Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated in Spain and was approved in 1513.  In 1683, Pope Innocent XI extended the celebration of the feast day to the universal Church, to be celebrated on September 12th, four days after the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Mother.  

There are two choices for the first reading, Galatians 4:47 or Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12).  In the reading from Galatians we are reminded that “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons” and in Ephesians we are told that “Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,  determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved”. In the Gospel from Luke (1:39-47) we hear the account of the Visitation and Elizabeth’s words “Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?  For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.  Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’”