Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

JANUARY 3 being the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, we are reminded and encouraged to develop and have a special devotion to this name which means a world of goodness for all of us.

This should not just be any devotion that we give to some saint. It should in fact be a most intimate expression of worship to the one who is everything to us—the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. Even if this name is now shared by millions of people, we should not forget the one to whom it is properly applied.

In the Gospel of St. Luke (1,31), and angel tells Mary to name her child Jesus, and in that of St. Matthew (1,21), an angel tells Joseph to name the child, Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Jesus means in Hebrew, ‘God saves.’ It’s a name that expresses both Christ’s identity and mission.

The name, Jesus, is significant because of who it represents. It means “God our Savior.” A corollary to that would be that Jesus is the Immanuel, that is, “God with us.” (Mt 1,22-23) His mission as both God and man is to die in our place and become our Savior, bearing all our sins and their effects, especially death, and conquering them and even making them as a path to our sanctification and salvation.

Obviously, the name of Jesus should remind us about the amazing humility of the Son of God when came as a man to die for our sins. Thus, as his believers and followers, we must also strive to show the same selfless humility that Jesus demonstrated and that was graphically described by St. Paul in this way:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:5–8)

But we might ask: Why is it important to call on the name of Jesus? The answer can be found in what St. Paul said in his Letter to the Romans: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (10,13) By calling the name of Jesus, with the proper frame of mind, we would put ourselves into the dynamic of Jesus’ mission of human redemption.

As St. Paul said in so many words, apart from Jesus, we humans stand completely helpless beneath the tyranny of sin and death. The only hope we have is precisely to call on the name of Jesus. It is the name that is above all names, since as St. Paul said, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth. (cfr. Phil 2,9-11)

Let’s remember that in the case of Jesus, his name is not just a label. Rather, it’s a name that is a source of life, freedom and transformation for us. It’s a name that would bring us salvation, joy, peace and the promise of an abundant life.

We should make it a habit to call on the name of Jesus as often as we can. Doing so is actually what is proper to us.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com