Reverence for the Holy Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, arose in the apostolic times. St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians wrote, “So that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord” (2:10-11). Just as a name gives identity to a person and reflects a person’s life, the name of Jesus reminds us of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us. This feast day in January for the Holy Name of Jesus dates back to the 15th century. The Franciscan order was granted official recognition of this feast day in January in 1530.
In invoking our Lord’s name with reverence and faith, we are to turn to Jesus with our hearts to implore his assistance: to invoke his help in spiritual trials, to help us resist any temptations, and to receive God's grace and blessings in the midst of our journey of faith.
Both St. Bernardine of Sienna and his student St. John of Capistrano in the 15th century promoted devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. As they preached missions throughout Italy, they carried a monogram of the Holy Name surrounded by rays. In its origin, the monogram IHS is an abbreviation of Jesus' name in Greek. The I and H represent the Iota and the Eta, the first two letters of the name. The S represents Sigma, the final letter. A later tradition holds that IHS represents the Latin Iesus Hominum Salvator, meaning “Jesus Savior of Mankind.” St. Bernardine and St. John of Capistrano blessed the faithful with this monogram, invoking the name of Jesus; many miracles were reported. They encouraged people to have the monogram placed over the city gates and the doorways of their homes.
In a modern world where so many people do not treat each other with dignity or respect, perhaps this feast day of the Holy Name of Jesus will respect us of how we are to treat each other on our journey thru life.
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