Most Holy Name of Jesus
Prayers included...
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, which recalls the Marriage Feast of Cana, was at first chosen as the day on which to honor the Most Holy Name of Jesus in the universal Church. It is on the Wedding Day that the Bridegroom gives His Name to the Bride, and it is the sign that, from that day forward, She belongs to Him alone. The Church, therefore, wishing to honor a Name so precious to Her with a special feast, thought it appropriate to choose the day of the Marriage of Cana. But now She has chosen for the celebration of this august Name, a day closer to the Anniversary on which It was given—after eight days were accomplished, His Name was called Jesus. She leaves, however, the commemoration of the Sacred Nuptials to the Sunday of which it has ever been the glory. (In a Motu Proprio dated October 23, 1913, Pope St. Pius X moved this Feast to the Sunday between January 2-5, or January 2 if none of these days is a Sunday.)
St. Bernardine with St. Bonaventure and St. John Capistrano.
In the Old Covenant, the Name of God inspired fear and
awe: nor was the honor of pronouncing it granted to all the children of
Israel. We can understand this. God had not yet come down from Heaven
to live on earth, and converse with men; He had not yet taken upon
Himself
our poor nature, and become Man like ourselves; the sweet Name
expressive of love and tenderness could not yet be applied to Him.
But when the fullness of time had come—when the mystery
of love was about to be made known—then did Heaven send down
the Name of Jesus to our earth, as a pledge of the speedy coming of Him
Who was to bear it. The Archangel Gabriel said to Mary: Thou shalt call
His Name JESUS. Jesus means Savior. How sweet will
this Name not be to poor lost man! It seems to link earth to Heaven!
No name is so amiable,
none is so powerful. Every knee in Heaven, on earth, and in Hell, bows
in adoration at hearing this Name! And yet, who can pronounce It,
and not feel love spring up within his heart? But we need such a Saint
as Bernard, to tell us of the power and sweetness of this Blessed Name.
He thus speaks of It in one of his sermons:
"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. Let us say
a word on each of these. Tell me, whence came there into the whole
world
so bright and sudden a light, if not from the preaching of the Name of
Jesus? Was it not by the light of this Name that God called us unto His
admirable Light? Wherewith being enlightened, and in this light, seeing
the Light, we take these words of St. Paul as truly addressed to
ourselves:
Heretofore you were darkness; but now, light in the Lord.
"Nor is the Name of Jesus Light only; it is also Food.
Art thou not strengthened, as often as thou thinkest of this Name?
What is there that so feeds the mind of him that meditates upon this
Name? What is there that so restores the wearied faculties,
strengthens virtue, gives vigor to good and holy habits, and fosters
chastity? Every food of the soul is dry, that is not steeped in this
unction;
it is insipid, if it be not seasoned with this salt. If thou write, I
relish not thy writing, unless I read there the Name of Jesus.
If thou teach me, or converse with me, I relish not thy words, unless I
hear thee say the Name of Jesus. Jesus is honey to the mouth, and music
to
the ear, and gladness to the heart.
"It is also Medicine. Is any one among you sad? Let but Jesus come into his heart, and the mouth echo Him, saying Jesus!
and lo!
the light of that Name disperses every cloud, and brings sunshine back
again. Have any of you committed sin, and is despair driving you into
the
snare of death? Invoke the Name of Life, and life will come back to the
soul. Was there ever a man that, hearing this saving Name, could keep
up
that common fault of hardness of heart, or drowsiness, or sluggishness,
or rancor of soul, or languor of sloth? If anyone, perchance, felt that
the fountain of his tears was dry, did it not gush forth more
plentifully than ever and flow more sweetly than ever, as soon as he
invoked the Name
of Jesus? If any of us were ever in danger, and our heart beat with
fear, did not this Name of power bring us confidence and courage the
moment we
pronounced it? When we were tossed to and fro by perplexing doubts, did
not the evidence of what was right burst on us as we called upon the
Name
of Light? When we were discouraged, and well nigh crushed by adversity,
did not our heart take courage, when our tongue uttered the Name of
Help?
