Today’s feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary is one of the lesser-known feasts pertaining to her and, thus, not as widely celebrated. It is an occasion to express our love and devotion to Mama Mary and to seek her guidance and protection in our spiritual journey in this valley of tears.

In the first century of Christianity, Mary had always been honored by the apostolic community as “the mother of Jesus.”

The distinct honor given to Mary was formalized in the Council of Ephesus in 431 when she was declared “Mother of God” or “God-bearer” (Theotokos). By the sixth century, the angelic greeting in Luke 1:28 was commonly used as a prayer: “Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

By the 14th century, the second part of the Hail Mary prayer was often used in conjunction: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

The Council of Trent later recommended the entire prayer as we have it in the present form. Children call out to their mothers in moments of difficulty or grave danger. When we call Mary’s name repeatedly, for example in praying the Holy Rosary, we are calling out to Mama Mary for comfort and assurance of her help toward us.

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."