Blessed be the most holy Name of Jesus without end!
January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus
The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria
Iesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluus. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript. Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which was formerly celebrated on the Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany, or failing such a Sunday, on January 2. The part below was used at Vespers. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial on January 3.
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.
---Roman Breviary
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.
O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
The Holy Name of Jesus
From: Isaiah 60:1-6
A Radiant New Jerusalem
[1] Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has
risen upon you. [2] For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and
thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his
glory will be seen upon you. [3] And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
[4] Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together,
they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters
shall be carried in the arms. [5] Then you shall see and be radiant,
your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea
shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
[6] A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian
and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come.
Commentary:
60:1-64:11 In the central section of Third Isaiah, the restored Jerusalem
has a wonderful radiance; it is the dwelling place of the glory of the Lord,
and from it all the nations will hear about God's salvation. These are
chapters that shine with hope and joy. In the opening verses, Jerusalem,
the Lord's spouse, is invited to leap with joy, for the glory of the Lord will
light up the holy city, which will become a beacon for the nations
(60:1-22). From there, too, the Lord's herald proclaims the good news of
salvation to the poor, the oppressed and all who labor under some burden
(61:1-11). The holy city will radiate righteousness for all the nations to
see (62:1-12). Finally, the Lord, depicted as a conqueror, enthroned in
a glorious Jerusalem, is proclaimed as the sovereign lord who wilt judge
and reward and punish (63:1-64:11).
60:1-22. These verses are a magnificent hymn to Jerusalem, complete-
ly restored, idealized; the prophet does not need to identify it by name.
The most remarkable feature of the city is its radiance, mentioned at
the start and end of the poem (vv. 1-3 and 19-22): it stems from the
glory of the Lord, who has made the city's temple his dwelling-place.
The city acts as a magnet for all the nations, not only because it ins-
tructs them by means of the Law and by the word of God, as we heard
at the start of the book (2:2-4; cf. Mic 4:1-3) but also because they are
in awe of its splendor. The central verses of the poem rejoice in the pil-
grimages that make their way to the holy city: first, those of Israelites,
who had been scattered across the world: the pilgrims are most happy
and they bear rich gifts for the Lord (vv. 4-9). Foreigners will come, too,
and they will bring precious materials to reconstruct and embellish the
city they previously destroyed. The obeisance they must do corres-
ponds to the harm they did earlier (vv. 10-14). But the most important
event is the arrival of the Lord who will bring gifts in abundance, the
most precious being peace (vv. 15-10) and light (vv. 19-22). This picture
of the new Jerusalem (one would expect) must have raised the spirits
of those engaged in the final stages of the rebuilding of the temple.
This poem clearly has resonances with the eschatological description
of the heavenly Jerusalem in the Revelation to John (cf. Rev 21:9-27).
Some of the wording is virtually the same: cf. v. 3 with Rev 21:24 ("By
its light shall the nations work; and the kings of the earth shall bring
their glory into it"); v. 11 with Rev 21:25-26 ("its gates shall never be
shut by day--and there will be no night there"); v. 14 with Rev 3:9 ("I
will make them come and bow down before your feet"); v. 19 with Rev
21:23 ("the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the
glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb") and 22:5 ("night
shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God
will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever"). The hopes
harbored by the early Christians (and the consolation to which the
new people of God look forward) are in continuity with the hope felt
by the ancient people of Israel. The message of Isaiah and that of
the book of Revelation were each (in different historical contexts)
calling for firm faith in the Savior of all. The New Testament fills out
the Old by openly declaring that God saves us through his Son,
Jesus Christ.
60:4-9. The pilgrimage described here comes from all corners of the
earth, and yet it is a familial one. It is made up of people who were
scattered throughout the known world, and not just those exiled in
Babylon. Those from the west come by sea (v. 5), bearing the sort of
goods normally transported by sea, particularly by Greek and Phoeni-
cian merchants. Those from the east, from the Arabian peninsula (Ke-
dar and Nebaioth) and further afield will travel in caravans bringing
precious commodities typical of the area--silver, gold etc. (v. 6).
The visit of the Magi, who came bearing presents to adore Jesus, is
in line with the sort of commerce that was current at the time, and it
is probably connected with this text of Isaiah. Certainly, when this pas-
sage is read in the liturgy on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the impli-
cation is that those rich gifts brought to the temple in honor of the Lord
prefigure those that the Magi offered to him who is truly the "Lord your
God", "the Holy One of Israel" (v. 9). "Today, the wiseman finds lying
in a manger the One he had searched for as a brilliant light shining
among the stars. Today, the wise man sees wrapped in swaddling
clothes the One he long sought to find, unveiled, in the heavens. Today,
to his great surprise, the wise man discerns in what he studies: heaven
on earth, earth in the heavens, man in God, and God in man; what the
whole universe could not contain inhabits the body of a child. And
seeing all this, he believes and doubts no more; and he announces it
to all, using his mystical powers: incense for God, gold for the King,
and myrrh for the One who will die. Today, the Gentile who was once
last is first, because the faith of the wise man sanctifies the belief of
all the peoples" (St Peter Chrysologus, "Semones", 160).
And Eusebius of Caesarea comments: "The conversion of the Gentiles
glorifies the Church of God in a special way. The prophecy, 'I will glorify
my glorious house' [60:7], is fulfilled. This promise was made to the old
Jerusalem, the mother of the new city, who, as has already been said,
was the community of all among the ancient people who lived righteous
lives--the prophets and patriarchs, all just men, those to whom the co-
ming of Christ was first proclaimed" ("Commentaria in Isaiam", 60, 6-7).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers,
the U.S. publishers.