The Virgin Birth of the Virgin Mary 
    But the Jewish custom was to formally give a name to a daughter on the 15th day from her birth, as is 
indicated in Sacred Scripture, and not on the 20th day. Nor could the 20th day have meant the 20th day of the 
Jewish month, for the Virgin Mary was born near the end of the month of Av. Counting forward 15 days 
would not bring us to the 20th day of the next month. And, even though Blessed Anne Catherine mistakenly 
believed that the Virgin Mary was born on September 8, she does not describe the events of the naming 
ceremony as having occurred on the 20th of the September. 
    On the other hand, if we count forward 15 days from the Virgin Mary's actual birth date on August 5, we 
arrive at August 19 (counting inclusively). The Virgin Mary was born very early in the day, about midnight, so 
we must include in the count of the 15 days the day of her birth.
540
 According to Blessed Anne Catherine, there 
were many preparations which had to be made beforehand on the day of the ceremony, and after the 
ceremony there was a meal.
541
 Thus the naming ceremony described by Blessed Anne Catherine most likely 
occurred near the close of the 15th day, before sunset. Since the Jewish day begins and ends at sunset, the 16th 
day (August 20) would be seen by the Jews as beginning at sunset just after the ceremony on August 19. Also, 
August 20 would be the first full day after the Virgin Mary's naming ceremony, the first full day when she was 
called Mary. 
    The 8th and the 15th day inclusive from birth always fall on the same day of the week as the birth. This 
timing made it convenient for the Jews in ancient times to determine and remember the day of the naming 
ceremonies for newborns. Thus the counting of these days is inclusive, counting the day of birth as day one. 
    The above explanation for the date and time of the Virgin Mary's naming ceremony agrees with both the 
indications of Sacred Scripture, that a daughter would be named on the 15th day from birth, and the words of 
Blessed Anne Catherine, that the angels sang of the 20th day as the day she would be called Mary. To accord 
with the date and time of the actual event and with the words of the angels, I suggest that the Church place the 
celebration of the Virgin Mary's Naming Day on August 20, but begin the celebration with a vigil service on 
the evening of August 19, the time and day of the actual event. (More suggested changes to the Christian 
liturgical calendar are found in chapter 15 of this book.) 
The Naming Ceremony 
    It may seem strange to some that the Jews had a special ceremony for naming the child, and that it was held 
some length of time after the child's birth. Yet we have a similar custom in the Christian Faith. The holy 
Sacrament of Baptism also includes the formal naming of the child, called the child's christening, and this 
Sacrament is generally given some length of time after the child's birth. The ancient custom of the Jews is not 
so different from our custom today. 
     Joachim then laid the child in the hands of the high priest, who, lifting her up in offering as he prayed, laid 
her in the cradle on the altar. He then took a pair of scissors which, like our snuffers, had a little box at the end 
to hold what was cut off. With this he cut off three little tufts of hair from the child's head and burnt them in 
a brazier. Then he took a vase of oil and anointed the child's five senses, touching with his thumb her ears, 
eyes, nose, mouth, and breast. He also wrote the name Mary on a parchment and laid it on the child's 
breast . Hymns were sung and after that the meal began . 
542
    Blessed Anne Catherine describes the Naming Ceremony of the Virgin Mary. Notice that a few tufts of the 
infant Mary's hair are cut off and burnt. The ancient custom of the Jews was to burn lambs and other animals 
offered as a sacrifice to God (e.g. Numbers 29). The burning of three little tufts of the Virgin Mary's hair, while 
she was in a cradle on the altar, symbolizes the offering of the child Mary as a living sacrifice to God. This 
ceremony included writing the child's name on a parchment while she was on the altar and laying it upon the 
child. This action signifies that the child is given a name before God, as if to say,  This is the name that God 
gives you, the name that God will speak when He calls to you.  
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