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Luke 2:21 "...Et
vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"
("And His Name was called JESUS")
Psalm 90:14 "Because he hoped in me I will deliver him:
I will protect him because he hath known My Name."
Zacharias 10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they shall walk in His Name, saith the Lord."
Apocalypse 3:8 "I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door
opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast
kept my word, and hast not denied My Name."
Apocalypse 15:4 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and magnify Thy
Name?..."
Throughout Sacred Scripture, God Himself names those who have a great role
to play in our salvation. As recorded in the fifth chapter of Genesis, He
named the first man Adam, which means "Man of the Earth",
1 and He changed the name of our spiritual
Father from Abram to "Abraham," which means "Father of Many Nations," and
changed that of Abraham's wife, Sarai, to "Sarah," which means "Princess"
and foretells that she would be the spiritual mother to kings (Genesis 17).
Our first Pope had been named "Simon" before he became "Peter" to signify
his status as the earthly rock of the Church as Christ is the Foundation
and Head. And so, too, the Name "Jesus" has meaning: His Holy Name means
"God Saves" ("Emmanuel"), and that Our Lord would receive this Name was foretold
by the divinely inspired Prophet Isaias:
Isaias 7:14-15
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter
and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.
Our Lady learned
how she was to name her Child from the Archangel Gabriel:
Luke 1:26-33
And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of
Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being
come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought
with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said
to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his
name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High;
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and
he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end.
... and St. Joseph
heard it from an angel in a dream:
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child,
of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not
willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But
while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to
him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee
Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For
he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might
be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin
shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. And Joseph rising up from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him
his wife. And he knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son: and
he called his name JESUS.
Then, when He was
circumcised on the 8th day after His Nativity, He received the Holy
Name:
Luke 2:21
And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised,
his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived
in the womb.
And what of it?
St. Peter sums it up after he healed the lame man and was then asked by the
high priest, "By what power, or by what name, have you done this?":
Acts 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them: Ye princes of the people,
and ancients, hear: If we this day are examined concerning the good deed
done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole: Be it known
to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of our Lord
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the
dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole. This is the stone
which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other Name under
heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
When we say the
Name "Jesus" (or "Iesus," "Iesu," "Yeshua," etc.) consciously, with
deep reverence, we are re-realizing the core Truth of the holy Faith:
"God Saves" -- and all gratitude and humility are summoned. Say that Holy
Name, ponder it, feel it in your mouth and in your heart! "IESUS -- GOD SAVES!"
When you pronounce it, know its meaning and humble yourself before it; feel
in your heart how you are addressing and referring to Lord Christ. "IESUS
-- SAVIOR!"
So holy is His Name that uttering it piously is an indulgenced act. So revered
is it that:
This Catholic attitude
of deep respect toward the Holy Name is exactly as it should be according
to Sacred Scripture:
Philippians 2:8-10
He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the
cross. For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name
which is above all names: That in the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:
It is "in His Name"
that the Gentiles shall hope (Matthew 12:21); "in the Name of Jesus Christ"
that the Apostles baptized (Acts 2:38), healed (Acts 3:6, 16), cast out demons
(Acts 16:18), preached (Acts 9:27), and anointed (James 5:14); it is "by
the Name" of Jesus that signs and wonders were seen (Acts 4:30).
And it is in His Name that we should place our faith, do our works, and say
our prayers:
I John 3:23
And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the Name
of his Son Jesus Christ: and love one another, as He hath given commandment
unto us.
Colossians 3:17
All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the Name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.
John 16:23-24
...Amen, amen I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in
My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked any thing in
My Name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full.
Formalized devotion
to the Holy Name is the fruit of the work of St. Bernardine of Siena, A.D.
1380-1444, the Franciscan who reformed his Order and preached fiery sermons
all over Italy. An excerpt from one:
When a fire is
lit to clear a field, it burns off all the dry and useless weeds and thorns.
When the sun rises and darkness is dispelled, robbers, night-prowlers and
burglars hide away. So when Paul's voice was raised to preach the Gospel
to the nations, like a great clap of thunder in the sky, his preaching was
a blazing fire carrying all before it. It was the sun rising in full glory.
Infidelity was consumed by it, false beliefs fled away, and the truth appeared
like a great candle lighting the whole world with its brilliant flame.
By word of mouth, by letters, by miracles, and by the example of his own
life, Saint Paul bore the Name of Jesus wherever he went. He praised the
Name of Jesus "at all times," but never more than when "bearing witness to
his faith."
