mary’s name warms the chilled heart.
\nA Pledge of Consecration<\/strong>
\nIt is customary in some monasteries for every monk to bear the sweet name of Mary as a sign of mystical identification with her, a pledge of consecration to her, and a seal and safeguard of the monastic vocation. To bear the name of Mary signifies that one belongs to her household. The sophisticated and clever of the world, high and dry in their rationalism, smile condescendingly at such practices, but the saints understand the power of the name of Mary. For the saints there can never be too much of Mary. De Maria numquam satis.<\/em> Of Mary, never enough!
\nSaint Bernard<\/strong>
\nNo one has better treated of the Holy Name of Mary than Saint Bernard. His words will plant the gift of an abiding devotion to Mary’s sweet name deep within the heart of one who receives them:
\nLet us say a few words about this name
\nwhich means Star of the Sea<\/em>,
\nand is so appropriate to the Virgin Mother.
\nShe — I tell you — is that splendid and wondrous star
\nsuspended as if by necessity over this great wide sea,
\nradiant with merit and brilliant in example.
\nO you, whoever you are,
\nwho feel that in the tidal wave of this world
\nyou are nearer to being tossed about among the squalls and gales
\nthan treading on dry land:
\nif you do not want to founder in the tempest,
\ndo not avert your eyes from the brightness of this star.
\nWhen the wind of temptation blows up within you,
\nwhen you strike upon the rock of tribulation,
\ngaze up at this star,
\ncall out to Mary.
\nWhether you are being tossed about
\nby the waves of pride or ambition,
\nor slander or jealousy,
\ngaze up at this star,
\ncall out to Mary.
\nWhen rage or greed or fleshly desires
\nare battering the skiff of your soul,
\ngaze up at Mary.
\nWhen the immensity of your sins weighs you down
\nand you are bewildered by the loathsomeness of your conscience,
\nwhen the terrifying thought of judgment appalls you
\nand you begin to founder in the gulf of sadness and despair,
\nthink of Mary.
\nIn dangers, in hardships, in every doubt,
\nthink of Mary, call out to Mary.
\nKeep her in your mouth,
\nkeep her in your heart.
\nFollow the example of her life,
\nand you will obtain the favour of her prayer.
\nFollowing her, you will never go astray.
\nAsking her help, you will never despair.
\nKeeping her in your thoughts, you will never wander away.
\nWith your hand in hers, you will never stumble.
\nWith her protecting you, you will not be afraid.
\nWith her leading you, you will never tire.
\nHer kindness will see you through to the end.
\nThen you will know by your own experience
\nhow true it is that the Virgin’s name was Mary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Most Holy Name of Mary In 1683 Pope Innocent XI extended the existing Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary to the universal Church to thank Our Lady for the victory of John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the forces of militant Islam. On September 11th, 1683, Muslim Turks attacked Vienna, threatening the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homilies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paVypq-Ax","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2265\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vultuschristi.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}