THE WONDERS OF THE HOLY NAME
Reveals the simplest secret ever of holiness and happiness
by
Fr.
Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. (E.D.M.)
CONTENTS |
Chapter 1
THE WONDERS OF THE HOLY NAME
We
have been hearing and have been repeating from childhood the Holy
Name of Jesus, but alas, many, very many, have no adequate idea of
the great wonders of this Holy Name!
What
do you know, Dear Reader, about the Name of Jesus? You know
that it is a holy name and that you must bow your head reverently
when you say it. That is very little. It is as if you
looked at a closed book and merely glanced at the title on the
cover. You know nothing of all the beautiful thoughts in the
book itself.
Even
so, when you pronounce the Name of Jesus you know very little of the
treasures hidden in it.
This
Divine Name is in truth a mine of riches; it is the fount of the
highest holiness and the secret of the greatest happiness that a man
can hope to enjoy on this earth. Read and see.
It
is so powerful, so certain, that it never fails to produce in our
souls the most wonderful results. It consoles the saddest heart
and makes the weakest sinner strong. It obtains for us all
kinds of favors and graces, spiritual and temporal.
Two
things we must do. First of all, we must understand clearly the
meaning and value of the Name of Jesus.
Secondly,
we must get into the habit of saying it devoutly, frequently,
hundreds and hundreds of times every day. Far from being a
burden, it will be an immense joy and consolation.
Chapter 2
WHAT DOES THE NAME OF JESUS MEAN?
The
Holy Name of Jesus is, first of all, an all-powerful prayer.
Our Lord Himself solemnly promises that whatever we ask the Father in
His Name we shall receive. God never fails to keep His word.
When,
therefore, we say, "Jesus," let us ask God for all we need
with absolute confidence of being heard.
For
this reason, the Church ends her prayer with the words "through
Jesus Christ," which gives the prayer a new and divine efficacy.
But
the Holy Name is something still greater.
Each
time we say, "Jesus," we give God infinite joy and glory,
for we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of
Jesus Christ.
St.
Paul tells us that Jesus merited the Name Jesus by His Passion and
Death.
Each
time we say, "Jesus," let us clearly wish to offer God all
the Masses being said all over the world for all our intentions.
We thus share in these thousands of Masses.
Each
time we say, "Jesus," we gain 300 days indulgence, which we
may apply to the souls in Purgatory, thus relieving and liberating
very many of these holy souls from their awful pains. They thus
become our best friends and pray for us with incredible fervor.
Each
time we say, "Jesus," it is an act of perfect love, for we
offer to God the infinite love of Jesus.
The
Holy Name of Jesus saves us from innumerable evils and delivers us
especially from the power of the devil, who is constantly seeking to
do us harm.
The
Name of Jesus gradually fills our souls with a peace and a joy we
never had before.
The
Name of Jesus gives us such strength that our sufferings become light
and easy to bear.
WHAT MUST WE DO?
St
Paul tells us that we must do all we do, whether in word or work, in
the Name of Jesus. "All whatsoever you do in word
or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ..."
(Col 3:17).
In
this way, every act becomes an act of love and of merit, and
moreover, we receive grace and help to do all our actions perfectly
and well.
We
must therefore do our best to form the habit of saying, "Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus," very often every day. We can do so when
dressing, when working – no matter what we are doing – when
walking, in moments of sadness, at home and in the street,
everywhere.
Nothing
is easier if only we do it methodically. We can say it
countless times every day.
Bear
in mind that each time we say, "Jesus," devoutly:
- we give God great glory,
- we receive great graces for ourselves,
- and we help the souls in Purgatory.
We
shall now quote a few examples to show the power of the Holy Name.
Chapter 3
THE
WORLD IN DANGER
SAVED BY THE HOLY NAME
In
the year 1274 great evils threatened the world. The Church was
assailed by fierce enemies from within and without. So great
was the danger that the Pope, Gregory X, who then reigned, called a
council of Bishops in Lyons to determine on the best means of saving
society from the ruin that menaced it. Among the many means
proposed, the Pope and Bishops chose what they considered the easiest
and most efficacious of all, viz., the frequent repetition of the
Holy Name of Jesus.
The
Holy Father then begged the Bishops to call on the Name of Jesus and
to urge their peoples to place all their confidence in this
all-powerful Name, repeating it constantly with boundless trust.
The Pope entrusted the Dominicans especially with the glorious task
of preaching the wonders of the Holy Name in every country, a work
they accomplished with unbounded zeal.
Their
Franciscan brothers ably seconded them. St. Bernardine of Siena
and St. Leonard of Port-Maurice were ardent apostles of the Name of
Jesus.
Their
efforts were crowned with success so that the enemies of the Church
were overthrown, the dangers that threatened society disappeared and
peace once more reigned supreme.
This
is a most important lesson for us because, in these our own days,
dreadful sufferings are crushing many countries, and still greater
evils threaten all the others.
No
government or governments seem strong and wise enough to stem this
awful torrent of evils. There is but one remedy, and that is
prayer.
Every
Christian must turn to God and ask Him to have mercy on us. The
easiest of all prayers, as we have seen, is the Name of Jesus.
Everyone
without exception can invoke this holy name hundred of times a day,
not only for his own intentions, but also to ask God to deliver the
world from impending ruin.
