CALLED BY HIS NAME

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God – 1 John 3:1

       Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. According to the CatholicCulture.org the entire month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The devotion to the Holy Name is deeply rooted in Sacred Scriptures and was promoted especially by St. Bernardine of Siena, St. John Capistrano and the Franciscan Order.

       The feast is meant to impress on us Christians the dignity of the Holy Name and St. Bernardine promoted it through the inscription of the monogram of the Holy Name (HIS), from the Latin Jesus Hominum Salvator, meaning “Jesus, Savior of men.”

       Do you know what I find even more amazing about Jesus, besides being the “Savior of men?” Because of Him, God the Father calls us His children as well. Because of His love and ultimate sacrifice on the cross, I can call myself God’s daughter, God’s anointed one, God’s powerful champion.

       And guess what? You can do the same, too. Go ahead – call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13). As a child of God, you’re totally allowed to do so. Tina Santiago-Rodriguez (tina@trulyrichmom.com)

Reflection: Have you ever thought about your true identity as a child of God? Just as He called and chose Jesus to be the “Savior of men,” He also calls you to bring Jesus to others.

Lord, thank You for the power You have given us through Your Most Holy Name. May I use it to shine Your light to others.

         Sin has never been a part of God’s plan and never will be. Sin is not a part of our human nature per se – it tis the result of bad choices we make. God responded to our sins and sent us a Redeemer. However, this does not give us a license to sin. The saints have realized this truth most strongly. When one reads the writings, it is quire plain to see that they have developed a horror and hatred for even the smallest of sins, as they understand the depth with which sin separates us from the love of God. Sin kills life – the fullness of life God desired for us.

       ²⁹If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. 3: ¹/see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ³Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. ⁴Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and him there is no sin. ⁶No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him.

Psalm 98:1,3-4, 5-6

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

¹Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) ³All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. ⁴Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R) ⁵Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. ⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord. (R)

         John is never threatened by the greatness of Jesus and his own insignificance in the greater plan of God. If we are threatened by the greatness of those around us, if we are threatened by others who are better that us at particulars tasks, let us have the humility to ask why this is so. Each one of us is gifted by God in different ways, it does not matter what our gift may be; what matters is if and how we develop it to the full. We are all members of the Body of Christ, each with our own gifts to bring.

         The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him he gave power to become the children of God.

       ²⁹John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. ³⁰He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ³¹I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” ³²John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. ³³I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

think: Each one of us is gifted by God in different ways. It does not matter what our gift may be, what matters is if and how we develop it to the full.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Luke 8-10

THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME

Parents today give their children strange and unique names, names which they sometimes never use to call their children, or which the children later don’t like to be called by. How often do nicknames replace the given name to avoid embarrassing names given at birth?

       It was not so in the time of Jesus. A name given to a child expressed the future task of the child or gave him a program for life. The church, then and until now, urges Catholic parents to name their child after a saint so that the life of this saint can become a model for the child’s life later on.

       Mary and Joseph were not free to give Mary’s child any name they wanted. They had been told to name the child “Yeshua.” Which means “God saves.” Jesus’ name contains the purpose of His life; to save humankind.

       From the Acts of the Apostles, we know that the Apostles first baptized only in the name of Jesus, They healed in the name of Jesus. No wonder that Jesus’ name was soon considered not only holy but also powerful.

       St. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess the Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father” (Philippians 2:10).

       When St. Ignatius of Loyola founded a religious congregation, he was so inspired by the name of Jesus that he called it “Society of Jesus.” We know what great things the Jesuits have done, and are still doing, for the Church.

       We know that Blessed John Paul II often uttered the phrase, “Praised be Jesus Christ!” It gave him the strength for his difficult task as pope.

       What a pity that so many Christians utter the holy name of Jesus without reverence, often in moments of anger! How much stronger could we be in our spiritual life if we could rely more on the power of Jesus’ name and do everything in the name of Jesus – with great reverence? Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you have the habit of using the name of Jesus in vain? Why not use the powerful name of Jesus more often as a prayer?

Praised be Jesus Christ! May we, who honor the holy name of Jesus, enjoy His friendship in this life and be filled with eternal joy in His kingdom. Jesus, I trust in You!