Posted in MORNING Prayers, The HOLY NAME

The Wonders of the Holy Name – Fr Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. – “Revealing the Simplest Secret Ever of Holiness and Happiness.” Part Eleven – 20 July

Previous – here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/the-holy-name/

the wonders of the holy name-day ten-12 july

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 the divine value of this Name and
how the Saints worked their wonders with 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.
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 sin, 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.

 

Advertisement
Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DEVOTIO, MORNING Prayers, The HOLY NAME

The Wonders of the Holy Name – Fr Paul O’Sullivan, O.P. – “Revealing the Simplest Secret Ever of Holiness and Happiness.” Part Ten – 19 July

Previous – here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/category/the-holy-name/

the wonders of the holy name-day ten-17 july

The Saints and the Holy Name contd.

Blessed Gonzalo de Amarante:  reached a very
eminent degree of sanctity by the frequent repetition
of the Holy Name.

The 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 souls “that peace which
the World cannot give”, which God alone gives,
a peace “that surpasses all understanding”.

St Leonard of Portmaurlce:  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 as 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 appartments belonging to the Jew while
the rooms belonging to his Christian neighbour in
no wise suffered from the conflagration.
This fact was made public and increased a
hundred fold the 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 replied 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 for the
future.
Many people practise 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 Judeorum. 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 of Chantal:  that most lovable friend
of St. Francis de Sales, had many beautiful devotions
taught her by this holy Doctor who acted
as her spiritual adviser for many years.   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 breasts.   This needs a special
inspiration from God.   But we may follow the
example of another dear St B. 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 sight of the Saints and Angels in Heaven.

St Gemma Galganl:   Almost in our own days 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.