The Most Holy Name of Mary

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare asked.  For the ancient Hebrews and for many tribal cultures the name of a person is extremely significant, for it tells who a person is, opens the door to the person's essence.  Among the Lakota in the Dakotas, a "naming ceremony" is often part of the summer powow.  An elder gives a Lakota name to a child who is six, seven, or older, and pins a feather in his or her hair.  The name tells us something about the child:  Good Eagle, (a person who leads others along the path of goodness); Iron Eagle:  a strong and forceful leader.  In Rwanda, a significant Rwandan name is given at birth and usually includes the name of God, such as "near to God", "loved by God", "protected by God." Later, at baptism, the child receives a Christian name, such as Jean Marie Vianney, Jean-Paul, Jean-Baptiste etc.
Some of us remember the George M. Cohan classic written in 1906 (!), Mary's a Grand Old Name:
For it is Mary, Mary,
plain as any name can be,
but with propriety, society will say, Marie.
But it was Mary, Mary,
long before the fashion came,
and there is something there that sounds so square.
It's a grand old name.
Now I know that tune will haunt you (in a good way) all day, but may it help you to be think of Mary, our Good Mother, who was greeted by Gabriel, "Hail Mary" the two words and the name which initiated our salvation and which begin the prayer we use so often.  It is also a key word in our Marist Motto:  All to Jesus through Mary; all to Mary for Jesus.  It is a grand name which leads us to the heart of Jesus.  May we use it with reverence and love and find strength and solace in it.
Bro. Rene