The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-01-09
THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS.

cence. Q Lord, our Lord, how wonder
full is Thy Name in the whole world;
for Thy magnificence is elevated above
the heavens. Holy and terrible is the
Name of Jesus, for God hath exalted
above all names, that in the Name of
Jesus every knee should bend, of those
that are in heaven, on earth and under
the earth; and that every tongue
should confess that the Lord Jesus
Christ is in the glory of God the Fa-
ther." (Phil. II, 9-11.)
Great is this Name by reason of its
origin; for it came down from heaven
and an angel received it from the
Eternal Father to bring it on earth.
Great it is by reason of it's meaning;
for it means Saviour, One Who saves
His people from their sins. The re-
demption of man is work above all
human power; and to do that work
God Himself had to come among men.
Redemption required the Incarnation,
and the Incarnation of God the Son is
greatest of all Gods works. The Re-
demption is work of infinite love; it
is also work of divine justice, since
a Divine Person alone could pay the
debt of mans sins. This Name is
great in heaven, where it appeases the
justice of God, and changes the light
nings of His anger into the gentle dew
of His grace. 1t is mighty upon earth,
where it works miracles and sancti-
fioc human cOI11c Torrib1o II ic opnODo
the demons whose destructive fury it
chains up in the caverns of hell. This
Name raises the mind above the order
of nature. 1t places us in the super
natural world, the world of grace, in
which men become sharers in the di-
vine nature and are prepared for the
joys of heaven, which no created mind
can conceive and no created tongue
can describe. Jesus, true God and
true Man, with all the fullness of d.
vine perfection, with all the natural
and supernatural endowmentS of the
greatest, the best and the most beau
tiful among the sons of men, claims
our homage, and His Name subdues,
stills, the tumult of our hearts, turns
our minds from our own petty selves
and our shelfish concerns, and wins us
to loyalty to our Master and our God.
Truly great, terrible and holy is this
Name; and truly mysterious is the
want of respect shown to it by so
many men today. They are thought
less; they are ignorant. No good
mother taught them in childhood to
respect this Holy Name; no good
Christian father showed them by eX-
ample the reverence that is due to it.
Those who have been blessed with
the knowledge of the meaning of this
Holy Name are called upon to lead
their neighbors to treat it with respect
and reverence. All good men, all who
value the best things in civilization,
who respect human worth and dignity
itself, who fight the battles of refine
ment against the inroads of vulgarity,
praise the work of our Holy Name So
cieties, and it ought to be our ambi-
ton to earn that praise by still better
work in the future
The Name of Jesus is a name of
mercy and of salvation which inspires
confidence. Whoever calls upon the
name of the Lord will be saved" says
st. Paul rom. X, 12). Neither is
there salvation in any other" says st.
Peter. For there is no other name
under heaven given to men, whereby
we must be saved" acts ", 12.)
To the cripple at the gate of the Tenn
1N1n NJh oil
said: "Silver and gold l have none;
but what l have l give thee; In the
Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
arise and walk. And he leaping up
stood and walked" (Acts II, 1-S) This
Holy Name gives to our prayers all
their efficacy. IF you ask the Father
anything in my name He will give it
to YOU" John XVI, 23) The
Church teaches this truth by her prac-
tice; for she ends all her prayers with
the words, through our Lord Jesus
Christ" Through this Name she prays,
administers the Sacramento, pro-
nounces her blessings over us from
the cradle to the grave. The history
of the Church, of Apostles, Martyrs,
and all the saints, tells us of the power
of this Holy Name. Our help is in
the Name of the Lord Who made
heaven and earth" Cps. CXXIII, 81.
Blessed is the man whose hope is the
Name of the Lord" FPS. xxx, 81.
st. Bernard says: "If you are tempted
by the devil, if you are wronged by
men, if you are Frustrated by sickness,
if you are worn out with sorrow and
pain, if you are shaken by fear, if your
heart trembles with trouble and anx-
iety, speak the Name of Jesus, and it
win be your deliverance, your strength
and your consolation"
The Name of Jesus is a Name of
sweetness and of tenderness and wins
our love. To utter this Name is to
mention all that is loving, amiable,
kind, perfect 1t is the Name of the
most generous and self-sacrificing of
friends, of Him Who lived only for
His friends, who watches over us and
protects us at all times, Who is ever
busy planning for our welfare, Who
makes intercession for us before His
Father in Heaven, Who pleads for us
by the voice of all His Sacred wounds
Devout and reverent use of this Holy
Name makes us familiar with it's di-
vine charm, its power to enlarge our
hearts and create in them that tender
and perfect love of God which is the