Jan-3: Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

In the Roman Catholic Church, the month of January has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

Honoring our Savior’s name fulfils the word of St. Paul: "God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those 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. (Philippians 2:10)" 

The Second Commandment enshrined this Jewish law: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in vain." This prohibits the swearing of false oaths, that is, calling upon God as your witness and then making false statements. 

We read in Sacred Scripture how the Archangel Gabriel revealed that name to Mary: "You shall call His name Jesus (Lk 1:31)" And to St. Joseph the angel not merely revealed the name but explained its meaning: "You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.(Mt 1:21)". The Gospel of Luke further relates that "After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb (Lk 2:21)" . Per Jewish practice, Jesus was circumcised and named eight days after Christmas, January 3. 

“The name ‘Jesus’ contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray ‘Jesus’ is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him” (CCC 2666).

The Greek name Iesous for Jesus often written as 'ΙΗΣΟΥΣ', gives us iota-eta-sigma, or ΙΗΣ, constituting the most common Christogram IHS

“IHS” is sometimes interpreted as meaning Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Savior of mankind” in Latin)

If “Jesus” was the given name of the Son of Mary, then “Christ” was a title. “Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Messiah,” meaning the “Anointed One.” “Jesus the Christ” was the original formula for describing the Son of Mary. But over time, “The Christ” became simply “Christ,” as if it were His last name.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux promoted devotion to the holy name of Jesus. He wrote: "The Name of Jesus is Light, and Food, and Medicine. It is Light, when it is preached to us; it is Food, when we think upon it; it is the Medicine that soothes our pains when we invoke it."

It is a special feast among Franciscans because both St. Bernardine of Sienna (1380-1444) and his student St. John of Capistrano (1386-1456) promoted devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. When preaching to the turbulent cities of Italy, Bernardine carried with him a copy of the monogram of the Holy Name, surrounded by rays, painted on a wooden tablet. He used devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus as a way of overcoming bitter and often bloody class struggles and family rivalries or vendettas in Italian city-states.  They held the symbol aloft when they blessed the sick; many great miracles were reported from these blessings – all done in the Holy Name of Jesus. At the close of his sermons, he exhibited this emblem to the faithful and asked them to prostrate themselves in adoration of the Redeemer of humanity. He recommended the faithful to have the monogram of Jesus placed over the gates of their cities and above the doors of their dwellings to remind them always of the blessings of their Lord and Savior.

We end with Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Jesus, hear us. Jesus, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 

God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Splendor of the Father, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Brightness of eternal Light, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, King of Glory, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Sun of Justice, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, most amiable, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, most admirable, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, the mighty God, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Father of the world to come, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, angel of great counsel, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Lover of Chastity, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, our Lover, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, God of Peace, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Author of Life, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Model of Virtues, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, zealous for souls, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, our God, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, our Refuge, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Father of the Poor, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Treasure of the Faithful, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, good Shepherd, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, true Light, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, eternal Wisdom, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, infinite Goodness, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, our Way and our Life, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, joy of the Angels, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, King of the Patriarchs, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Master of the Apostles, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Light of Confessors, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Purity of Virgins, have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Crown of all Saints, have mercy on us.

Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus! Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus!

From all evil, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From your wrath, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From everlasting death, deliver us, O Jesus. 

From the neglect of your inspirations, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through the mystery of your holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Nativity, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Infancy, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your most divine Life, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Labors, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Agony and Passion, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Cross and Dereliction, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Sufferings, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Death and Burial, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Resurrection, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Ascension, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Joys, deliver us, O Jesus. 

Through your Glory, deliver us, O Jesus.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus! 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus! 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus!

Jesus, hear us. Jesus, graciously hear us.

Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, you have said, “Ask and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you”; mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the grace of your most divine love, that we may love you with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions, and never cease to praise you.

Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of your holy name, for you never fail to govern those whom you solidly establish in your love. You, who live and reign forever and ever.  Amen.