Each year on January 3rd, the Church celebrates the Most Holy Name of Jesus as an optional memorial. The feast honors the name of Jesus, recognizing it as a symbol of divine power and salvation. The name of Jesus is holy. It is “the name above every other name,” as St. Paul says, in his Letter to the Philippians (2: 9). Yet, it is often misused, abused and spoken to condemn or insult others, often without hardly any thought as to what is actually being said. Great reverence for the name of Jesus should be the care of each and every one of us who has been baptized in his name.
The first three commandments deal with our relationship with God and the other 7 deal with our relationship with others. The Second Commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Reverence for the name of the Lord is so important that God gives us a specific commandment about it. We are to have no other gods besides the true God, and we are to keep holy the Lord’s Day, but it is also essential that we treat his name with respect and reverence. Now this is not simply a matter of politeness. It’s an acknowledgement of something more.
Jesus is “the name above every other name” because there is great power in his name. By invoking the Most Holy Name of Jesus, miracles are obtained, wars have been averted, healing has taken place and even the dead have been raised! What other name carries such tremendous power for good? The Greek word for power is “dunamis,” from which we get the English word, dynamite. The name of Jesus is more “dynamic” (powerful) than any other name. Ought we not then treat the name of Jesus in a more exalted way than any other name in our speech?
Consider this for a moment. If someone saved you from imminent peril – a burning building, the wreckage of a car accident or a flash flood, would you not forever hold that person’s name in highest regard? Would you not speak up if someone were to malign that person behind their back? Would you not declare their goodness, their heroic virtue, in rescuing your life by defending their good name? So, then, what about the rescue of your eternal soul from the fires of hell? Only the name of Jesus has the power to save us. So, if “all the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God” (Psalm 98: 3b), then what greater respect and reverence ought we to have for the Most Holy Name of Jesus?
I believe it is long overdue that we would stand up and defend the Holy Name of Jesus as the one who has the power to forgive our sins and save our souls. Thus, when we hear someone misusing the name of Jesus, perhaps we should interrupt them and say, “Excuse me. Please do not use the name of my Lord in that way. He has saved our souls from the eternal punishment and for that I am most grateful.” We ought not be ashamed to stand up for the name of Jesus and bring honor to His holy name, especially when it is being disrespected. We ought to bear witness to this name that is above every other name.
At the same time, as those who believe in the name of Jesus, we ought to invoke the power of his holy name as a force for blessing, healing, conversion, protection and more. Imagine what force for good has yet to be unleased because we have not acted like we believe in the power of his name? What if we prayed a simple blessing upon our family members and friends putting them under the protection of the Holy Name of Jesus? Imagine if we prayed in the name of Jesus for the grace of healing for someone who is suffering from some affliction? Imagine if we could pray in the name of Jesus for the conversion of hardened sinners, or those familiar to us who have embraced a way of life that is contrary to their baptism? If there is power in the Most Holy Name of Jesus, then it is ours but for the asking!
In this new year, we might ask the Lord to renew our trust in his Holy Name and increase our faith in the authority and power of his holy name to do incredible things. If you have insurmountable needs, then ask for what you need with complete confidence in the power of the Holy Name of Jesus. If you believe in the salvation Christ won for us on the cross and in His Resurrection, then entrust the Lord with your fervent prayers for his divine power to be revealed through the miraculous work that you desire him to carry out by invoking his Holy Name.
Together, as people of faith in the Lord Jesus, let us extoll his name, invoke his name, proclaim his mighty deeds and bear witness to the hope of salvation that is ours in the name of Jesus, the one who saved us from our sins. In this way, we draw others into faith and belief in God’s saving love for them. In a world that is searching for meaning and hope, as disciples of Jesus let us promote great faith and devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and make honoring our Lord the focus of our discipleship in this New Year.
