Picture: Church of the Gesu, Rome. Public domain.
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is traditionally celebrated at the beginning of January. Following is a reflection from my book Bread of Life about the Holy Name of Jesus.
"Jesus." Is there any more beautiful or powerful prayer of adoration than the one which simply and lovingly calls upon His name? Many Saints spent entire days and nights before the Blessed Sacrament, with the holy name of Jesus alone on their lips and in their hearts. Surely, there were distractions during their time with Him. But they persisted, because they knew the power and person behind the holy name.
Scripture is filled with passages which speak of our Lord's name. Even in the Old Testament, the worship of Jesus, the Messiah, is foretold. In the beginning, God's name was considered so sacred, so awesome, that no one was allowed to speak His name. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He told Moses to return to Egypt and lead His people to freedom. Moses replied "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'the God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them (Ex 3:13). God answered, "I Am Who Am" (Ex 3:14). It was not until the coming of Jesus that the full meaning of the word Lord, which is spelled YHWH in Hebrew, and means not only "I Am Who Am" but "I will be what I will be," was understood.
At the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Our Lady and told her that she was to be the Mother of God, Gabriel told Mary to "call his name Jesus" (Lk 1:31b). The name of God, in the second person of the Holy Trinity, was revealed. Of Him it is written in Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This is the same Jesus we meet when we come to the Holy Eucharist today. He waits, hidden beneath the veil of bread, to guide, console, strengthen and love us. "It is He who is our peace" (Eph 2: 14a).
Is it any wonder that, upon visiting her holy cousin Elizabeth, Mary said:
"For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" 1:49)? The Lord Himself has come to us. He is here!
How marvelous a gift we have been given in the Real Presence of Jesus in
the Holy Eucharist. It is interesting that many of the passages pertaining to the
holy name may also be used to describe the four ends of the Mass: adoration,
thanksgiving, petition and reparation, which many of the Saints also use to
describe the four ways we may spend our time before the Blessed Sacrament.
This is why so many of the psalms invite us to praise Him, with joy and thanksgiving.
"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exult his name together (Ps 34:3). "Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day" (Ps 96:2). "I will praise the name of God with a song" (Ps 69:30b).
They also encourage us to call out to Him, go to Him with our needs, and place our trust in Him, for He will answer our prayers. "Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; 1 will protect him, because he knows my name" (Ps 91: 14).
In the New Testament, we often find the holy name of Jesus spoken of in petition. People called upon the name of Jesus for healing and salvation. They placed their faith and hope in Him. For Jesus said, "If you ask anything of the Father he will give it to you, in my name" (Jn 16:23b). In Acts 3, we read about a man at the temple, lame from birth, who asked Saints Peter and John for alms. St. Peter told him, "I have no silver or gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" {Acts 3:6). The man was healed by Jesus, when St. Peter called upon His holy name. When the Sadducees later asked, "by what power or by what name do you do this?" (Acts 4:7b), St. Peter replied, "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead . . . And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10 and 12).
"O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him, glory in his holy name" (Ps 105: 1- 4a). Every time we repose the Blessed Sacrament we pray the Divine praises, which begin with the words, "Blessed be God, blessed be His holy name." And, we almost always end by singing, "Holy God we praise Thy name!" So important is it for us to say the name of Jesus, that our Savior Himself said, "You will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matt 23:39). This is why at every Mass, before the priest begins the Eucharistic prayer, we pray the Sanctus (or Holy), "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!"
St. Paul proclaims that, in light of Christ's willingness to humble Himself to the point of being a slave, suffering and dying for our sins:
God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).
This passage reminds me of how Catholics from the East bow every time the name of Jesus is mentioned at Mass. Moreover, St. Paul's words and their witness emphasize that which is most important: reception and adoration of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is the most perfect way to glorify His holy name. As the Psalmist writes:
So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary [now the Holy Eucharist!], beholding thy power and glory.
Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee,
So I will bless thee as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on thy name (Ps 63:2-4).
In Revelation we read that the beast, who is satan, "opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling" (13:6). This is why it is written, "Who shall not fear and glorify Thy name, O Lord?" (Rev 15:4). As one song says, "Jesus, we praise Thee, we love Thee, we adore Thee. Glorify Thy name in all the earth!"
In his book, The Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort describes the connection between the holy name of Jesus and adoration beautifully. When the apostles asked Jesus to pray, did He not give them the Our Father, which says "hallowed be Thy name" (Lk 11:2)?
"Hallowed be thy name":The name of the Lord is holy and to be feared, said the prophet-king David, and heaven, according to Isaiah, echoes with the praises of the seraphim who unceasingly praise the holiness of the Lord, God of hosts. We ask here that all the world may learn to know and adore the attributes of our God, who is so great and so holy. We ask that he may be known, loved and adored. (St. Louis de Montfort)
For St. Louis goes on to explain that, when we say "Thy kingdom come," we pray "that men will obey him on earth as the angels do in heaven." That is, with perpetual love and adoration!
"Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised!" (Ps 113:1-3) This proclamation is made by the Lord Himself who says, "From the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations" (Mal: 11). In light of Christ's coming, we see this passage as describing the need for Mass and Adoration to be offered worldwide, at all times. We are called to adore Jesus perpetually in the Holy Eucharist, if we are to truly praise and glorify His name.
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