THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
"God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name which is above every name,
that at the Name of Jesus
every knee should bow 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" ~~ Philippians 2:9-10
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Every Catholic should love and have great devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS, for this is the Name of our Divine Savior. More than that, this Name is our very Salvation: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" ~~ Acts 4:12
Yes, this is the teaching of Holy Mother Church. Contrary to popular ( anti-Catholic ) opinion, we do believe that our Divine Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. We cannot be saved apart from Christ by calling upon the name of Mary or any saint ( although we certainly love them as our family in Christ ). Our salvation is in the Name of Jesus Christ, Who died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us a share in His divine Life! Praised be His Holy Name!
This is why the Church has long promoted devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS, and encourages her children to pray that Name often, invoking our God and Savior with His Name Above All Names.
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Monograms of the Holy Name Explained
IHCΣOYOΣ
PIEΣTOΣ
*IHS* This monogram of the Holy Name, common among Roman Rite Catholics, comes from the first three letters in the Greek spelling of the name of Jesus. Those letters are iota ( "I" ), eta ( "H" ) and sigma ( here rendered as its Roman equivalent: "S").
Variations: Sometimes the iota is rendered as a "J" ( hence, "JHS" ), or one will see the monogram in all Greek letters, or with the final sigma in a "C" shape ( hence "IHC" ), an alternate way of rendering the letter sigma. They all mean the same thing.
*IC X* This monogram is more common among Eastern Christians. It is composed of the first and last letters of Jesus' Name in Greek (iota and sigma) with the first and last letters of Christos, the Greek word for Christ (chi and sigma, respectively). The sigmas are both rendered in "C" form, resulting in "IC X".
This monogram is commonly written on ikons of Christ near His halo to identify Him, and in the phrase "IC X NIKE", meaning "Jesus Christ Conquers".
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Holy Name Devotions
The simplest form of devotion to the Most Holy Name of JESUS is the devout, loving recitation of that Name above all names. Each time you whisper His precious Name ... "Jesus" ... let it be a loving invocation to your Divine Savior and Lord. You can even make it part of a short prayer, as in saying: "Jesus, I love You!", "Praise You, Jesus", and or, Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me! ( a form of the Jesus Prayer ).
Praise to the Holy Name of JESUS
O Glorious Name of Jesus,
gracious Name,
Name of love and of power!
Through You sins are forgiven,
enemies are vanquished,
the sick are freed from illness,
the suffering are made strong and cheerful.
You bring honor to believers, instruction to preachers,
strength to those who toil,
and sustenance to the weary.
Our love for You is ardent and glowing,
through You our prayers are heard.
The souls of those who contemplate You
are filled to overflowing;
and all the blessed in heaven
are filled with Your glory.
Grant that we too may reign with them
through this Your most Holy Name. Amen
PRAYERS OF REPARATION FOR BLASPHEMY
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain. ~~ Exodus 20:7
Golden Arrow
"May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar." - 1
This prayer is said to have been revealed by Christ Jesus to a Carmelite Nun of Tours in 1843 as a reparation for blasphemy. "This Golden Arrow will wound My Heart delightfully," He said, "and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy."
Praise to the Holy Name of Jesus
The Holy Name of our Savior is taken in vain so often. When we hear someone use the Name above all names as a common swear word, we can cross ourselves and reverence the precious Name being defamed. Another commendable practice involves the devout, fervent recitation of the following prayer:
May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed!
May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed!
May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed!
May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed!
May the Holy Name of Jesus be infinitely blessed!
Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee.
The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!
The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hope of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole Hope of mankind!
The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus!
The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy holy laws are transgressed and ignored, the more we shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most generous Heart of Jesus!
The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of every virtue!
The more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more we shall be inflamed with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of souls!
The more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy True Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more will we honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!
O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Nihil Obstat - John J. Clifford, S.J. Censor Liborum
Imprimatur - + Samuel A. Stritch, December 17, 1943 Archbishop of Chicago.
1 - "The Golden Arrow", Pieta Prayer Book, (Hickory Corners, MI: MLOR Corporation, 1995) 61. © MLOR Corporation 1995. ("Pictures or prayers may be reproduced for personal use, not for commercial purposes")
2 - "Act of Reparation", Holy Hour of Reparation booklet, pages 12-13; copyright © 1945 Soul Assurance Plan(TM), Chicago, IL.
