In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Phil 2: 10-11
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.
THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
Although Saint Paul might claim credit for promoting devotion to the Holy Name because Paul wrote in Philippians that God the Father gave Christ Jesus “that name that is above every name” (see 2:9), this devotion became popular because of 12th-century Cistercian monks and nuns but especially through the preaching of Saint Bernardine of Siena, a 15th-century Franciscan.
Bernardine 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. The devotion grew, partly because of Franciscan and Dominican preachers. It spread even more widely after the Jesuits began promoting it in the 16th century.In 1530, Pope Clement V approved an Office of the Holy Name for the Franciscans. In 1721, Pope Innocent XIII extended this feast to the entire Church.
Reflection
Jesus died and rose for the sake of all people. No one can trademark or copyright Jesus’ name. Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary. Everything that exists was created in and through the Son of God (see Colossians 1:15-20).
The name of Jesus is debased if any Christian uses it as justification for berating non-Christians. Jesus reminds us that because we are all related to him we are, therefore, all related to one another.
MORNING PRAYER
O sweet Name of Jesus,
holy above all names in heaven and on earth,
You are the the way of the just,
the hope of those in need,
the balm of the sick,
the love of the devout
and the consolation of those that suffer.
Amen
TODAY is 3 January
or The Most Holy Name of Jesus
or Saint Munchin, Bishop, who was a 7th-century saint and the first bishop of Limerick.
WORD OF OUR LORD
'Look: there is the Lamb of God'
Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’
John 1:29-34
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
We can never tire of encountering Jesus. If we GENUINELY talk to him, listen to His Word and receive Him in the Eucharist we WILL come to know Him.
God grant us the grace of hearing Him and listening to Him when HE TALKS to us.
Always Remember - JESUS LOVES YOU
God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son,
so that all who believe in him may not perish,
but may have eternal life.