It
is amazing what one person who prays can do to save his country and
save society. We read in Holy Scripture how Moses saved by his
prayer the people of Israel from destruction, and how one pious
woman, Judith of Betulia, saved her city and her people when the
rulers were in despair and about to surrender themselves to their
enemies.
Again,
we know that the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, which God
destroyed by fire for their sins and crimes, would have been pardoned
had there been only ten good men to pray for them!
Over
and over again we read of kings, emperors, statesmen and famous
military commanders who placed all their trust in prayer, thus
working wonders. If the prayers of one man can do much, what
will not the prayers of many do?
The
Name of Jesus is the shortest, the easiest and the most powerful of
prayers. Everyone can say it, even in the midst of this daily
work. God cannot refuse to hear it.
Let
us then invoke the Name of Jesus, asking Him to save us from the
calamities that threaten us.
Chapter 4
THE
PLAGUE IN LISBON:
THE CITY SAVED BY THE HOLY NAME
A
devastating plague broke out in Lisbon in 1432. All who could
do so fled in terror from the city and thus carried the plague to
every corner of the entire country of Portugal.
Thousands
of men, women and children of all classes were swept away by the
cruel sickness. So virulent was the epidemic that men died
everywhere, at table, in the streets, in their houses, in the shops,
in the marketplaces, in the churches. To use the words of
historians, it flashed like lightning from man to man, or from a
coat, a hat or any garment that had been used by the
plague-stricken. Priests, doctors and nurses were carried off
in such numbers that the bodies of many lay unburied in the streets,
so that the dogs licked up the blood and ate the flesh of the dead,
becoming as a result themselves infected with the dread disease and
spreading it still more widely among the unfortunate people.
Among
those who assisted the dying with unflagging zeal was a venerable
bishop, Monsignor Andre Dias, who lived in the Convent or Monastery
of St. Dominic. This holy man, seeing that the epidemic, far
from diminishing, grew every day in intensity, and despairing of
human help, urged the unhappy people to call on the Holy Name of
Jesus. He was seen wherever the disease was fiercest, urging,
imploring the sick and the dying, as well as those who had not as yet
been stricken down, to repeat, "Jesus, Jesus." "Write
it on cards," he said, "and keep those cards on your
persons; place them at night under your pillows; place them on your
doors; but above all, constantly invoke with your lips and in your
hearts this most powerful Name."
He
went about as an angel of peace filling the sick and the dying with
courage and confidence. The poor sufferers felt within them a
new life, and calling on Jesus, they wore the cards on their breasts
or carried them in their pockets.
Then
summoning them to the great Church of St. Dominic, he once more spoke
to them of the power of the Name of Jesus and blessed water in the
same Holy Name, ordering all the people to sprinkle themselves with
it and sprinkle it on the faces of the sick and the dying.
Wonder of wonders! The sick got well, the dying arose from
their agonies, the plague ceased and the city was delivered in a few
days from the most awful scourge that had ever visited it.
The
news spread to the whole country and all began, with one accord, to
call on the Name of Jesus. In an incredibly short time all
Portugal was freed from the dread sickness.
The
grateful people, mindful of the marvels they had witnessed, continued
their love and confidence in the Name of our Saviour, so that in all
their troubles, in all dangers, when evils of any kind threatened
them, they invoked the Name of Jesus. Confraternities were
formed in the churches, processions of the Holy Name were made
monthly, altars were raised in honor of this blessed name, so that
the greatest curse that had ever fallen on the country was
transformed into the greatest blessing.
For
long centuries this great confidence in the Name of Jesus continued
in Portugal and thence spread to Spain, to France, and to the whole
world.
Chapter 5
GENSERIC THE GOTH
In
the reign of Genseric, the Arian King of the Goths, one of the King's
favorite courtiers, the Count of Armogasto, was converted from
Arianism and joined the Catholic Church.
The
King, on hearing of the fact, fell into a violent fury and, calling
the young nobleman to his presence, tried by every means in his power
to induce him to recant and return to the Arian sect. Neither
threats nor promises availed. The Count refused all overtures
and held fast to his new-found faith. Genseric then gave vent
to this fury and ordered the young man to be bound with strong cords
as tightly as the brawny executioners could draw them. The
torment was intense, but the victim showed no sign of pain. He
repeated two or three times, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," and lo,
the cords snapped like spider webs and fell at his feet!
Enraged
beyond measure, the tyrant now commanded that the sinews of oxen,
hard and tough as wire, should be brought. The Count was again
bound, and the King bade the executioners use their utmost strength.
Once more their victim invoked the Name of Jesus, and the new thongs,
like the old, snapped like threads. Genseric, foaming with
rage, ordered the martyr to be bound by the feet and hung from the
branches of a tree, head downwards.
Smiling
at this new mode of torture, Count Armogasto folded his arms on his
bosom and, repeating the Holy Name, fell into a tranquil sleep, as
though he were lying on a soft and comfortable couch.
Chapter 6
D. MELCHIOR SMILES AT HIS TORMENTORS
We
have another incident of a similar kind narrated of the Chinese
Martyr, the Venerable Dominican Bishop, D. Melchior.
In
one of the many persecutions which raged in China and which gave so
many Saints to the Church, this holy bishop was seized and, after
having undergone the most brutal torments, was condemned to a cruel
death.
He
was dragged to the marketplace in the midst of a howling mob, who
came to gloat over this sufferings.
They
stripped him of his garments, and five executioners, armed with
rough-edged swords, proceeded to chop off his fingers one by one,
joint by joint, then his arms, then his legs, causing him
excruciating agony. Finally, they hacked the flesh from his
poor body and broke his bones.
During
his prolonged martyrdom, no sign of pain was visible on the Bishop's
countenance. He was smiling and saying aloud, slowly, "Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus," which, to the amazement of his executioners, gave
him this wonderful strength.
Neither
cry nor groan escaped from his lips until finally, after hours of
torture, he quietly breathed his last, with the same lovely smile
lingering on his face.
What
wonderful consolation would we too not feel, when confined to bed
with sickness or racked by pain, if we repeated devoutly the Name of
Jesus.
Many
people find it hard to sleep.
They
will find help and consolation by invoking in these sleepless moments
the Holy Name, and very probably they will fall into a tranquil
slumber.
ST. ALEXANDER AND THE PAGAN PHILOSOPHERS
During
the reign of the Emperor Constantine, the Christian Religion was
constantly and rapidly making progress.
In
Constantinople itself the pagan philosophers felt much aggrieved at
seeing many of their adepts deserting the old religion and joining
the new. They pleaded with the Emperor himself, demanding that
in justice they should get a hearing and be allowed to hold a public
conference with the bishop of the Christians. St. Alexander,
who at the time ruled the See of Constantinople, was a holy man, but
not a keen logician.
He
did not for that reason fear to meet the representative of the pagan
philosophers, who was an astute dialectician and an eloquent orator.
On the appointed day, before a vast assembly of learned men, the
philosopher began a carefully prepared attack on the Christian
teaching. The holy bishop listened for some time and then
pronounced the Name of Jesus, which at once confounded the
philosopher, who not only completely lost the thread of his
discourse, but was utterly unable, even with the aid of his
colleagues, to return to the attack.
St.
Christiana, a young Christian girl, was a slave in Kurdistan, a
region almost entirely pagan. It was the custom in that country
when a child was gravely ill that the mother should take it in her
arms to the houses of her friends and ask them if they knew of any
remedy that might benefit or cure the little one. On one of
these occasions, a mother brought her sick child to the house where
Christiana lived.
On
being asked if she knew of a remedy for that sickness, she looked at
the child and said: "Jesus, Jesus."
In
an instant the dying child smiled and leapt with joy. It was
completely cured.
This
extraordinary fact soon became known and reached the ears of the
Queen, who herself was an invalid. She gave orders that
Christiana should be brought to her presence.
On
arriving at the palace, Christiana was asked by the royal patient if
she could with the same remedy cure her own disorder, which had
baffled the skill of the physicians. Once more Christiana
pronounced with great confidence: "Jesus, Jesus," and
again this divine Name was glorified. The Queen instantly
recovered her health.
A
third wonder was yet to be worked. Some days after the cure of
the Queen, the King found himself suddenly face to face with certain
death. Escape seemed impossible. Mindful of the divine
power of the Holy Name, which he had witnessed in the cure of his
wife, his majesty called out, "Jesus, Jesus," whereupon he
was snatched from the dreadful peril. Calling in his own turn
for the little slave, he learned from her the truths of Christianity,
which he and a great multitude of his people embraced.
Christiana
became a Saint, and her feast is kept on December 15th.
St.
Gregory of Tours relates that when he was a boy his father fell
gravely ill and lay dying. Gregory prayed fervently for his
recovery. When Gregory was asleep at night, his Angel Guardian
appeared to him and told him to write the Name of Jesus on a card and
place this under the sick man's pillow.
In
the morning Gregory acquainted his mother with the Angel's message,
which she advised him to obey. He did so, and placed the card
under his father's head, when, to the delight of the whole family,
the patient grew rapidly better.
We
could fill pages and pages with miracles and wonders worked by the
Holy Name at all times and in all places, not only by the Saints, but
by all who invoke this Divine Name with reverence and faith.
Marchese
says: "I refrain from relating here the miracles worked
and graces granted by Our Lord to those who have been devoted to His
Holy Name, because St. John Chrysostom reminds me that Jesus is
always named when miracles are worked by holy men; hence, to attempt
to enumerate them would be to try to give a list of the countless
miracles which God has performed through all the ages, either to
increase the glory of His Saints or to plant and strengthen the Faith
in the hearts of men."
CARDS OF THE HOLY NAME
Cards
with the Holy Name inscribed on them have been used and recommended
by the great lovers of the Holy Name, such as Msgr. Andre Dias (see
Chapter 4), St. Leonard of Port Maurice and St. Gregory of Tours,
mentioned above.
Our
readers would do well to use these cards, carrying them about on
their persons during the day, putting them under their pillows at
night and placing them on the doors of the rooms.
Chapter 7
THE SAINTS AND THE HOLY NAME
All
the Saints had an immense love for and trust in the Name of Jesus.
They saw in this name, as in a clear vision, all the love of Our
Lord, all His Power, all the beautiful things He said and did when on
earth.
