Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Today we observe the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The angel Gabriel came to Jospeh in a dream and said, “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” From the Books of Acts we are told, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
In Hebrew the name of Jesus means, “God saves.” At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel came to Mary and said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” It is this name which expresses both His identity and His mission. Therefore, He came in order that we would be freed from our sins. It was His identity and His mission to bring about salvation.
Psalm 79 instructs, “Help us, God our savior, on account of the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name’s sake.” This was a prayer for the Israelites for they came to understand the issue of sin. They were delivered out of their bondage in Egypt and it is God who saves them from their sin. It is God alone who is able to forgive one from their sinfulness. It was for this reason that God took on our human flesh and dwelt among us.
Saint Paul understood the importance of this most holy of Names. In Philippians we were instructed, “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!” Also, in the Book of Romans, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
It is Jesus Himself who states in the Gospel of Saint John, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” Therefore, let us never grow hesitant in calling upon the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The 14th century mystic Richard Rolle professed, “If you think on the name Jesus continually, and hold it stably, it purges your sin and kindles your heart.” Truly, let us keep the Name which saves upon our heart, mind, and lips in order that all sin, temptation, and hardship may be removed from our midst. In such manner we place our trust in God who saves.
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