Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Today is Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and we are reminded on this feast of the power and importance of names. Names have meaning. What we call things has the power of revealing a reality about their purpose and their nature. When God chooses a name for the Son, He doesn’t just roll the dice or go with whatever sounds cool. He intentionally chooses a name that conveys the deepest reality about this person that is about to come into the world as a human being.
The name Jesus means “God saves”. Likewise, Emmanuel means, “God with us.” The deep reality of Christ’s Incarnation is that He took on human flesh to accomplish our salvation. The name that God gave Him literally expresses his core purpose. He came to be with us, to walk with us, to teach us, to heal us, and to save us.
On this Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, we are reminded of God’s incredible love for us. We are reminded that the principle mission of Jesus was our salvation, despite our unworthiness and the fact that we so often struggle and fight against the goodness that He tries to give us daily. We are also reminded that names matter. They have the power to convey the deep reality of the things they describe. So too do our words and actions. They matter, even in little ways that we might not be aware of.