They
did all their wonderful works in the Name of Jesus. They worked
miracles, cast out devils, cured the sick and gave comfort to
everyone, using and recommending to all the habit of invoking the
Holy Name. St. Peter and the Apostles converted the world with
this all-powerful Name.
The
Prince of the Apostles began his glorious career preaching the love
of Jesus to the Jews in the streets, in the Temple, in their
synagogues. His first striking miracle occurred on the first
Pentecost Sunday when he was going into the Temple with St. John.
A lame man, well known to the Jews, who frequented the Temple,
stretched out his hand expecting to receive an alms. St. Peter
said to him: "Silver and gold I have none; but what I
have, I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
arise, and walk." (Acts 3:6).
And
instantly the lame man bounded to his feet and leaped for joy.
The
Jews were astonished, but the great Apostle said to them: Why
your wonder and surprise, as if we made this man sound by our own
power? No, it is by the power of Jesus that this man walks.
Innumerable
times since the days of the Apostles has the Name of Jesus been
glorified.
We
will quote a few of these countless examples, which show us how the
Saints derived all their strength and consolation from the Name of
Jesus.
ST. PAUL
St.
Paul was in a very special way the preacher and doctor of the Holy
Name. At first he was a fierce persecutor of the Church, moved
by a false zeal and hatred for Christ. Our Lord appeared to him
on the road to Damascus and converted him, making him the great
Apostle of the Gentiles and giving him his glorious mission, which
was to preach and make known His Holy Name to princes and kings, to
Jews and Gentiles, to all nations and peoples.
St.
Paul, filled with a burning love for Our Lord, began his great
mission – uprooting paganism, casting down the false idols,
confounding the philosophers of Greece and Rome, fearing no enemies
and conquering all difficulties – all in the Name of Jesus.
St.
Thomas Aquinas says of him: "St. Paul bore the Name of
Jesus on his forehead because he gloried in proclaiming it to all
men; he bore it on his lips because he loved to invoke it; on his
hands, for he loved to write it in his epistles; in his heart, for
his heart burned with love of it. He tells us himself: "I
live, yet not I, but Christ, liveth in me."
St.
Paul tells us in his own beautiful way two great truths about the
Name of Jesus.
First
of all, he tells us of the infinite power of this Name. "In
the Name of Jesus every knee shall bend in Heaven, on Earth and in
Hell."
Every
time we say, "Jesus," we give infinite joy to God, to all
Heaven, to God's Blessed Mother and to the Angels and Saints.
Secondly,
he tells us how to use it. "Whatever you do in word or in
work, do all in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." He
adds: Whether you eat or whether you drink, or whatever else
you do, do all in the Name of Jesus.
This
advice all the Saints followed, so that their every act was done for
love of Jesus, and therefore their every act and thought won them
graces and merits. It was by this Name that they became
Saints. If we follow this same advice of the Apostle, we too
shall reach a very high degree of sanctity.
How
are we to do everything in the Name of Jesus? By acquiring the
habit, as we have said, of repeating the Name of Jesus frequently in
the course of the day. This presents no difficulty – it only
demands good will.
St.
Augustine, the great Doctor of the Church, found his delight in
repeating the Holy Name. He himself tells us that he found much
pleasure in books which made frequent mention of this all-consoling
Name.
St.
Bernard felt a wonderful joy and consolation in repeating the Name of
Jesus. He felt it, as he says, like honey in his mouth and a
delicious peace in his heart. We too shall feel immense
consolation and shall feel peace steal into our souls if we imitate
St. Bernard and repeat frequently this Holy Name.
St.
Dominic spent his days preaching and discussing with heretics.
He always went on foot from place to place, as well in the oppressive
heats of the summer as in the cold and rain of winter. The
Albigensian heretics, whom he tried to convert, were more like demons
let loose from Hell than mortal men. Their doctrine was
infamous and their crimes enormous. Yet, as another St. Paul,
he converted 100,000 of these wicked men, so that many of them became
eminent for sanctity. Wearied at night with his labors, he
asked only for one reward, which was to pass the night before the
Blessed Sacrament, pouring out his soul in love for Jesus. When
his poor body could resist no longer, he leaned his head against the
altar and rested a little, after which he began once more his
intimate converse with Jesus. In the morning, he celebrated
Mass with the ardor of a seraph so that at times his body was raised
in the air in an ecstasy of love. The Name of Jesus filled his
soul with joy and delight.
Blessed
Jordan of Saxony, who succeeded St. Dominic as Master General of the
Order, was a preacher of great renown. His words went straight to the
heart of the hearers, above all when he spoke to them of Jesus.
Learned
professors of the university cities came with delight to hear him,
and so many of them became Dominican friars that others feared to
come, lest they too should be induced to join his order. So
many were drawn by Blessed Jordan's irresistible eloquence that, when
his visit to a city was announced, the prior of the convent bought at
once a great quantity of white cloth to make habits for those who
were sure to seek entrance to the Order. Blessed Jordan himself
received one thousand postulants to the habit, among whom were the
most eminent professors of the European universities.
St.
Francis of Assisi, that burning Seraph of love, found his delight in
repeating the loved Name of Jesus. St. Bonaventure says that
his face lit up with joy and his voice showed by its tender accents
how much he loved to invoke this all-Holy Name.