Moreover, the Apostle did indeed carry this Name "before the Gentiles and
kings and the sons of Israel" as a light to enlighten all nations. And this
was his cry wherever he journeyed: "The night is passing away, the day is
at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor
of light; let us conduct ourselves honorably as in the day." Paul himself
showed forth the burning and shining-light set upon a candlestick, everywhere
proclaiming "Jesus, and Him crucified."
And so the Church, the Bride of Christ strengthened by his testimony, rejoices
with the psalmist, singing: "O God from my youth you have taught me, and
I still proclaim your wondrous deeds." The psalmist exhorts her to do this,
as he says: "Sing to the Lord, and bless His Name, proclaim His salvation
day after day." And this salvation is Jesus, Her savior.
During these very
popular sermons, he would hold up for veneration the monogram of Christ's
Name -- the letters "IHS" (or "JHS") -- surrounded by rays. This ancient
monogram is a Latinization of the Greek monograms for Iesous Christos,
"IH XP" and "IC XC," and it became even more popularized after St. Bernardine
encouraged a playing card maker in Bologna -- a man whose business had been
ruined because of the Saint's preaching against gambling -- to make
holy cards depicting it instead of making his
usual fare. St. Bernardine's apostleship of the Holy Name was carried on
by St. John Capistran, A.D. 1385-1456, and to them both is attributed the
Litany of the Holy Name.
Because of the
influence of St. Bernardine's work, the Name "Jesus" was added to the Hail
Mary prayer, and the Feast of the Holy Name was later added to the calendar
(celebrated on the 1st Sunday of the year, or 2 January if this Sunday falls
on the 1st, 6th, or 7th). The office of this Mass was written by Bernardine
dei Busti, and it makes use of the beautiful 12th century hymn,
Iesu Dulcis Memoria which speaks
of His Name and was written by another who had devotion to it, St. Bernard
of Clairvaux (A.D. 1090-1153). The entire month of January is devoted to
the worship of the Holy Name and to Christ's Divine
Childhood.
Honor the Holy Name of Our Lord, and use it with only the deepest reverence.
As St. John the Evangelist described his vision of the end of time when writing
from the island of Patmos:
Apocalypse 22:1-4
And He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from
the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and
on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits,
yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations. And there shall be no curse any more; but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
And they shall see His face: and His Name shall be on their foreheads.
Chaplet of the Holy Name
The Chaplet of
the Holy Name is prayed on a 33 bead chaplet (3 decades of 1 large bead followed
by ten small beads). 33-bead "rosaries" or 33-knot "chotki" of the Eastern
tradition can be used for this devotion. To pray the Chaplet of the Holy
Name:
Make an Act
of Contrition (i.e., pray this prayer earnestly):
O my God, I am
heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because
of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the
help of Thy grace, to sin no more and avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
And
pray:
Incline unto my
aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.
First
Decade:
On the first
large bead:
Lord, Thou hast said: "Ask and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you," I seek, I knock, I ask this favor
[name your intention].
On each of the first group of ten small beads:
Incline unto my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Second Decade:
On the second
large bead:
"Amen, I say unto you, if ye ask the Father anything in My Name it shall
be given unto you." It is of the Father and in Thy Name, Lord, I ask this
favor.
On each of the second group of 10 small beads:
Incline unto my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Third Decade:
On the third
large bead:
Lord, Thou hast said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall
not pass away," Thou wilt grant me this favor because Thou hast said it and
Thy word is true.
On each of the third group of 10 small beads:
Incline unto my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me.
See also the
Novena to the Holy Name.
Footnotes:
1 Eve, whose name means "Mother of All Living,"
was named by Adam. Genesis 3:20 "And Adam called the name of his wife Eve:
because she was the mother of all the living."
2
The custom of bowing
the head at the mention of His Name was formally written into law at the
Second Council of Lyons, A.D. 1274, convened by Pope Gregory X: "Those who
assemble in church should extol with an act of special reverence that Name
which is above every Name, than which no other under Heaven has been given
to people, in which believers must be saved, the Name, that is, of Jesus
Christ, Who will save His people from their sins. Each should fulfil in himself
that which is written for all, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should
bow; whenever that glorious Name is recalled, especially during the sacred
Mysteries of the Mass, everyone should bow the knees of his heart, which
he can do even by a bow of his head."
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