Mary in the Gospel of Luke: Part VIII: The Annunciation

The Annunciation

To  situate ourselves: In the last several articles of The Queen, the first part of the annunciation (the appearance and greeting of the angel [1:26-28]), and also the second part (the expression of amazement on the part of Mary [1:29]) were studied in some detail. The last article (Part VI)  began the third part of the Lucan annunciation narrative.  It is the message of the archangel Gabriel, which extends from 1:30-33. We have arrived at the beautiful command of the angel Gabriel to Mary: You shall call his name Jesus (v. 31).

You Shall Call His Name Jesus

Command? It is not that the words of the Angel are transmitted by Luke in the imperative or command mood; NAME HIM JESUS! However, the angel is telling Mary that this is the will of God;  “You, Mary, are to call your child, Jesus”.  Anyone clearly told by God what is to be done, would surely count it as a command! Even more so, would Mary, even though her Immaculate Conception is pure active and responsible harmony with God’s will. Sanctity itself can be summed up in the well-known prayer; “Lord, may I know your will and always have the courage to carry it out”.

The same situation is found in the announcement of Gabriel to Zechariah in Luke 1:13; “You will call his name John”.  Even though there were objections from the family about the name, Zechariah demanded that the child be called John.  For he well understood that he had so received a command by the Lord through the angel.

It may seem strange that Luke describes the angel telling both Our Lady, and also Zechariah, what the child will be called even before birth or conception. And in Matthew, Joseph is told the name of the child ln Mary’s womb. But there are similar instances in the Jewish tradition; a number of rabbis held that the names of six are given before birth: Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Josiah and the Messiah.

Why Tell Us HIS Name Before His Birth?

However, what is more important is this:  Why does Luke go into such an insignificant detail as God’s commanding a name to be given to a child before the infant is born? Perhaps insignificant for us today, but surely not for the people of biblical times. It indicates that God has a specific destiny for that child which is disclosed in the meaning – sometimes rather forced – of the name. The almighty foresees and disposes of things, so that the child could freely play the specific role in salvation history that God had planned.

At times it does appear that the accomplishments of the person during life are all summarized – by hind-sight – in the name given the person. For the name was considered to be equivalent to the person. When Isaiah tells us that the ideal king to come will be named: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), we are being told exactly who this person will be. In the scriptures, to know the God-given name of someone is, in a certain sense, to have a grasp of the destiny of the child as the Lord has planned it.

The Name of Jesus

Yet there is something strange in the naming of Jesus. In Luke, it is clearly stated that Mary is the one who is to name the child Jesus. Yet, if we examine Matthew 1:21, Joseph is the one who is to name the child conceived ln Mary’s womb: “You (Joseph) will call his name Jesus.” And in the circumcision narrative, it is simply stated that he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb”. (Lk 2:21). There really is no problem here, for it is God himself who names the Messiah. It is God who summarizes in the name of Jesus, who His anointed is. Mary and Joseph are individually told the name of the child, and both fulfill the command, at the circumcision.

In the tradition of the early Christians, the name Jesus, therefore, tells us who the child is. To be strict of terms, the word Jesus probably originally meant “Yahweh, help”! The cry of a woman in childbirth. However, in the course of time, the popular meaning of the word, Jesus, came to be linked not with the term help but with salvation. Jesus then means, Yahweh Salvation or more commonly, as Matthew 1:21, implies, Yahweh saves; “she will bear a son, and you (Joseph ) shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins”.  And Luke himself seems to insinuate the identical meaning of the word Jesus when he depicts the angels telling the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem: “For there is born to you today a Savior”. (2:11).

What Does This Name Signify to Us?

W  hat power there is, then, in the name of Jesus! It is the proper name of the Savior, the God-Man, the Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom. To pronounce that magnificent name – which is above every other name (Phil 2:9-10), is to release the very power of the Incarnation into our midst. Saint Louis de Montfort, following Saint Bernadine, is quite explicit: “But what does the name of Jesus, the proper name of Incarnate Wisdom, signify to us, if not ardent charity, infinite love and engaging gentleness?

The distinctive characteristic of Jesus, the Savior of the world, is to love and save us. ‘Nothing sung, more peaceful; nothing heard, more joyful; nothing thought, so loving, than JESUS, the Son of God.’ How sweet the name of Jesus sounds to the ear and to the heart of a chosen soul! Sweet as honey to the lips, a delightful melody to the ears, thrilling joy to the heart”. (LEW 120).

Jesus and Mary

Yet Montfort insists on the power of the name which nothing whatsoever can resist. His name should be spoken so reverently by us, especially in difficult, painful situations. His name is peace, love, salvation. To pronounce that glorious name with faith and love is to imbue the situation with the power of Jesus.

Montfort cannot separate the name of Jesus from the name of Mary, for they have been united in an indissoluble union. To pronounce the name of Jesus is also to say Mary. For he is not only forever and everywhere the fruit of her womb, but it is through her, Yes, that the Word was made flesh and given the name Jesus. And since Mary is totally relative to God, since she exists to be Mother of the Savior, the name Mary always invokes Jesus. When we prayerfully say Mary, the echo is always Jesus.

The deaf have a beautiful sign for Jesus. With the middle finger of the right hand, touch the palm of the left. And then the middle finger of the left hand to the palm of the right. The sign is clear: Jesus the Savior, who by his cross has redeemed us. Yet we can make that sign with no one even knowing what we are doing – the healing name of Jesus is being immersed into the moment of joy, thanksgiving, pain, fear. And the power of Jesus comes to rest upon us.

Jesus and Salvation

The recent Universal Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes (#430-435) the Church’s understanding of the words of Luke to Mary; You shall call his name Jesus. It calls upon all Catholics to recognize the dignity and power of the name of Jesus; “The name of Jesus signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son made man, for the definitive and universal redemption of sins. It is the divine name which alone brings salvation . . . the wicked spirits fear his name and it is, in His name, that the disciples of Jesus work miracles, for whatsoever they ask of God in the name of Jesus is given to them”. (Jn 15:16).

The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the formula;  “through Jesus Christ Our Lord”.  The first part of the ‘Hail Mary’ culminates in: ‘and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus’ . . . Many Christians die, having on their lips – like Saint Joan of Arc – the one word, Jesus”.  May God grant each one of us to leave this world praying the name which is above every other name: Jesus!

(To Be Continued)