No
wonder, then, that he received on his hands and feet and side the
marks of the five wounds of Our Lord, a reward of his burning love.
St.
Ignatius of Loyola was second to none in his love for the Holy Name.
He gave to his great order not his own name, but rather he called it
the "Society of Jesus." This divine Name has been, as
it were, a shield and defense of the Order against its enemies and a
guarantee of the holiness and sanctity of its members. Glorious,
indeed is the great Society of Jesus.
St.
Francis de Sales has no hesitation in saying that those who have the
custom of repeating the Holy Name frequently may feel certain of
dying a holy and happy death.
And
indeed there can be no doubt of this, because every time we say,
"Jesus," we apply the saving Blood of Jesus to our souls,
while at the same time we implore God to do as He has promised,
granting us everything we ask in His Name. All who desire a
holy death can secure it by repeating the Name of Jesus. Not
only will this practice obtain for us a holy death, but it will
lessen notably our time in Purgatory and may very possibly deliver us
altogether from that dreadful fire.
Many
Saints spent their last days repeating constantly, "Jesus,
Jesus."
All
the Doctors of the Church agree in telling us that the devil reserves
his fiercest temptations for our last moments, and then he fills the
mind of the dying person with doubts, fears and dreadful temptations
– in the hope, at last, of carrying the unfortunate soul to Hell.
Happy those who in life have made sure of acquiring the habit of
calling on the Name of Jesus.
Facts
like these we have just mentioned are to be found in the lives of all
the great servants of God who became saints and reached the highest
degrees of sanctity by this simple and easy means.
St.
Vincent Ferrer, one of the most famous preachers that the world has
ever heard, converted the most abandoned criminals and transformed
them into the most fervent Christians. He converted 80,000 Jews
and 70,000 Moors, a prodigy we read of in the life of no other
Saint. Three miracles are demanded by the Church for the
canonization of a Saint; whereas in the bull of canonization of St.
Vincent, 873 are mentioned.
This
great Saint burned with love for the Name of Jesus and with this
Divine Name worked extraordinary wonders.
We,
therefore, sinful as we are, can, with this Omnipotent Name, obtain
every favor and every grace. The weakest mortals can become
strong, the most afflicted find in it consolation and joy.
Who
then can be so foolish or negligent as not to acquire the habit of
repeating, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," constantly. It robs
us of no time, presents no difficulty and is an infallible remedy for
every evil.
Blessed
Goncalo of Amarante reached a very eminent degree of sanctity by the
frequent repetition of the Holy Name.
Blessed
Giles of Santarem felt so much love and delight in saying the Holy
Name that he was raised in the air in ecstasy.
Those
who repeat frequently the Name of Jesus feel a great peace in their
soul, "that peace which the world cannot give," which God
alone gives, a peace "that surpasses all understanding."
St.
Leonard of Port Maurice cherished a tender devotion to the Name of
Jesus and in his continual missions taught the people who thronged to
listen to him the wonders of the Holy Name. This he did with
such love that tears flowed from his eyes and from the eyes of all
who heard him.
He
begged them to put a card with this Divine Name on their doors.
This was attended with the happiest results, for many were thus saved
from sickness and disasters of various kinds.
One,
unfortunately, was prevented from doing so, since a Jew, who was
part-owner of the house in which he lived, sternly refused to have
the Name of Jesus placed on the door. His fellow-lodger then
decided that he would write it on his windows, which he accordingly
did. Some days after, a fierce fire broke out in the building,
which destroyed all the apartments belonging to the Jew; whereas, the
rooms belonging to his Christian neighbor in no way suffered from the
conflagration.
This
fact was made public and increased a hundredfold faith and trust in
the Holy Name of our Saviour. In fact, the whole city of
Ferrajo was a witness of this extraordinary protection.
St.
Edmund had special devotion to the Name of Jesus, which Our Lord
Himself taught him.
One
day when he was in the country and separated from his companions, a
beautiful child stood by him and asked, "Edmund, do you not know
me?" Edmund answered that he did not. Then replied
the child, "Look at me and you will see who I am."
Edmund looked as he was bidden and saw written on the Child's
forehead, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
"Know now who I am," said the Child. "Every
night make the Sign of the Cross and say these words: 'Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews.' If you do so, this prayer will
deliver you and all who say it from sudden and unprovided-for
deaths."
Edmund
faithfully did as Our Lord told him. The devil once tried to
prevent him and held his hands so that he could not make the holy
sign. Edmund invoked the Name of Jesus, and the devil fled in
terror, leaving him unmolested in the future.
Many
people practice this easy devotion and so save themselves from
unhappy deaths. Others, with their forefinger, imprint with
holy water on their foreheads the four letters, "I.N.R.I.," to
signify Jesus Nazarenus, Rex Judaeorum, the words
written by Pilate for the Cross of Our Lord.
St.
Alphonsus earnestly recommends both these devotions.
St.
Frances of Rome enjoyed the extraordinary privilege of constantly
seeing and speaking to her Angel Guardian. When she pronounced
the Name of Jesus, the Angel was radiant with happiness and bent down
in loving adoration.
Sometimes
the devil dared to appear to her, seeking to frighten her and do her
harm. But when she pronounced the Holy Name, he was filled with
rage and hatred and fled in terror from her presence.
St.
