Monday, September 11, 2023

Named after the Ultimate Name

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

September 12, 2023: Celebrating the Most Holy Name of Mary
Ephesians 1: 3-6, 11-12; Luke 1: 39-47

Name is identity. In the salvific plan of God, names refer to the core of one's being. The Mother of God was chosen, in Christ before the foundations of the world, to be holy and blameless - the name that refers to this identity is MARY. That name is a vocation, a call, a Divine choice, a crucial part of the Salvation Plan of God. And each of us is called, just like Mary was and we are given an identity that we draw from the One who has created us and called us.

What is my identity... what is my name? Do I realise that I am named after the Ultimate Name on earth and heaven... the name of God! That is what Paul asserts when he says we are chosen in Christ, in the name of Christ, the name above every name that was revealed to us, that name which was borne by Mary for the salvation of entire humanity.

The call is to live up to that name. Mary did. She was chosen and predestined and she lived upto that name by reaching out to the needy, even without being asked. This is what she does, even today. Reaching out to us in love! Let us confide in her, the mother of Christ and our Mother and she will lead us to our ultimate home.