Sanctissimi Nominis Iesu

LESSON: The power of God’s Name

Were all familiar with the Old Testament account of Moses and the Burning Bush, in which God reveals His Name to Moses and through him to His people. “I AM WHO AM”, which, as we know, in the original Hebrew is Yahweh… or is it? Quite frankly, we don’t know the original Hebrew pronunciation of God’s name, Yahweh, Jehovah, these are merely educated guesses because ancient Hebrew has no vowels, and God’s name was never said aloud.

Why, if God made a point of sharing His Name, would the ancient Israelites never say it? Because they recognized something important, God’s Name is not like our names, God’s Name, like everything about Him, is part of His Essence, and as such has tremendous power.

To explain more simply, think of the qualities of a person, a person can be kind, or merciful, or loving, or a person can be none of these things. Even if a person is all of these things he will not perfect all of them to the same degree, because (in the language of philosophy) these things are known as accidental qualities. When it comes to God, He is not just kind, He is Kindness Itself, He is not just merciful but mercy Itself, He is not just loving but Love Itself. Likewise, God’s Name is not just a quality He possesses, but in a mystical way, it is God Himself.

The ancient Israelites knew that to speak God’s Name was to be in God’s immediate presence and to invoke His power, and so out of reverence and fear, they dared not speak it.

When Our Lord was given His Name eight days after His birth, the name, “called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb” God revealed a new Name by which He could be called, but a name no less powerful than the one He revealed to Moses.

ILLUSTRATION: The power of Jesus’ Name

The power of Jesus’ Name is manifested quite clearly in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles. St. Peter here, in his testimony to the Chief Priests and the Sadducees, refers to an infirm man. This is the man that Peter famously healed in an earlier chapter as he begged for alms by the Temple gate saying, “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk.”

Our Lord Himself attests to the power of His Name just prior to His Ascension when He tells the Apostles, “In my name they shall cast out devils.” This, of course, is true even of those who do not follow Christ, as we recall the moment earlier in the Gospel when the Apostles earn a rebuke from Our Lord for stopping a man who was casting out demons in Christ’s name but was not His disciple.

Our Lord’s name is so powerful, that it need not even be spoken aloud to have great effect. St. Bernardine of Siena, famously known as the “Apostle of the Holy Name” was able to perform an exorcism with a piece of paper containing Our Lord’s Holy Name. As one account describes it, “On learning that there was a man possessed by the devil in the city of Alessandria in the Piedmont, where he was passing through, the holy preacher gave a child a piece of paper on which the glorious Name of the Savior was written, with orders to put it on the possessed person. The child had hardly done so when the unclean spirit took flight.”

To call upon the Holy Name of Jesus, just like the Name of God revealed to Moses, is to call upon God’s power in a very real, phenomenal, and miraculous way, so just like the Name of God revealed to Moses, it deserves the utmost respect and reverence.

APPLICATION: Reverence for Jesus’ Name

There is an important distinction between Our Lord’s Holy Name, and the Name revealed to Moses. The Name of God, as we know was never spoken aloud, with the single exception of the High Priest pronouncing it once a year on the Day of Atonement. The Holy Name of Jesus, on the other hand, is one we should call upon often. Nevertheless, Our Lord’s Name should still be treated with the greatest respect and true Holy Fear.

Today, it seems, that blasphemy is so commonplace, that Our Lord’s Name is abused and turned into a curse on a regular basis. This is true not just in everyday conversation, but it seems to form a part of much of the entertainment that fills our television, movie, and computer and movie screens.

As a remedy to this casual blasphemy, and to remind ourselves of the need to reverence the Holy Name of Our Lord, I would like to suggest three things:

First, adopt the practices of the Holy Mass into everyday life. It cannot escape the notice of anyone who pays attention at Holy Mass, that whenever the Name of Jesus is mentioned, the priest and other ministers make a profound bow of the head, and when seated, the priest removes his biretta at the mention of the Holy Name. This is a practice that we should make into a habit for ourselves at all times. When Our Lord’s Name is mentioned by us, or by someone else, we should bow our heads, and men should remove their hats out of reverence for the Divine Presence that we are in at that moment.

Second, we should make a habit of praying the Divine Praises. The Divine Praises were written specifically to make reparation for acts of blasphemy, praising the name of God, the saints, and the Holy Mysteries. These prayers are traditionally recited at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament but can be prayed any time. Praying the Divine Praises is an especially useful habit to get into if we ourselves have a problem with cursing and the use of bad language.

Finally, we should make use of Our Lord’s Holy Name in a very deliberate way in our prayer, knowing the power it has. The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus is one of the Church’s six approved litanies and is a beautiful prayer to pray, particularly in the month of January which is dedicated to the Holy Name.

As we celebrate this Holy Mass today, let us call upon the Most Holy Name of Jesus, that His power to heal, to forgive, and to sanctify may be poured out upon all who call upon His Name in a spirit of true reverence.