Jane Frances de Chantal, that most lovable friend of St. Francis de
Sales, had many beautiful devotions taught her by this holy Doctor,
who for many years acted as her spiritual adviser. She so loved
the Name of Jesus that she actually wrote it with a hot iron on her
breast. Blessed Henry Suso had done the same with a pointed
steel rod.
We
may not aspire to this holy daring; we may with reason lack the
courage of inscribing the Holy Name on our breast. This needs a
special inspiration from God. But we may follow the example of
another dear Saint, viz., Blessed Catherine of Racconigi, a daughter
of St. Dominic, who repeated frequently and lovingly the Name of
Jesus, so that after her death, the Name of Jesus was found engraved
in letters of gold on her heart. We all can do as she did, and
thus the Name of Jesus will be emblazoned on our souls for all
Eternity in the sight of the Saints and Angels in Heaven.
St.
Gemma Galgani. Almost in our own day this dear girl Saint also
had the privilege of frequent and intimate converse with her Angel
Guardian. Sometimes the Angel and Gemma entered into a holy
contest as to which of them could say more lovingly the Name of
Jesus.
Her
interviews with the dear Angel were of a simple and familiar nature.
She chatted with him, gazed on his face, asked him many questions, to
which he replied with ineffable love and affection.
He
took messages from her to Our Lord, to the Blessed Virgin and the
saints and brought her back their answers.
Moreover,
this glorious angel took the tenderest care of his protégée.
He taught her to pray and mediate, especially on the Passion and
sufferings of Our Lord. He gave her admirable counsels and
lovingly reproved her when she committed any little faults.
Under his guidance, Gemma speedily reached a high degree of
perfection.
Chapter 8
THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY NAME
We
shall now explain the doctrine of the Holy Name – the most
important chapter in this booklet – in order to show our readers
whence comes the power and divine value of this name and show how the
Saints worked their wonders by it and how we ourselves can obtain by
its means every grace and blessing.
You
may ask, Dear Reader, how it is that one word can work such
prodigies?
I
answer that with a word God made the world. With His word, He
called out of nothing the sun, the moon, the stars, the high
mountains and the vast oceans. By His word He sustains the
whole universe in existence.
Does
not the priest, too, in Holy Mass, work a prodigy of prodigies; does
he not transform the little white host into the God of Heaven and
earth by the words of Consecration; and though God alone can pardon
sins, does not the priest also in the confessional pardon the
blackest sins and the most awful crimes?
How?
Because God gives to his words this infinite power.
So,
too, God in His immense goodness gives to each of us an all-powerful
word with which we can do wonders for Him, for ourselves and for the
world. That word is "Jesus."
Remember
what St. Paul tells us about it. That it is "a
name above all names," and that ...
"In
the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bend in Heaven, on earth and in
Hell."
But
why?
Because "Jesus" signifies "God-made-man," viz.,
the Incarnation. When the Son of God became man, He was called
"Jesus," so that when we say, "Jesus," we offer
to the Eternal father the infinite love, the infinite merits of Jesus
Christ; in a word, we offer Him His own Divine Son Himself; we offer
Him the great Mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus IS the
Incarnation!
How
few Christians have any adequate idea of this sublime mystery, and
yet it is the greatest proof that God has given, or could give us, of
His personal love for us. It is everything to us.
THE INCARNATION
God
became man for love of us, but what does it avail us if we do not
understand this love?
God,
the Infinite, Immense, Eternal, all-powerful God, the mighty Creator,
the God that fills Heaven with His Majesty, hid all His power, His
Majesty, His greatness, and became a little child in order to become
like us and so to gain our love.
He
entered into the pure womb of the Virgin Mary and there lay hidden
for nine whole months. Then He was born in a stable between two
animals. He was poor and humble. He passed 33 years
working, suffering, praying, teaching His beautiful Religion, working
miracles, doing good to all. He did all this to prove His love
for each of us and so constrain us to love Him.
This
stupendous act of love was so great that not even the highest Angels
in Heaven could have conceived it possible, had not God revealed it
to them.
It
was so great that the Jews, God's chosen people, who were expecting a
Saviour, were scandalized at the thought that God could humble
Himself so much.
The
Gentile philosophers, notwithstanding their vaunted wisdom, said that
it was madness to think that the Almighty God could do so much for
love of man.
St.
Paul says that God exhausted all His power, wisdom and goodness in
becoming man for us: "He emptied Himself out."
Our
Lord confirms the words of the Apostle, for He says: "What
more could I do?"
All
this God did, not for all men in general, but for each one of us in
particular. Think, think, of this.
Do
you believe, do you understand, Dear Reader, that God loves you so
much, that He loves you so intimately, so personally. What a
joy, what a consolation if you really knew and felt that the great
God loves you – you, so sincerely!
Our
Lord has done still more, for He has made over to us all His infinite
merits so that we can offer them to the Eternal Father as often as we
like, a hundred, a thousand times a day.
And
that is what we can do each time we say "Jesus," if only we
remember what we are saying.
You
are perhaps surprised at this wonderful doctrine; you may never have
heard it before?
But
now at last that you know the infinite wonders of the Name of Jesus,
say this Holy Name constantly; say it devoutly.
And
in the future, when you say, "Jesus," remember that you are
offering to God all the infinite love and merits of His Son.
