At The Name of Jesus

Composed by Sr. Caterina de Siena
May 14, 2018 – Feast of St. Matthias

I find it fascinating to learn how a particular devotion made its way into Catholic practice.  Have you ever noticed in Church, prayer or even conversations, when the name of Jesus is mentioned, people bow their heads?  Perhaps a lector, deacon or priest bows their head upon proclaiming the name of Jesus during the Liturgy of the Word.  While people pray the rosary, the head bows during, “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”  It is a practice that seems to have fallen into disuse, but hopefully upon reading this reflection, you will consider paying respect to Our Lord’s name through this simple, yet profound gesture.

There is no greater, nor more sacred name, in heaven or upon Earth than that of “Jesus.”  
But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.  John 20:31 (NRSVCE)

The Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic have a formation module about Blessed John of Vercelli, O.P., one of many beautiful lights in the Order of Preachers.  John and his fellow Dominicans were tasked by the Council of Lyon around the year 1245 to preach throughout Europe that more reverence was to be given to the Holy Name of Jesus.  Confraternities of the Most Holy Name of Jesus were established to “increase reference for the name of the Redeemer and thus to make reparation for and counteract the prevalent profanity and blasphemy” against Jesus’ name.  (On-Going Formation Program, Third Phase, 1990, Teresa Ritti).  The Holy Name Society was born of the preaching efforts of John and the Dominican preachers.  The Dominican Order granted charters to parishes who wished to begin a Holy Name Society and this endeavor enjoyed the endorsement of many Popes throughout history.  The Holy Name society is now an international confraternity that “promotes reverence for the Sacred Names of God and Jesus Christ, obedience and loyalty to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and the personal sanctification and holiness of its members.” (http://www.nahns.com)

Our current culture is not so different from the age in which Blessed John of Vercelli and his confreres lived and experienced a profound a lack of reverence for the name of Jesus.  Today, conversations are overheard where the name of Jesus is used as profanity and is a commonly accepted blasphemy.

We can restore the practice of bowing our heads when the name of Jesus is mentioned.  If His Holy Name is used in a profanity, we can make an act of reparation for the offender by bowing our heads and saying, “Blessed be the Holy Name of Jesus.”  May Our Lord look graciously upon us and give us the courage to be a public witness to his sacred name.
 
Image Source: Kenneth Copeland Ministries