Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The lectionary for mass today starts a series of readings from St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy. The series will continue over the next several days, Sunday excepted. In this letter, whenever the holy name of Jesus is mentioned, all thirteen times, it is always accompanied by the title of Christ (Christus, Xριστός). For St. Paul, the holy name is not just another name, but it is the object of special, consistent reverence.
This particular expression of reverence is not always shown in other parts of sacred scripture. John’s gospel, for example, uses the divine name over two hundred times, which is more than any other book of the bible, and yet it only accompanies the name “Jesus” with the title of “Christ” three of those times. Does this mean that John’s gospel is less reverent than St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy? Not at all, because reverence can be shown in many ways, and an expression that may be fitting in one circumstance may not be fitting in another. Above all, we must be careful to respect, honor, and adore Jesus Christ Himself for who He is and for what He does, and we can do that in a variety of ways.
One way is by honoring the mother of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today, for example, there is a 500-year-old celebration honoring the very name of this woman: Mary. How will you honor this woman’s sacred name? Go to mass? Pray the rosary? Call her “Our Lady” or “full of grace?” Your choice will depend on your circumstances, to be sure, and on what is most fitting. Above all, the best way to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary will be to honor her Son, Jesus Christ, her Son, Our Lord. Amen.