You are offering Him His own Divine Son. You cannot offer Him
anything holier, anything better, anything more pleasing to Him,
anything more meritorious for yourself.
How
ungrateful are those Christians who never thank God for all He has
done for them. Men and women live 30, 50, 70 years and never
think of thanking God for all His wonderful love.
When
you say the Name of Jesus, remember, too, to thank Our Sweet Lord for
his Incarnation.
When
He was on Earth, He cured ten lepers of their loathsome disease.
They were delighted and went away full of joy and happiness, but only
one came back to thank Him! Jesus was very hurt and said:
"Where are the other nine?"
Has
He not much more reason to feel grieved and hurt with you and me, who
thank Him so little for all He has done for us in the Incarnation and
in His Passion.
St.
Gertrude was wont to thank God often, with a little ejaculation, for
His goodness in becoming man for her. Our Lord appeared to her
one day and said, "My dear Child, every time you honor My
Incarnation with that little prayer, I turn to My Eternal Father and
I offer all the merits of the Incarnation for you and for all those
who do as you do."
Shall
we not then try to say often, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," sure
of receiving a like wonderful grace.
THE PASSION
The
second meaning of the word "Jesus" is "Jesus dying on
the Cross," for St. Paul tells us that Our Lord merited this
most Holy Name by His sufferings and death.
Therefore,
when we say, "Jesus," we should also wish to offer the
Passion and Death of Our Lord to the Eternal Father for His greater
glory and for our own intentions.
Just
as Our Lord became man for each one of us, as if each one of us were
the only one in existence, so He died, not for all men in general,
but for each one in particular. When He was hanging on the
Cross, He saw me, He saw you, Dear Reader, and offered every pang of
His dreadful agony, every drop of His Precious Blood, all of His
humiliations, all the insults and outrages He received, for me, for
you, for each one of us! He has given us all these infinite
merits as our very own. We may offer them hundreds and hundreds
of times every day to the Eternal Father – for ourselves and for
the world.
We
do this every time we say "Jesus." At the same time,
let us wish to thank Our Lord for all He has suffered for us.
It
is appalling that many Christians know so little of this Holy Name
and all that it means. As a result, they are losing precious
graces every day, and they are forfeiting the greatest rewards in
Heaven. Sad, deplorable ignorance!
HOW TO SHARE IN 500,000 MASSES
The
third intention we ought to have when saying "Jesus" is to
offer all the Masses that are being said all over the world for the
glory of God, for our own needs, and for the world at large.
About 500,000 Masses are celebrated daily. And we can and
should share in all of these.
The
Mass brings Jesus to our altars. At every Mass He is once again
present here on earth, as really as when He became man in His
Mother's womb. He also sacrifices Himself on the Altar as
really and truly as He did on Calvary, though in a mystical, unbloody
manner. The Mass is said, not only for all those who assist at
church, but for all those who wish to hear it and offer it with the
priest.
All
we have to do is to say reverently, "Jesus, Jesus," with
the intention of offering these Masses and participating in them.
By doing this we have a share in all of them.
It
is a wonderful grace to assist at and to offer one Mass; what will it
not be to offer and share in 500,000 Masses every day!
Therefore,
every time we say "Jesus," let it be our intention:
- To offer to God all the infinite love and merits of the Incarnation.
- To offer to God the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.
- To offer to God all the 500,000 Masses being celebrated in the world – for His glory and our own intentions.
All
that we have to do is to say the one word, "Jesus," but
knowing what we are doing.
St.
Mechtilde was accustomed to offer the Passion of Jesus in union with
all the Masses of the world for the souls in Purgatory.
Our
Lord once showed her Purgatory open and thousands of souls going up
to Heaven as the result of her little prayer.
When
we say, "Jesus," we can offer the Passion and the Masses of
the world, either for ourselves or for the souls in Purgatory, or for
any other intention we please.
We
should always, too, offer them for the world at large and our own
country in particular.
Chapter 9
WE CAN ASK FOR EVERYTHING IN THE NAME OF JESUS
The
Angels are our dearest and best friends and are most ready and able
to help us in every difficulty and danger.
It
is most regrettable that many Catholics do not know, love and ask the
Angels for help. The easiest way to do so is to say the Name of
Jesus in their honor. This gives them the greatest joy.
They in return will help us in all our troubles and keep us safe from
many dangers.
Let
us say the Name of Jesus in honor of all the Angels, but especially
in honor of our dear Angel Guardian, who loves us so much.
Our
Sweet Lord is present in millions of consecrated Hosts in the
countless Catholic churches of the world. During many hours of
the busy day and during the long nights, He is forgotten and left
alone.
We
can do much to console and comfort Him by saying, "My Jesus, I
love and adore Thee in all the Consecrated Hosts of the world, and I
thank Thee with all my heart for remaining on all the altars of the
world for love of us." Then say twenty, fifty or more
times the Name of Jesus with this intention.
We
may do most perfect penance for our sins by offering the Passion and
Blood of Jesus many times each day for this intention.
The
Precious Blood purifies our souls and raises us to a high degree of
holiness. It is all so easy! We have only to repeat
lovingly, joyfully, reverently, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
If
we are sad or cast down, if we are worried with fears and doubts,
this Divine Name will give us a delightful peace. If we are
weak and wavering, it will give us a new strength and energy.
