My Thoughts 23/02/2022

In today’s gospel, Jesus says to his disciples that they should not stop anyone who performs miracles in his name. The name of Jesus is powerful. When we pray in the name of Jesus we are united to his power. Jesus says,

“Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father will be glorified in the Son.” (John 14;13)

Yet if you watch television and films you will often hear the word “Jesus” used as an expletive. In the Oxford Dictionary, one entry for the word “Jesus” reads, “exclamation, an oath used to express irritation, dismay, or surprise.”

Sylvester O’Flynn writes,

“The faithless use of the name of Jesus to God it’s appalling. One wonders what an outsider must think of our religion if that is the disrespect we show to our God and Saviour.”

Both St. Bernardine of Sienna (1380-1444) and his student St. John of Capistrano (1386-1456) promoted devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. In their preaching missions throughout Italy, they carried a monogram of the Holy Name surrounded by rays.

In its origin, the monogram IHS is an abbreviation of the name Jesus in Greek: I and H representing an Iota and Eta respectively, the first two letters of the name; to which later was added S, a Sigma, the final letter. (A later tradition holds that IHS represents the Latin Iesus Hominum Salvator, meaning “Jesus Saviour of Mankind.”)

Let us pray for a deep reverence for the sacred name of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour and may the name of Jesus be the most loved word in our vocabulary.