Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary
Readings:
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55
Luke 1:39-47
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, and that is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: The Blessed Virgin Mary
Submitted Herself to the Will of God the Father to Fulfill His Divine Plan for Humanity's
Salvation (Gal 4:4-7; Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55; Lk 1:49-47)
God chose a daughter of Zion (Israel) to fulfill the
prophecy of Genesis 3:15 to send the Redeemer-Messiah, born of a woman, to defeat
the Devil and redeem humanity from the grip of sin and death. The First
Reading assures us that He chose a humble virgin whose obedience would undo the
disobedience of the virgin Eve so the men and women who were the children of
the fallen Adam and Eve could become reborn through the Sacrament of Baptism to
become heirs of Christ and children in the family of God.
Mary's beautiful hymn of praise, known as the Magnificat from the first word in the Latin Vulgate, (Magnifica anima mea Dominum" = "My soul does magnify the Lord"), illuminates her great humility and faith (Responsorial reading). Mary spoke the hymn while she was visiting her kinswoman, Elizabeth. Borrowing images and expressions from the Old Testament, Mary extolled God's merciful deliverance of the lowly and expressed her joy at being selected to be His instrument of love and mercy.
In the Gospel Reading, St. Elizabeth acknowledges Mary as the Mother of God. Mary is the first Christian and the model of Christian faith and discipleship. In the Catechism, citation 722, the Church teaches: The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells, bodily, should herself be "full of grace." She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the "Daughter of Zion": "Rejoice." It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son. She is not only the Mother of Jesus, but the mother of all who obey God's commandments and have in themselves the witness of Jesus (Rev 12:17b).
The First Reading ~ Galatians 4:4-7
[Brothers and sisters] 4 When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 As proof that you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.
St. Paul makes a comparison between the Israelites under the old Law and an heir who has not come of age to receive an inheritance. The Israelites/Jews are the chosen people of God and the presumptive heirs, yet under the Sinai Covenant, they were only slaves to the Law like an heir in his minority (verse 3).
Paul argues that the period in salvation history from the Law of Moses until the coming of the Christ was a time of minority for the children of God who lived under limited freedom like a slave or young child. The old Law taught the fundamental principles of religion and based its observances of annual festivals and periodic feasts on a lunar liturgical calendar that constituted a state of slavery under cosmic forces from which Christ has freed them. In Paul's letter to the Christians at Colossus, referring to Jewish Christians under the old Law and the Gentile Christians' pagan past, he will later write:
So long as they live under the old Law of the Sinai Covenant or still attached to a pagan past, they are only "of the world" and under its powers; they have not "come of age" to inherit what is not of the physical world.
4 But when the
fullness of time had come, God sent his Son born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to ransom those under the law, so
that we might receive adoption [as sons].
That the former time has ended, and we are now under the
Law of Christ in the New and eternal Covenant. In the fullness of time, God sent
the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, both fully human (born of an
Israelite woman of the Old Covenant) and fully divine. With the coming of God
the Son, God the Father has declared us "of age" to receive the promise of our
inheritance as adopted sons and daughters in His family and no longer children
in the fallen family of Adam.
6 As proof that
you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out,
"Abba, Father!" 7 So you are no
longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
It is our spiritual rebirth through water and the Spirit
that is proof we are the children of God with the right to call Him "Abba" just
as Jesus called God "Abba" (Mk 14:36). It is an affectionate term in Aramaic
that a young child called his or her father and which Jews never used in their
covenant relationship with God. The word suggests the child is entirely
dependent upon the parent for everything that sustains his life and is,
therefore, a fitting expression of affection for the relationship between the
Christian and God the Father. The inheritance we receive as sons and daughters
who are the heirs of God our Father is to continue to live in the immortal
state of eternal salvation when we go home to our Father's house in Heaven.
The Responsorial Psalm ~ Luke 1:46-55
Response: "The Almighty has done
great things for me, and holy is his Name."
or: "O Blessed Virgin Mary, you carried the Son of the eternal Father."
46 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Response:
48 For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed:
49 the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.
Response:
50 He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
51 He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
Response:
52 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Response:
54 He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
55 the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.
Response:
Our Responsorial Psalm is Mary's response to Elizabeth's exclamation of praise for Mary's belief and the honor God has shown her as "the mother of the Lord." It is a hymn of praise to God known as the Magnificat. Some scholars have concluded that Mary's Magnificat, like the Benedictus of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79), was an early Aramaic Jewish-Christian hymn that predates Luke's Gospel. Other scholars disagree, citing the numerous references to the Greek Septuagint Old Testament passages within the two chants. One test for such a theory is how easily the Greek translates into Hebrew or Aramaic.
Mary's hymn of praise is in three parts:
46 And Mary
said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Mary begins by calling God her personal savior. The word
"Lord," Kyrios in Greek, is understood to be Yahweh who is the source of
Mary's blessing and her salvation. The expression "rejoices in God my Savior"
is an echo of Hannah's hymn of praise to God in 1 Samuel 2:1.
In verse 48, Mary says: For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The NJB has "he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant," which is an echo of Habakkuk 3:18. Her humble station is the first reason for Mary's praise. She declares that because of God's Divine plan for her life and her willingness to submit to that plan, all generations will pronounce a beatitude over her; the verb makariousin, in the future tense, reflects the adjective makaria that Elizabeth uses in verse 45.
Mary utters the prophecy in verse 48 for future generations and her relationship to them prompted by the Holy Spirit. It is a prophecy that requires action on the part of Christians because we must honor Mary just as her Son honored her according to the Law and because of His love for her. To honor one's parents is the only one of the Ten Commandments that carries a promise (see Ex 20:12). When Jesus gave Mary into the care of the beloved disciple as his mother at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:26-27), she became the mother of every disciple of Christ Jesus (also see Rev 12:17).
49 The Mighty
One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those
who fear him.
Verse 49 is the second reason for Mary's praise. She uses
the same title for God found in the "daughter of Zion" passage in Zephaniah 3:17 (Greek Septuagint translation = LXX) and Psalms 89:9 (LXX). That God "has
done great things" for her is an echo of Deuteronomy 10:21 in which God
promises the children of Israel He will do "great things," meaning great saving
acts for them, if they remain loyal and obedient. Mary sees this promise
fulfilled personally for her in what God has done in making her the mother of
the Redeemer-Messiah; it is a "great thing" that will not only bring about her
salvation but the salvation of her people (also see Dt 11:7 and Judg 2:7).
... and holy is his name
50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
In verses 49-50, Mary names three attributes of God: His
might, holiness, and mercy. "Holy is his name" or "His name is holy" refers to
God's Divine Name YHWH. It is also an echo of Psalms 119:9, while "His mercy
is from age to age to those who fear him" is an echo of Psalms 103:17. A name
was believed to express the total essence of a person or in this case, of God as
the great "I AM" and about which God told Moses "This is my name forever; this
is my title for all generations" (see Ex 3:15).
When Mary speaks of fear of the Lord in verse 50, something God repeatedly urges in Scripture (i.e., Ex 18:21; Lev 25:17, 36, 43; Dt 6:13, 24; 8:6; 10:12, 20; repeated almost verbatim from Ps 103:17), she is not speaking of servile fear but reverence toward God in recognizing His sovereignty and fear of offending God—the positive aspects of keeping on the path to righteousness. Mary's hymn that began in praise for what God has done for her personally has now expanded to what God has done for her people as a whole.
50 He has
shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers [princes]
from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he
has sent away empty.
Expressions similar to "shown the might with his arm" often appear
in Scripture (see for example Ex 6:6; Dt 4:34; Ps 89:11;
Is 40:10; 51:5, 9; 53:1).
God is spirit, and this expression is not meant to suggest God has arms
like human beings. It is an anthropomorphism meant to convey the exercise of
God's mighty power and strength. Verse 52 is an echo of Job 5:11 and 12:19.
The wealthy who are the "arrogant of mind and heart," are the enemies of the poor and humble and therefore the enemies of God (see Is 2:12, 17; 4:15; 13:11; Wis 3:10-11; etc.). Mary is speaking of the promise of God's ultimate justice for those who have suffered and for those who have caused the suffering. She includes a quote from Psalms 107:9: For he satisfied the thirsty, filled the hungry with good things. In His Divine justice, God will judge men and women according to their works (Mt 25:31-46; Lk 6:20-25), and the rich who abused the use of their material gifts will experience a reversal of fortune in that they will be "sent away empty."
54 He has
helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants [seed] forever."
Mary's concluding statement contains echoes of the promises
of Isaiah 41:8-9 from the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament that was
the standard translation used in Mary's time, as well as Psalms 98:3 and Micah
7:20:
Mary understands that her condition in bearing the Redeemer-Messiah who is the heir of King David and the promises of the Davidic covenant is a fulfillment of God's committment not to abandon His covenant people. Her Son will fulfill the promises God made to Abraham, one of which was of a blessing that was to extend world-wide (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). That blessing will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:8).
Mary's great humility and faith are illuminated in her beautiful hymn of praise; this is, of course, the way God created her. In the Catechism, citation 722, the Church teaches: The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace. It was fitting that the mother of him in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells, bodily, should herself be "full of grace." She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin as the most humble of creatures, the most capable of welcoming the inexpressible gift of the Almighty. It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her as the "Daughter of Zion": "Rejoice." It is the thanksgiving of the whole People of God, and thus of the Church, which Mary in her canticle lifts up to the Father in the Holy Spirit while carrying within her the eternal Son.
The Gospel Reading ~ Luke 1:39-47
39 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." 46 And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
After the angel Gabriel's visit, announcing that God chose Mary to bear the Son of God and Davidic Messiah, she immediately set out, probably joining a caravan traveling to Jerusalem, to make the 7-8 day journey from Nazareth in the Galilee to the hill country of Judea and the town of her kinswoman Elizabeth. According to a Christian tradition that predates the Crusades, Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in the Judean town of Ein Kerem, about four miles west of Jerusalem (Shrines of the Holy Land, pages 125-29). After the return from the Babylonian exile, the Book of Nehemiah records that the chief priests took up residence in or near Jerusalem (Neh 11:3).
Elizabeth was in seclusion for the first five months of her pregnancy as the ancients counted without the concept of a zero place-value, but four months as we count (Lk 1:24). It was the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy as they ancients counted, but five as we would count the months (Lk 1:36) when Mary traveled to visit her. Mary's desire to visit her kinswoman is probably prompted by the Holy Spirit as well as by her need to share her experience with someone who will understand.
41 When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth,
filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried
out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb.
When Mary entered her house, and Elizabeth first heard Mary's
voice (Lk 1:40), St. John the Baptist, recognizing the presence of his Lord,
leaped for joy within his mother's womb (Lk 1:41, 44). The unborn St. John's
response to Mary and the Christ within her recalls God's words to Jeremiah: Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a
prophet to the nations I appointed you (Jer 1:5). Think of the horror of
abortion that is taking place daily as children, personally known by God from
the womb and given as His holy gift, are violently murdered before (and in some
cases after) birth.
In Elizabeth's Holy Spirit inspired greeting to her kinswoman, she gives three blessings in verses 42-45:
Elizabeth's third blessing for Mary: Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled, is in contrast to Zechariah's unbelief when the angel Gabriel told him that his old, barren wife was going to give birth to a child (Lk 1:18). Mary is the first Christian. Her belief does not waver during the years of Jesus ministry or at the time of His Passion. She will be faithfully praying together with Jesus' disciples who believed and waited for the coming of the Paraclete in the Upper Room after Jesus' Ascension (Acts 1:13-14).
43 And how
does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Bible scholars, both ancient and modern, have seen the
similarity of Elizabeth's rhetorical question in Luke 1:43 to King David's
rhetorical question in 2 Samuel 6:9 when he said: How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?, speaking
of the Ark of the Covenant. They have seen Elizabeth's question as an
intentional comparison between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling
place of the Lord God seems to be confirmed by verse 56 where Mary is said to remain
in Elizabeth's house in the Judean hill country three months, just as the Ark stayed
in the Judean hill country house of Obed-edom for the same number of months in 2 Samuel 6:11. See the chart on Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.
When Elizabeth refers to "my Lord" in verse 43 and to "the Lord" in verse 45, she is referring to Jesus in verse 43 and God in verse 45. She refers to the Divinity of Jesus and therefore to Mary as "the mother of God." It is by the strength of Elizabeth's statement, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that the Council of Ephesus declared Mary not only the "Mother of Jesus" but also the "Mother of God" in 431 AD. CCC 495: Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the mother of my Lord." In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos). Also see CCC 466, 495 and 509.
From what Elizabeth says in verse 45, she not only knows what the angel Gabriel told her husband but also what Gabriel told Mary. This knowledge was imparted to her by the Holy Spirit in the moment of her joy, but other information must also have been revealed to her by her husband (see 1:60 where she knows the name of the child before Zechariah's speech has returned).
For other references to the expression "fruit of your womb" in Scripture see Deuteronomy 7:13 where God promised to bless Israel for covenant obedience: He will love and bless and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the produce of your soil.... Also see Psalms 127:3 where it is written: Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward. To reject the birth of a child is to reject a gift from God.
In verse 46, Mary's response to Elizabeth's exclamation of praise for her belief and the honor God has shown her as "the mother of the Lord," is the hymn of praise known as the Magnificat (see the Responsorial reading).
Catechism references (*indicates Scripture is quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Galatians 4:4-5 (CCC 422);
4:4 (CCC 484, 488, 527*, 531*, 580*, 702, 1265*);
4:5-7 (CCC 1265*);
4:6 (CCC 683, 689*, 693, 742, 1695*, 2766)
Luke 1:41 (CCC 523*, 717, 2676); 1:43 (CCC448*, 495, 2677); 1:45 (CCC 148, 2676); 1:46-55 (CCC 722*, 2619*, 2675*); 1:46-49 (CCC 2097*); 1:48 (CCC 148*, 971, 2676*, 2677*); 1:49 (CCC 273, 2599*, 2807*, 2827*); 1:50 (CCC 2465*); 1:54-55 (CCC 706*); 1:55 (CCC 422*)
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