Did not Jesus, when on Earth, go about consoling and comforting all
those who were unhappy? He is still doing it every day for
those who ask Him.
If
we are suffering from weak health, if we are in pain, if some disease
is taking hold of our poor bodies, He can cure us. Did He not
cure the sick, the lame, the blind, the lepers? Does He not say
to us, "Come to Me, all you who labor, and are heavily burdened,
and I will refresh you." Many could have good health if
they only asked Jesus for it. By all means consult doctors, use
remedies, but above all call on Jesus!
The
Name of Jesus is the shortest, the easiest, the most powerful of all
prayers. Our Lord tells us that anything we ask the Father in
His Name, viz., in the Name of Jesus, we shall receive. Every
time we say, "Jesus," we are saying a fervent prayer for
all, all that we need.
The
Souls in Purgatory. It is very lamentable that so many
Christians forget and neglect the souls in Purgatory. It is
possible that some of our dear friends are suffering in these
dreadful fires, waiting, waiting for our prayers and help – which
we could so easily give them and do not give them.
We
have pity for the poor whom we see in the streets, for the hungry and
for all those who suffer. None suffer so terribly as the souls
in Purgatory, for the fire of Purgatory, as St. Thomas tells us, is
the same as the fire of Hell!
How
often, Dear Reader, do you pray for the Holy Souls? Days and
weeks and perhaps months pass and you do little, perhaps nothing for
them!
You
can easily help them if you will say frequently the Name of Jesus,
because (a) you thus offer for them the Precious Blood and suffering
of Jesus Christ, as we have explained, (b) you gain 300 days
indulgence1 every
time you say "Jesus."
Having
the custom of repeating often the Holy Name, you can, like St.
Mechtilde, relieve thousands of souls, who will thereafter never
cease praying for you with incredible fervor.
THE AWFUL CRIME OF INGRATITUDE
We
thank our friends most effusively for any little favor they do us,
but we forget or neglect to thank God for His immense love of us, for
becoming man for us, for dying for us, for all the Masses we can hear
and the Holy Communions we can receive – and do not receive.
What black ingratitude!
By
repeating often the Name of Jesus, we correct this grave fault and
thank God and give Him great joy and glory.
Do
you not wish to give joy to God? You do?
Then,
Dear Friend, thank, thank God! He is waiting for your thanks.
GOD LOVES EACH ONE
We
have said that Our Lord in the dreadful sufferings of His Passion, in
the Agony in the garden, when He was hanging on the Cross, saw us all
and offered for each one of us every pang of pain, every drop of His
Precious Blood.
Can
it be possible that God is so good that He thinks of each one of us,
that He loves each one of us so much?
Our
poor hearts and minds are small and mean and find it hard to believe
that God can be so good, that He troubles Himself about us.
But
God, as He is Omnipotent, as He is infinitely wise, is also
infinitely good and generous and loving. To understand how God
thought of each one of us during the Passion, when He was hanging on
the Cross, we have only to remember what happens in the millions of
Holy Communions received every day.
God
comes to each one of us, with all the plenitude of the Divinity.
He enters into each one as fully and entirely as He is in Heaven.
He comes into each one of us as if that one person were the only one
who received Him that day. He comes with infinite, personal
love! That we all believe.
And
how does He enter into us? He does not merely come into our
mouths, our hearts – He comes into our souls, He unites Himself to
our souls so intimately that He becomes in a marvelous way one with
us.
Let
us think for a moment of how the Great, Almighty, Eternal God is in
our very soul in the most intimate possible way, that He is there
with all His infinite love, that He remains there, not for a moment
but for five, ten or more minutes -- and this is not once, but every
day, if we so wish.
If
we think about and understand this, it will be easy to see how He
offered all His merits and all His sufferings for each one of us.
Chapter 10
THE DEVIL AND THE NAME OF JESUS
The
great, great evil, the great danger that threatens each of us every
day and every night of our lives, is the devil.
St.
Peter and St. Paul warn us in the strongest language to beware of the
devil, for he is using all his tremendous power, his mighty
intelligence to ruin us, to harm, to hurt us in every way.
There is no danger, no enemy in the world we have to fear as we
should fear the devil.
He
cannot attack God, so he turns all his implacable hatred and malice
against us.
We
are destined to take the thrones he and the other Bad Angels have
lost. This lashes him into wild fury against us. Many
foolish, ignorant Catholics never think of this; they take no care to
defend themselves and thus allow the devil to inflict on them
infinite harm and cause them untold sufferings.
Our
best, our easiest remedy is the Name of Jesus. It drives the
devil flying from our sides and saves us from countless evils.
Oh,
Dear Readers, say constantly this all-powerful Name and the devil can
do you no harm. Say it in all dangers, in all temptations.
Wake up if you have been asleep. Open your eyes to the terrible
enemy who is ever seeking your ruin.
Priests
should preach frequently on this all-important subject. They
should warn their penitents in the confessional against the devil.
They counsel people to avoid bad companions, who make them lead bad
lives. Incomparably more dreadful is the influence of the devil
on them.
Teachers,
catechists and mothers should constantly warn their children against
the devil.
All
their efforts will be only too little!
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