All this is most true; for all these miseries are the sicknesses and
faintings of our soul, and the Name of Jesus is our Medicine.
"But let us see how all this comes to pass. Call upon Me in the day of trouble, says the Lord, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify Me (Ps. 49: 15). There is nothing which so restrains the
impulse of anger, calms the swelling of pride, heals the wounds of envy,
represses the insatiability of luxury, smothers the flame of lust,
quenches the thirst of avarice, and dispels the fever of uncleanness—as
the Name
of Jesus. For when I pronounce this Name, I bring before my mind the
Man, Who, by excellence, is meek and humble of Heart, benign, sober,
chaste,
merciful, and filled with everything that is good and holy, nay, Who is
the very God Almighty—Whose example heals me, and Whose assistance
strengthens me. I say all this, when I say Jesus. Here I have my Model, for He is Man; and my help, for He is God—the One provides me with
precious medicines, the Other gives them efficacy; and from the two I make a remedy such as no physician knows how to make.
"Here is the electuary, my soul, hidden in the casket of this Name Jesus;
believe me, it is wholesome, and good for every ailment
thou canst possibly have. Ever have it with thee, in thy bosom and in
thy hand; so that all thy affections and actions may be directed to
JESUS."
(15th Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles)
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is of comparatively
recent origin; its first promoter was St. Bernardine of Siena, who lived
in
the 15th century. This holy man established the practice of
representing the Holy Name of Jesus surrounded with rays, and formed
into a monogram
of its three first Greek letters, I H S. The custom spread rapidly
through Italy, and was zealously propagated by the great St. John
Capistrano,
who, like St. Bernardine, was of the Order of Friars Minor. The Holy
See
gave its formal approbation to this manner of honoring the Name of our
Savior, and in the early part of the 16th century, Pope Clement VI,
after long entreaties, granted to the whole Franciscan Order the
privilege of
keeping a special Feast in honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
Rome extended the same favor to various churches; and at
length, the Feast was inserted into the universal Calendar.
It was in the year 1721, at the request of Charles VI, Emperor of
Germany, that Pope Innocent XII decreed that the Feast of the Most Holy
Name of
Jesus should be kept throughout the whole Church.
- brings help in bodily needs, according to the promise of Christ: "In my name They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover". (Mark 16:17-18) In the Name of Jesus the Apostles gave strength to the lame (Acts 3:6; 9:34) and life to the dead (Acts 9:40).
- It gives consolation in spiritual trials. The Name of Jesus reminds the sinner of the prodigal son's father and of the Good Samaritan; it recalls to the just the suffering and death of the innocent Lamb of God.
- It protects us against Satan and his wiles, for the Devil fears the Name of Jesus, who has conquered him on the Cross.
- In the Name of Jesus we obtain every blessing and grace for time and eternity, for Christ has said: "If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it you." (John 16:23) Therefore the Church concludes all her prayers by the words: "Through Our Lord Jesus Christ", etc.
The emblem or monogram representing the Holy Name of Jesus consists of the three letters: IHS. In the Middle Ages the Name of Jesus was written: IHESUS; the monogram contains the first and last letter of the Holy Name. It is first found on a gold coin of the eight century: DN IHS CHS REX REGNANTIUM (The Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings). Some erroneously say that the three letters are the initials of: "Jesus Hominum Salvator" (Jesus Saviour of Men). The Jesuits made this monogram the emblem of their Society, adding a cross over the H and three nails under it. Consequently a new explanation of the emblem was invented, pretending that the nails originally were a "V", and that the monogram stands for "In Hoc Signo Vinces" (In This Sign you shall Conquer), the words which, according to a legendary account, Constantine saw in the heavens under the Sign of the Cross before the battle at the Milvian bridge (312).
