On Earth we your children invoke your sweet name

Names are a big deal in the Bible. More than a moniker, the names of people—and God—capture, convey, and even conjure a being’s very essence. It’s why the Hebrews refused, out of respect, to speak God’s holiest name and why “taking the Lord’s name in vain” is forbidden. We see in biblical history how life-changing experiences prompt a person’s change of name, as when Sarai becomes Sarah and Saul becomes Paul. When Jesus talks of acting “in my name,” he affirms a power and presence invoked by simply uttering his name. Today, heed Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, who instructed: simply “think of Mary, call on Mary.” MEMORIAL OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY