Carissimi: Today’s Mass; The Most Holy Name of Mary

The Most Holy Name of Mary; Commemoration of Sunday XV Post Pentecost: Missa “Vultum Tuum”

Whatever interpretation of the name of Mary we may accept, whether it means bitterness, the lady of the sea, or beloved of God, it is still the name of our Mother in Heaven, the name which was first on the lips of the divine Child, the name which after that of Jesus holds all our hope of salvation. Many saints, especially St. Bernard and, St. Gabriele dell’ Addolorata, recognize in the most sweet name of Mary the virtues and prerogatives which the Doctors of the Church find in the name of the Savior, such as light, strength, sweetness and protection. Therefore, the devout Christian desires above all things to pronounce the holy names of Jesus and Mary with his last breath before going forth to behold their countenances. St. Pius X granted great indulgences to those who should make use of this pious invocation.

We venerate the name of Mary because it belongs to her who is the Mother of God, Theotokos, the holiest of creatures, the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Mother of Mercy. The object of the feast is the Holy Virgin bearing the name of Mirjam (Mary). The feast commemorates all the privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces we have received through her intercession and mediation. In reverence we bow the head slightly whenever we hear or speak her name a little less bow than when we do the same for her Divine Son’s name.

The feast was first was instituted in 1513 at Cuenca in Spain, and assigned with proper Office to September 15, the octave day of Mary’s Nativity. However, after the reform of the Breviary by Pope St. Pius V, by a Decree of Pope Sixtus V on January 16, 1587, it was transferred to September 17. In 1622 it was extended to the Archdiocese of Toledo by Pope Gregory XV. After 1625 the Congregation of Rites hesitated for a while before authorizing its further spread. But it was celebrated by the Spanish Trinitarians in 1640 (Ordo Hispan., 1640). On November 15, 1658, the feast was granted to the Oratory of Cardinal Berulle under the title: Solemnitas Gloriosae Virginis, dupl. cum. oct., 17 Sept. Bearing the original title, SS. Nominis B.M.V., it was granted to all Spain and the Kingdom of Naples on January 26, 1671. After the siege of Vienna and the glorious victory of Jan Sobieski over the Turks on September 12, 1683, the feast was extended to the universal Church by Pope Innocent XI, and assigned to the Sunday after the Nativity of Mary by a Decree of November 25, 1683 as a Double Major (duplex majus). It was granted to Austria as a Double of the Second Class on August 1, 1654.

According to a Decree of July 8, 1908, whenever this feast cannot be celebrated on its proper Sunday on account of the occurrence of some feast of a higher rank, it must be kept on September 12, the day on which the victory of Sobieski is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology.

The Calendar of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration, O.S.B., in France, of the year 1827, has the feast with a special Office on September 25. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary, is the patronal feast of the Clerics Regular of the Pious Schools (Piarists) and of the Society of Mary (Marianists), in both cases with a proper office. In 1666 the Discalced Carmelites received the faculty to recite the Office of the Name of Mary four times a year (duplex). At Rome one of the twin churches at the Forum Trajani is dedicated to the Name of Mary. In the Ambrosian Calendar of Milan the feast of the Holy Name of Mary is assigned to September 11.

INTROIT Psalm 44: 13,15,16

All the rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance: after her shall virgins be brought to the King: her neighbors shall be brought to thee in gladness and rejoicing. (Ps. 44: 2) My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the King. v. Glory be…etc

COLLECT

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that Thy faithful, happy under the invocation and protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, may, by her dear intercession, be delivered from all evils on earth and be worthy to attain unto eternal joys in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever.

Sunday XV Post Pentecost
Let Thy continual pity, O Lord, cleanse and defend Thy Church: and because it cannot continue in safety without Thee, may it ever be governed by Thy goodness. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

EPISTLE Wisdom 24: 23-31

Lesson from the Book of Wisdom. As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odor, and my flowers are the fruit of honor and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits; for my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger; and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that harkeneth to me shall not be confounded, and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

GRADUAL/ALLELUIA

Thou art blessed and venerable, O Virgin Mary, who with purity unstained was found to be the Mother of our Savior. V. Virgin Mother of God, He whom the whole world was unable to contain enclosed Himself in thy womb, being made man. Alleluia, alleluia. V. After childbirth thou didst remain a virgin inviolate: Mother of God, intercede for us. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Luke 1: 26-38

At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren; because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Luke 1: 28, 42

Hail, Mary, full of grace: the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

SECRET

By Thy mercy, O Lord, and the intercession of blessed Mary, ever virgin, may this oblation profit us unto eternal and present prosperity and peace. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Sunday XV Post Pentecost
May Your sacrament, O Lord, always keep us and guard us from the assaults of the devil. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

PREFACE of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. That on the Festival of the blessed Virgin Mary, we should praise, bless and proclaim Thee. For she conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the over-shadowing of the Holy Ghost; and losing not the glory of her virginity, gave forth to the world the everlasting light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the angels praise Thy majesty, the Dominions worship it, and the powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly Hosts, and the blessed Seraphim join together in celebrating their joy. With these we pray Thee join our voices also, while we say with lowly praise:

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal Father.

POSTCOMMUNION

Lord, grant, we beseech Thee, that, having received the aids of our salvation, we may always and everywhere be protected by the patronage of Blessed Mary ever virgin, in veneration of whom we have made this offering to Thy majesty.  Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Sunday XV Post Pentecost
May the working of the heavenly gift, O Lord, so possess us, mind and body, that the action of the sacrament, rather than our senses, may continually prevail in us. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

PROPER LAST GOSPEL St Luke 7:11-16

At that time, Jesus went to a town called Naim; and His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. And as He drew near the gate of the town, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large gathering from the town was with her. And the Lord, seeing her, had compassion on her, and said to her, Do not weep. And He went up and touched the stretcher; and the bearers stood still. And He said, Young man, I say to you, arise. And he who was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. But fear seized upon all, and they began to glorify God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us, and God has visited His people.

In the Gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost the Mass reminds us that having received the Holy Ghost at the Feast of Pentecost and Jesus in Holy Communion, our souls and bodies should be moved by the Spirit and entirely obedient to the operation of the divine gift of the Eucharist, so that it be no longer our own nature but the effect of this sacrament that dominates in us (Postcommunion).

Christ has snatched us from the death of sin as He once snatched the young man of Naim from natural death, and in this He responds to the compassion He feels for our mother the Church who laments over sinners, just as He was moved by the poor widow who lamented over her son.

This supernatural life, which is that of the Church, must always dwell in us and bear fruit, making us not only avoid the works of the flesh, as St. Paul told us last Sunday, but also practice the works of the Spirit which are the love of our neighbor and mistrust in ourselves, since we are nothing without Jesus Christ (Epistle).

The Epistle and Gospel teach Christian people to attend to their temporal interests without exaggerated preoccupation, for such anxiety offends God Who is our Father in Heaven.