Urban IV and John XXII are said to have granted an indulgence of thirty days to those who would add the name of Jesus to the Hail Mary or would bend their knees, or at least bow their heads when hearing the Name of Jesus (Alanus, "Psal. Christi et Mariae", i, 13, and iv, 25, 33; Michael ab Insulis, "Quodlibet", v; Colvenerius, "De festo SS. Nominis", x). This statement may be true; yet it was only by the efforts of St. Bernardine that the custom of adding the Name of Jesus to the Ave Maria was spread in Italy, and from there to the Universal Church. But up to the sixteenth century it was still unknown in Belgium (Colven., op. Cit., x), whilst in Bavaria and Austria the faithful still affix to the Ave Maria the words: "Jesus Christus" (ventris tui, Jesus Christus). Sixtus V (2 July, 1587) granted an indulgence of fifty days to the ejaculation: "Praise be to Jesus Christ!" with the answer: "For evermore", or "Amen". In the South of Germany the peasants salute each other with this pious formula. Sixtus V and Benedict XIII granted an indulgence of fifty days to all as often as they pronounce the Name of Jesus reverently, and a plenary indulgence in the hour of death. These two indulgences were confirmed by Clement XIII, 5 Sept., 1759. As often as we invoke the Name of Jesus and Mary ("Jesu!", "Maria!") we may gain an indulgence of 300 days, by decree of Pius X, 10 Oct., 1904. It is also necessary, to gain the papal indulgence in the hour of death, to pronounce at least in mind the Name of Jesus.
Orémus.
Deus, qui unigénitum FÃlium tuum constituÃsti humáni géneris Salvatórem, et Jesum vocári jussÃsti: concéde propÃtius; ut, cujus sanctum nomen venerámur in terris, ejus quoque aspéctu perfruámur in cælis. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum FÃlium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte SpÃritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sæcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.
Deus, qui unigénitum FÃlium tuum constituÃsti humáni géneris Salvatórem, et Jesum vocári jussÃsti: concéde propÃtius; ut, cujus sanctum nomen venerámur in terris, ejus quoque aspéctu perfruámur in cælis. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum FÃlium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte SpÃritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sæcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.
Let us pray.
O God, who didst ordain that thine only-begotten Son should be the Saviour of the world, and didst command that his Name should be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who worship his holy Name on earth, may at length behold him face to face in heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
O God, who didst ordain that thine only-begotten Son should be the Saviour of the world, and didst command that his Name should be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who worship his holy Name on earth, may at length behold him face to face in heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.
R. Amen.
On the matter of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, Saint Bernard (A.D.
1090-1153) expressed:
"The sweet Name of Jesus produces in us holy thoughts, fills the
soul with noble sentiments, strengthens virtue, begets good works,
and nourishes pure affections. All spiritual food leaves the soul
dry, if it contain not that penetrating oil, the Name Jesus. When
you take your pen, write the Name Jesus: if you write books, let
the Name of Jesus be contained in them, else they will possess no
charm or attraction for me; you may speak, or you may reply, but if
the Name of Jesus sounds not from your lips, you are without
unction and without charm. Jesus is honey in our mouth, light in
our eyes, a flame in our heart. This name is the cure for all
diseases of the soul. Are you troubled? think but of Jesus, speak
but the Name of Jesus, the clouds disperse, and peace descends anew
from heaven. Have you fallen into sin? so that you fear death?
invoke the Name of Jesus, and you will soon feel life returning.
No obduracy of the soul, no weakness, no coldness of heart can
resist this holy Name; there is no heart which will not soften and
open in tears at this holy name. Are you surrounded by sorrow and
danger? invoke the Name of Jesus, and your fears will
vanish."
