“O Lord, how admirable is Thy name in all the earth!” So says today’s Introit for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. What is in a name, and why is a feast dedicated to the name of Jesus? The simple answer is that as Savior of the world, the name of Jesus takes on an importance higher than other names. This point is repeatedly emphasized in today’s epistle, and that is certainly true.
While this would be reason enough to have a feast, it helps us to go a little bit deeper. In the culture Christ lived in, there was a lot in a name. When you exchanged names with somebody, it implied a deep level of friendship and favor. We see this in the example of Moses learning the name of God. He learns the name of God because God is pleased with him, and knows him by name. (Exodus 33:17) As a sign of that favor, God reveals His name to Moses: I will have mercy upon whom I have mercy, and compassion upon whom I have compassion.
While this seems like a cryptic moment, there’s a lot to know from this one sentence. Most importantly, upon those whom God has shown His favor, they will know only mercy and compassion. So closely is God identified with mercy and compassion to the Christian that he becomes mercy and compassion to the Christian. All friends have terms of endearment and affection for which they know their friends. God is telling us that in this friendship, I am your source of mercy and compassion. It is for this reason that one of the most prominent themes of the Old Testament is Israel’s election by God to be the royal nation who reveals God to the world. They have received mercy and compassion as a result of God’s favor, and they want to show the world the glory of that election. In the Bible a name is more than just what we are to be called by: a name signifies how we should be understood to the world.
This is the context for which we have the name of Jesus, and which the prayers of this feast talk about. The Introit states that the name of Jesus is admirable, because God “didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of mankind, and didst bid him be called Jesus.” True to the understanding we outlined above, the very name Jesus means “God saves.”
What is interesting about this name is that unlike the Old Testament, it was not just meant to be known by those who God has favored. Christ is not the savior of those who God favors. That sounds like a provocative statement, but we must understand this as true. If we already had the perfect favor of God, salvation would not be necessary. St. Paul points out that “while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s a delicate way of stating that while we were God’s enemies, Christ died for us. The message of “God saves” that is contained in the name Jesus was meant to be preached to the entire world, and that’s exactly what the Apostles did, from the second after Pentecost to their deaths as martyrs. Their message was the same as Peter’s in the Epistle: without Jesus, there can be no salvation. Without Jesus, we are not whole.
If we are to give the Gospel to others, both must be mentioned. Today it is fond to offer salvation to the world, but not to make them whole. In the name of mercy, we offer them forgivness, but leave them as they are. We might even change our rules and disciplines as a way of accommodating people so that they can remain where they are spiritually. We have long ago abandoned the business of transforming hearts. Yet this abandonment weakens the message of salvation. What is the point of salvation if it is not accompanied by transformation? Why do we need to be saved? Can we really tell somebody this is a life-changing moment, but don’t worry; you don’t actually have to change?
While this Gospel might be preached, do not be deceived: it is not Christ’s gospel that is preached. It is not Christ’s name that is honored, and this work is certainly not done in the name of Christ, but instead the name of the individual doing it. This transformational aspect of knowing the name of Jesus occurs in a primary way through the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. When we partake of the sacraments, we are given grace which slowly but surely transforms our will to that of Jesus. The closer we become to Him, the more we understand our need for salvation, and the more He makes us whole.
With this in mind, it is fitting that the Postcommunion refers to the name of Jesus as the “pledge of predestination.” From the very beginning of time itself we were called to know and be with God, and it is through Jesus that this is made possible. Not only are we called to know God, we are called to be His friend. When we are giving Christ to the all creation, we are not speaking of some distant force or principle or ideology. We are speaking of a friend. When we are introducing our friend to someone, don’t we normally talk up that friend beforehand? Don’t we mention all the great things they have done, and how it will be great once you meet them? When we talk to others about Christ, is this how we talk about him? Or do we talk about some vague concept of salvation or a theological formulae? This is why evangelization has failed in the modern world, and why the world is rejecting Christ. We aren’t offering the Gospel. Instead, we offer capitulation and bland ideology. As we go to Mass this Sunday, let us reflect on what the name of Jesus means to us, and how others understand this when we talk about Him.