In this booklet, Fr. Paul O’Sullivan reveals the vast graces granted by the Holy Name, which countless Catholics are ignorant of their whole lives. He guides the reader on how to adore Jesus’s precious Name in every moment and embrace the consolation and favors that It gifts.
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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!
How Little We Know About The 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. 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.
The Graces Granted Through The Holy Name
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.
Forming Habits
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.
Saints Who Loved The Holy Name
St. Augustine
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
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. Francis of Assisi
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. Frances of Rome
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
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.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Wonders of the Holy Name by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, EDM OP, STL which is available from TAN Books.
