Last summer, some friends of mine were on holiday in Prague and decided to visit the Jewish Quarter. Among the many remarkable places they saw, they were especially moved by the 500-year-old Pinkas Synagogue. Its interior walls are covered with the names of nearly 80,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Bohemia and Moravia. Written in black and red, the names are arranged by the communities the victims came from and are accompanied by their dates of birth and death.
Can you imagine thousands upon thousands of names written on a wall? It is a deeply moving sight. Yet these are not simply names. Every name represents a human life. Every name belonged to a person who had a family, hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows. Behind every name there is a story.
Something similar can be experienced at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. There, thousands of names are engraved in black granite, commemorating members of the United States Armed Forces who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Again, every name has a story behind it.
A long list of names may seem uninteresting if we forget that behind every name there is a human story. Perhaps this is one reason why many people are tempted to skip the genealogies and lists of names in the Bible. When we come across the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel, we may be tempted to pass over it quickly and move on to a more “interesting” passage of Scripture.
But we should not overlook these lists. God placed them in Sacred Scripture for a reason. Every name belongs to the history of salvation. Every person has a place in God’s plan.
On September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on September 12, the Church celebrates the Holy Name of Mary. These two feasts are closely connected. First, we rejoice at the birth of a child; a few days later, we honor the name given to her: Mary.
In our thoughts, we can return for a moment to the cradle of Mary, newly born into the home of Joachim and Anne. Like her joyful parents, we look with tenderness upon this little child. At that moment, no one could yet see all that God would accomplish through her. Yet from the very beginning, Mary had a unique place in God’s plan of salvation.
Saint Luke tells us: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
It is such a simple sentence, and yet that name would become one of the most beloved names in the history of Christianity.
The name Mary therefore reminds us not only of a person, but also of a whole story—the story of faith, obedience, humility, love and complete trust in God.
Mary said yes to God. She carried Jesus beneath her heart. She gave birth to Him in Bethlehem. She cared for Him in Nazareth. She followed Him throughout His public ministry. She stood beneath the Cross when so many others had fled. And after the Resurrection, she remained with the disciples in prayer.
Her name carries the story of a mother.
Perhaps this reminds us of something important in our own lives. We all need mothers to accompany us on our journey. Some of us have already lost our earthly mothers. Yet throughout our lives, God often gives us other people who care for us with a mother’s heart.
Even in our parishes, we meet women who care for others with remarkable kindness, patience, and generosity. They notice when someone is lonely. They help when someone is in need. They pray for others, encourage them, and quietly serve the community. In this sense, they become spiritual mothers to many.
Saint Paul understood how important such people are. At the end of his Letter to the Romans, he gives us a long list of names. He mentions Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, and many others who had helped him in his ministry.
To someone reading the letter today, these names may seem like a mere list. But for Paul they were much more than that.
They were people who had prayed with him, worked with him, suffered with him, and supported him.
They were people who had become part of his story. Every priest could probably make a similar list. During his ministry, a priest has the privilege of serving in different parishes and communities. In each place, God gives him people who accompany him, encourage him, pray for him, and help him in his ministry.
Over the years, we carry many names in our hearts. We remember them with gratitude, and we bring them before God in our prayers.
Your faith, your prayers, your kindness, and your service are part of the story of this Christian community. And, more importantly, your name is known to God.
Behind every name there is a story. Behind your name there is a story as well—a story that God knows better than anyone else.
Today we honor one particular name: Mary.
For Christians throughout the centuries, the name of Mary has been a name of tenderness, consolation and hope. When we speak her name, we remember the woman who trusted God completely and who always leads us to her Son.
Therefore, on this Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary, let us entrust ourselves once again to her maternal care.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, take us beneath your protective mantle. Accompany us on our journey of faith. Teach us to trust God as you trusted Him, to say yes to His will as you did, and above all, lead us always to your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
