Holy Name of Jesus - Jan. 3rd

  

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.

From the moment of His conception, His birth, His Circumcision, His Cross, during the lives of the apostles and early Church, throughout history and even today, the Holy Name of Jesus continues to save.

Jesus means “Savior”. The first mention of the name of Jesus, was at the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You shall conceive and bear a Son and give Him the name Jesus”.(Luke 1:31) The angel Gabriel then appeared to St. Joseph in a dream, and said, “Thou shall name Him Jesus, because He shall save His people from their sins”. (Matt. 1:21)

Scripture tells us, that “When the eighth day arrived for His circumcision, the name Jesus was given to the Child..” (Luke 2:21)

Our Lord wanted His disciples to call upon His name. He said, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.” (Jn. 14:13)

And at Our Lord’s Crucifixion, His Holy Name was nailed above His head, which said, “This is Jesus, King of the Jews” (Matt. 27:37).

At Pentecost, the name of Jesus was used by St. Peter to heal a man crippled from birth, as He said, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, walk!” When St. Peter was arrested for healing the cripple, he told the rulers, “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which, we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12) .

St. Paul told the Philippians, “God has exalted Him, and bestowed upon the name that is above every other name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow.” (Pil. 2:9)

St. Bernadine of Sienna had a great devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and preached on it often. Once, when he learned that there was a man possessed by the devil in the city of Alessandria, where he was passing through, the gave a child a piece of paper on which the glorious Name of the Savior was written. He told the child to put in on the possessed man. The child had hardly placed it on the man, when the unclean spirit immediately took flight.

The name of Jesus, as we know-- means, savior. Jesus not only saves us from sin, but also saves us from physical harm as we can tell by the following story.

The day after Christmas in 2005, a missionary, who was working at an orphanage, spotted a large tsunami, approaching the banks of an island. Not knowing what to do, the missionary raised his hand in the direction of the flood, and shouted, “I command you in the name of Jesus—stop!” He thought he was imagining things, because the water seemed to “momentarily stop”. As the wave stopped, he and all the children from the orphanage got into a boat. And just as their boat headed away, the water poured into the mouth of the lagoon, and destroyed the orphanage. All escaped unharmed and were saved by the Holy Name of Jesus.

When we pray the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will say the name of Jesus 58 times, as we pray the Hail Mary and the Fatima prayer. If we are frightened, worried or distressed, call upon the Holy Name of Jesus. If we are being tempted to sin, or notice others who seem to behave in a sinful manner, call on the name of Jesus.

If we are lonely, troubled and in need of consolation and love, call on the name of Jesus. “Lord Jesus, save me” “Lord Jesus, help me.” “Jesus protect me from my enemies.”

On this feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, and everyday, may we gently and softly repeat the Holy Name of Jesus, asking Him to save us from our sins, save us from physical harm, and make reparation for those who take the Holy Name of Jesus in vain.

Just imagine how many times, the Blessed Virgin lovingly said the name of Jesus, may She remind us to call upon the name of Her Son with trust, with love, with respect and with devotion.