"Never yet was human being in urgent need, and on the point of
perishing, who invoked this help-giving Name, and was not
powerfully sustained. It was given us for the cure of all our
ills; to soften the impetuosity of anger, to quench the fire of
concupiscence, to conquer pride, to mitigate the pain of our
wounds, to overcome the thirst of avarice, to quiet sensual
passions, and the desires of low pleasures. If we call to our
minds the Name of Jesus, it brings before us His most meek and
humble heart, and gives us a new knowledge of His most loving and
tender compassion. The Name of Jesus is the purest, and holiest,
the noblest and most indulgent of names, the Name of all blessings
and of all virtues; it is the Name of the God-Man, of sanctity
itself. To think of Jesus is to think of the great, infinite God
Who, having given us His life as an example, has also bestowed the
necessary understanding, energy and assistance to enable us to
follow and imitate Him, in our thoughts, inclinations, words and
actions. If the Name of Jesus reaches the depths of our heart, it
leaves heavenly virtue there. We say, therefore, with our great
master, St. Paul the Apostle, 'If any man love not our Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be anathema.'"
Around the Most Holy Name of Jesus is found the nucleus of all
creation. It includes the Divinity of God. It is the Name of the
fullness of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. For
Jesus revealed to us the Name of the Father when He said, "Holy
Father, protect them in Your Name that You have given Me..." [Jn.
17:11-12]
The Most Holy Name of Jesus includes all the mysteries of the One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that is found in its liturgy.
It is the central point of all the Sacraments.
It embraces the Christian life. The believer begins his journey
through faith in Jesus. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, he dies
with Jesus, is buried with Jesus and is raised as a new creation
with Jesus. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to the believer
for the growth of the Church that was instituted by Jesus on earth.
The believers live their faith in Jesus by manifesting love towards
their brothers and sisters in Christ. Individual salvation depends
entirely on the final judgment of Jesus.
As the central Feast of all the mysteries of Christ, the Feast of
the Most Holy Name of Jesus unites all the other Feasts of the
Lord.
If there was no Jesus, there would be no birth of Jesus, no
celebration of Christmas, nor the celebration of the glorious
resurrection of Jesus, no Easter. There would be no Sacraments, no
being reborn again, no resurrection and no salvation. A world
without Jesus would be a world without faith, without hope and
without charity.
As the name of each individual person embraces the totality of the
person, the Most Holy Name of Jesus also embraces the totality of
the Divinity. When we think of a person, we remember the name and
we visualize their image. Equally, when we think of Jesus, we
remember His Name and we visualize the image of God in Jesus.
"For in Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwelled bodily." [Col.
1:19, 2:9]
So great is the Most Holy Name of Jesus that "God highly exalted
Him and gave Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the
Name of Jesus every knee should bend; 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]
Finally, the Most Holy Name of Jesus by not given to our Lord by
man; it was given to the Incarnate Word by God Himself. [Lk. 1:31]
Because the Name of Jesus is synonym to love and righteousness,
many will be hated because of this Name. But the one who endures
to the end will be saved. [Mt. 10:22]
Litany
of
the
Most Holy Name of Jesus
The Litany of the Most Holy Name
of Jesus is one of the three main litanies in honor
of our Lord, the other two being,
the Litany of the Sacred Heart and the
Litany of the Precious Blood.
This Litany
carries a partial indulgence.
have mercy on us.
have mercy on us.
deliver us, O Jesus.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou has said, "Ask and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the grace of Thy divine charity, that we may ever love Thee with our whole heart, and with all our words and deeds, and may never cease from praising Thee.
Chaplet
of the Holy Name
Make an Act of Contrition
On the large bead:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
First Decade:
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 it].
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Second Decade:
"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.
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Third Decade:
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.
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Quid ad te? Tu Me sequere.
What is it to thee? Do thou follow me.
Make an Act of Contrition
On the large bead:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
First Decade:
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 it].
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Second Decade:
"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.
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Third Decade:
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.
Repeat 10 times:
Incline unto my aid, O God,
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Quid ad te? Tu Me sequere.
What is it to thee? Do thou follow me.
