The most beautiful sound I ever heard… “Maria!”
- West Side Story
Dear friend,
Growing up, my sister and I adopted our mother’s fondness of the 1961 West Side Story movie musical adaptation. (I still haven’t had the courage to watch the 2021 remake…)
In case you’ve never seen West Side Story, there’s a pivotal scene when the Romeo character (Tony) discovers the name of his love interest, Maria.
Tony’s unforgettable ballad dedicated to Maria’s name might be the most admirable artistic expression of that singular human experience; the moment a name becomes forever infused with a meaning that changes our hearts and minds when we hear it — gaining the power to alter reality because of our relationship with someone outside ourselves.
This doesn’t just happen in romance. The names of those who have wounded or offended us also gain that quality.
An oft-repeated experience among exorcists is that Maria causes demons to ‘tremble’, shaking the possessed body in anguish.
Why?
In October 2010, I remember standing just a few feet away from the little cave-home that has been preserved by devotees for centuries; the original house of Jesus’ mother, in what had historically been the tiny, ‘backwater’ village of Nazareth. Looking directly above me, I marveled at the contrastingly grandiose dome of the Basilica of the Annunciation as our guide revealed an architectural detail. The dome was built with small structures resembling the letters ‘A’ and ‘M’ to stand for Ave, Maria! — Hail, Mary! — words used to recall what young Mariam had heard from the Archangel Gabriel in that very place. These shapes create a white lily (commonly associated with Mary in sacred art) blooming over the tiny homestead, with its roots in the heavens.
He said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
- Luke 1:28
The fact that Love became Incarnate through the generous will of a humble, teenaged girl in a backwater village, is enough to shake the proud mind of Satan.
It should be enough to shake us, too.
We have often mistaken power for glory… material wealth for divine favor… fine appearance for competence. However, time and again throughout the Judeo-Christian holy Scriptures, God prefers the humble, the poor, and the meek. That’s a hard lesson to accept — especially when we find ourselves leaning toward presumption, boasting, comfortable luxury, and feeling in-control of everything.
Each time we pray Maria, true enough we are calling the name of Christ’s Queen-Mother, but we are also calling upon the one who knows most closely that God turns all our logic upside down.
May you and I bloom with our roots in heaven.
Happy Feast of Her Holy Name,
Angela Marie
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