"What's in a name. That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...." At least that is what Shakespeare wrote. But is he correct? Is Jesus just another name? It means, "God saves." What about Yahweh? It means, "I am who I am." These are not just any names. They are the names of God. Mary's name is also revered by Christians. The feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been a part of the Roman calendar since 1684. It was suppressed in the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, but reestablished in 2002 by Pope St. John Paul II, who was extremely devoted to the Blessed Mother.
The name Mary comes from the Hebrew word "Miryam", meaning "bitter". Moses' sister was also named Miriam. She is called a prophet. The Song of Miriam is a part of the victory song after passing through the Red Sea (Ex. 15:21). The Aramaic form of the word was "Maryam", which was eventually transformed into Greek "Mariam" or "Maria". The origin of Mary's name does not give any indication as to her importance. Rather, her name is important because she is the Mother of God!
Names indicate who we are. They express our identity. We are known by our names. They show our relationships to oner another. So, Mary is our Mother, the Mother of the Church, the Mother of God. We give her name honor above every other name, save for God's. Shakespeare was a brilliant poet, but an even greater poet wrote: "A good name is more desirable than great riches, and high esteem, than gold and riches." He happened to be inspired to write that line by God in Proverbs 22:1.
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