Pondering the meaning of "Mary"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Sept 12 - Happy, Holy Feast of the Holy Name of Mary! The full article from which I took this excerpt can be found HERE. The University of Dayton is a great source for information about our Mother Mary’s Feasts and many other aspects of Catholic Devotion to Mary.

Pondering the Meaning of “Mary”

The rendering of the name Mary in Hebrew is Miryam and in Aramaic, the spoken language at Our Lady’s time, was Mariam. Derived from the root, merur, the name signifies “bitterness.” Throughout the centuries, Saints and scholars have proposed different interpretations for the name “Mary.” A mixture of etymology and devotion produced an interesting array of meanings:

“Mary means enlightener, because she brought forth the Light of the world. In the Syriac tongue, Mary signifies Lady.” [St. Isidore of Seville +636]

“Let me say something concerning this name also, which is interpreted to mean Star of the sea,1 and admirably suits the Virgin Mother.” [St. Bernard +1153]

“Therefore a certain Star has risen for us today: Our Lady, Saint Mary. Her name means Star of the sea; no doubt the Star of this sea which is the world. Therefore, we ought to lift up our eyes to this Star that has appeared on earth today in order that she may lead us, in order that she may enlighten us, in order that she may show us these steps so that we shall know them, in order that she may help us so that we may be able to ascend. And therefore it is a beautiful thing that Mary is placed in this stairway of which we are speaking, there where we must begin to climb. As the Evangelist says, Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, so immediately at the very moment of our conversion she appears to us and receives us into her care and enlightens us in her light and accompanies us along this laborious path.” [St. Aelred +1167]

“Mary means Star of the sea, for as mariners are guided to port by the ocean star, so Christians attain to glory through Mary’s maternal intercession.” [St. Thomas Aquinas +1274]

"This most holy, sweet and worthy name was 'eminently fitted to so holy, sweet and worthy a virgin. For Mary means a bitter sea,2 star of the sea, the illuminated or illuminatrix.3 Mary is interpreted Lady. Mary is a bitter sea to the demons; to men she is the Star of the sea; to the Angels she is illuminatrix, and to all creatures she is Lady."4 [St. Bonaventure +1274]

“God the Father gathered all the waters together and called them the seas or maria [Latin, seas]. He gathered all His grace together and called it Mary or Maria . . . This immense treasury is none other than Mary whom the saints call the ‘treasury of the Lord.’ From her fullness all men are made rich.” [St. Louis de Montfort +1716]

It is not difficult to see why these various interpretations of the name “Mary” should have been proposed and cherished, for they encapsulate many of our Marian doctrines and beliefs. Among the many, one interpretation for the name “Mary” highlights the relationship of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the Church. It is derived from the Hebrew verb mara, meaning "to be fleshy or robust” and implicitly pointing to Our Lady’s beauty and spiritual fecundity. She is the Tota Pulchra, the Beautiful One.

 

[Karen107]

Very nice! My daughter graduated from the University of Dayton. Anything you want to know about Mary you will find it there… Regarding Stars… Abraham, Our father in faith has offspring greater than the stars in the sky including Mary and all of the faithful…Mary comes to mind as the shining star morning glory!!!

I love Mary! She is our Spiritual Mother as the Mother of Our Lord Jesus who is our brother, We are all Gods children and we are family!!!a galaxy to behold! what’s not to love!!! Mary is indeed the beautiful one!

 

[MariaChristi]

Very nice! My daughter graduated from the University of Dayton. Anything you want to know about Mary you will find it there… Regarding Stars… Abraham, Our father in faith has offspring greater than the stars in the sky including Mary and all of the faithful…Mary comes to mind as the shining star morning glory!!!

I love Mary! She is our Spiritual Mother as the Mother of Our Lord Jesus who is our brother, We are all Gods children and we are family!!!a galaxy to behold! what’s not to love!!! Mary is indeed the beautiful one!

Dear Karen,

Thanks so much for your reply, and your love for our Mother. It is sad to me to see fewer persons as devoted to Mary as in past years. Pope St. John Paul in his address to the Legion of Mary in 1982 saw this as part of the crisis of faith in the world. I’ve posted this before on CAF, but it is worth repeating:

…For its birth and growth, apostolic work looks to her who gave birth to Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Where the Mother is, there too is the Son. When one moves away from the Mother, sooner or later he ends up keeping distant from the Son as well. It is no wonder that today, in various sectors of secularised society, we note a widespread crisis of faith in God, preceded by a drop in devotion to the Virgin Mother… St. JPII (underlining is mine)