Origin: Victory at the Battle of Vienna, 1683
In 1682 Sultan Mehmet IV declared war and wrote to Emperor Leopold I: "First we order you to wait for us in your city of residence, Vienna, so that we can behead you.... (...) We will exterminate you and all your followers.... (...) Children and adults will be exposed to the most atrocious tortures before we finish them off in the most ignominious manner imaginable..."
Kara Mustafa Pasha, in front of the Sultan's Ottoman army, arrived at the gates of Vienna and besieged it on July 14, 1683. Emperor Leopold and most of the troops and citizens fled the city, leaving only 5000 civilians and 11,000 soldiers under the command of Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg. The number of invaders outnumbered the defenders 20:1. They set out to destroy its walls by undermining and dynamiting them. By September, the defenders were out of food and exhausted. The Turks managed to breach the walls and the city was on the verge of defeat when relief providentially arrived.
John Sobieski b.1629, crowned king of Poland in 1674, well known as the "Lion of the North" came to the rescue. He left Krakow on August 15. On the way the troops visited the shrine of the Virgin of Czestochowa, patron saint of Poland, consecrated themselves to her and Sobieski placed Poland under her protection. On September 6, the Poles crossed the Danube 30 km N.W. of Vienna and joined with the imperial forces and others who had responded to the call to form a Holy League of defense with the support of Pope Innocent XI. (Louis XIV of France did not respond and rather took the opportunity to attack German cities).
On September 11 Sobieski's troops arrived in Vienna. Although the Turks outnumbered them (according to Sobieski's calculations, 76,000 vs. 300,000), they knew that the future of Europe and Christendom was at stake. On September 12, early in the morning, Sobieski went to Mass and placed himself in God's hands.
The victory saved Europe and thwarted the planned Islamic conquest of Europe. Sobieski gave all the credit for the victory to God. He said, "Veni, vidi, Deus vicit." In thanksgiving to Our Lady for the victory won, Pope Innocent XI extended the feast of the Sweet Name of Mary to the Universal Church on September 12.
The Name
It was Luke in his Gospel who told us the name of the maiden who was to be the Mother of God: "And her name was Mary". Mary's name, translated from the Hebrew "Miriam", means Maiden, Lady, Princess.
Star of the Sea, happy Gate of Heaven, as the hymn Ave maris stella sings. Mary's name is related to the sea because the three letters of sea are phonetically similar to Mary. It is also related to "myrrh", which comes from a Semitic language. Myrrh is an herb from Africa that produces incense and perfume.
The Magi give myrrh to Mary as an offering of adoration. "And when they came into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him, and opening their coffers, they offered him gold and frankincense and myrrh." Myrrh, like Mary, is the symbol of the union of men with God, which is made in Mary's womb. Mary is thus the center of God's union with mankind. The linguists and biblical scholars unravel the roots of such a beautiful name as Mary, which the sister of Moses already bore, and very common in Israel. And for philologists it means beautiful, lady, princess, exalted, all beautiful and suggestive adjectives.
The Mission
In the History of Salvation it is God who imposes or changes the name of the characters to whom he assigns an important mission. To Simon, Jesus says: "Your name is Simon. From now on you will be called Kefa, Peter, stone, rock, because on this rock I will build my Church". Mary came into the world with the highest mission, to be the Mother of God, and yet he does not change her name. She will be called, simply, MARY, the name she had, and she fulfills all those meanings, for as Queen and Lady she will be called by all generations. Mary, young, woman, virgin, citizen of her people, wife and mother, handmaid of the Lord. Sweet woman who receives her child in the poorest conditions, but with her warmth she wraps him in swaddling clothes and cradles him. Courageous Mary who is not afraid to flee to Egypt to save her son. A companion on the road, firm in interceding with her son when she sees the plight of the bride and groom at Cana, a strong woman whose heart is pierced by the sword of the sorrow of the Cross of her Son and who receives his dead body in her arms. Support of the Church in her first steps with her motherhood open to all humanity. Mary, human. Mary, determined and generous. Mary, faithful and friendly. Mary, strong and confident. Mary, Immaculate, Mother, Star of Evangelization.
By: Jesús Marí Ballester | Source: Corazones.org