HOLY NAME OF MARY
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you.” -James 4:7
Psalm
49, Verse 17
Do
not fear when a man becomes rich, when
the wealth of his house grows great.
The next verse drives the point: for
his glory shall not descend with him!
Fix your eyes on that which endures.
In the movie Centennial it portrays a young Arapahoe child in the year 1756, who
learns his father has just been killed in battle and is taught the lesson that
'only rocks live forever'. God encourages us to fix our eyes on the eternal.
Leaders become consumed with the momentary but forget the lasting. Christ tells
us that leaders must not pursue wealth or power for true greatness comes from
inside out. Even our own bodies make a testimony to this by accomplishing the
healing from the inside out. True leaders pursue a legacy rather than wealth.
What does any man take with him to the grave? Only a vision came outlive a man.
Think of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. A huge difference exists between a
legacy and an inheritance. Anyone can leave an inheritance. An inheritance is
something you leave TO your family or loved ones, and it also fades. A legacy
is something you leave IN your family and loved ones.
·
An
inheritance is something tangible you give to others but a legacy is something
you place in others.
·
An
inheritance brings temporary happiness but a legacy transforms lives.
·
An
inheritance is spent but a legacy is renewing.
·
An
inheritance may or may not pay off but a legacy always propagates.
Seek the kingdom of God and its
justice.
·
Physical-The
first dimension is the the physical dimension. It is the world of action, the
world of survival, the world of physical pleasure. It’s easy to access this
dimension through an activity like eating, but the pleasure is short-lived and
ends shortly after the last bite.
·
Emotional-Next
up is the emotional dimension. It’s the world of belonging, caring, connecting
and loving. It takes more work to properly access this dimension because it
involves other people. The pleasure is much deeper and more meaningful than the
physical. A litmus test is that one would not trade the true love of a spouse
or a child for even $1billion, which can buy a lot of physical pleasure.
·
Mental-Higher
up is the mental dimension. It’s the world of learning, understanding and
creating. These activities require more time, thought and effort than emotional
activities. They are the activities at the root of self-actualization and they
help us keep our emotional and physical activities within the proper measure.
It is the dimension that powers the political, business and altruistic worlds
in which people often sacrifice their emotional relationship in pursuit of
solutions to big problems.
·
Spiritual-The
highest dimension is the spiritual dimension. It goes beyond self-actualization
to self-transcendence, higher purpose and leaving a legacy. It is the realm of
belief and dedication to a Higher Power. It is all the dimension of free will
and doing the intrinsically right thing
Most Holy Name of Mary[3]
In accordance with Jewish custom our Lady's parents named her eight days after her birth, and were inspired to call her Mary. The feast of the Holy Name of Mary therefore follows that of her Birthday, as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus follows Christmas. The feast originated in Spain and was approved by the Holy See in 1513; Innocent XI extended its observance to the whole Church in 1683 in thanksgiving to our Lady for the victory on September 12, 1683 by John Sobieski, king of Poland, over the Turks, who were besieging Vienna and threatening the West. This day was commemorated in Vienna by creating a new kind of pastry and shaping it in the form of the Turkish half-moon. It was eaten along with coffee which was part of the booty from the Turks. The ancient Onomastica Sacra have preserved the meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by the Greek Fathers. "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea," "The Light Giver," "The Enlightened One," "Lady," "Seal of the Lord," and "Mother of the Lord" are the principal interpretations. These etymologies suppose that the Hebrew form of the name is Maryãm, not Miryãm. From the time of St. Jerome until the 16th century, preferred interpretations of Mary's name in the West were "Lady," "Bitter Sea," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea." Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation. The revival of Hebraic studies, which accompanied the Renaissance, led to a more critical appraisal of the meanings assigned to Our Lady's name. Miryãm has all the appearance of a genuine Hebrew name, and no solid reason has been discovered to warrant rejecting the Semitic origin of the word. The Hebrew name of Mary, Miryãm, (in Latin Domina) means lady or sovereign; this Mary is in virtue of her Son's sovereign authority as Lord of the World. We call Mary our Lady as we call Jesus our Lord, and when we pronounce her name we affirm her power, implore her aid and place ourselves under her protection.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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