Holy Name of Jesus

My Dear Parishioners,

Christmas was so special this year. I continue to thank you for your generosity to our parish and to our outreaches. I also thank you for your generosity to our staff and to myself. Thank you for taking the time to send cards, baked goods, and gifts to us in the rectory. It means a lot and is a nice reminder that we are all part of the family of St. Joseph’s.

Time does march on as we move from one Liturgical Season to another.

This Sunday we are now in Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time actually takes its name from the Latin word for numbering: ordinalis. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word “order.” Thus, the numbered weeks of Ordinary Time, in fact, represent the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. (What Ordinary Time Means in the Catholic Church, www.learnedreligions.com)

The article from Learned Religions continues: It’s appropriate, therefore, that the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (which is actually the first Sunday celebrated in Ordinary Time) always features either John the Baptist’s acknowledgment of Christ as the Lamb of God or Christ’s first miracle—the transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Thus for Catholics, Ordinary Time is the part of the year in which Christ, the Lamb of God, walks among us and transforms our lives. There’s nothing “ordinary” about that!

As we enter into Ordinary Time, we do so in the context of the month of January, in which we honor the Holy Name of Jesus. The Power of the Holy Name is real. Just repeating the Holy Name of “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” can bring down many helps from Heaven and drive away the devil and temptation.

Why does this name have such power? In our modern world, we don’t think much of names. They are functional, but not much else. But in the ancient world, it was understood that a name fundamentally represented the person, and knowing a person’s name, gave you some level of control over that person—the ability to call on that person. This is why, when asked by Moses for his name, God simply responds, “I am who I am” (Exod. 3:14). Unlike the pagan gods, the one true God was not at the beck and call of men. He was in total control.

Yet with the Incarnation, we see God humbling himself to take on a name. Now, in a sense, He is at our beck and call. Christ tells us, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). God didn’t become a generic “man,” but a specific man: Jesus of Nazareth. By doing so, He infused the name Jesus with divine power…..The name of Jesus is intimately tied to salvation. St. Peter said it is the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4: 12) (from Eric Sammons, Catholic Answers and Crisis Magazine).

This is why the Holy Name should only be used in prayer, in teaching the Faith, in bestowing a blessing, and never in vain.

For the LORD will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes his name in vain.” The principle is simple. The name of the Most High God is sacred, not to be used as a trivial ejaculation, still less as a curse. Yet, as with all the commandments, we are obliged to honor not merely the letter of the law but also its spirit. That is, the injunction to honor God’s Name means taking care to speak with respect when making any reference to sacred things. (Dan Byron, The Catholic Stand)

My dear parishioners, with great confidence, let us use the powerful Holy Name Jesus to help us grow ever more into His beautiful image and likeness, and then let us allow Jesus to work through us to transform our world. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, come and bless us and our families!

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor