Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

JANUARY 3 being the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, we are reminded and encouraged to develop and have a special devotion to this name which means a world of goodness for all of us. 

 This should not just be any devotion that we give to some saint. It should in fact be a most intimate expression of worship to the one who is everything to us—the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. Even if this name is now shared by millions of people, we should not forget the one to whom it is properly applied. 

 In the Gospel of St. Luke (1,31), and angel tells Mary to name her child Jesus, and in that of St. Matthew (1,21), an angel tells Joseph to name the child, Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Jesus means in Hebrew, ‘God saves.’ It’s a name that expresses both Christ’s identity and mission. 

 The name, Jesus, is significant because of who it represents. It means “God our Savior.” A corollary to that would be that Jesus is the Immanuel, that is, “God with us.” (Mt 1,22-23) His mission as both God and man is to die in our place and become our Savior, bearing all our sins and their effects, especially death, and conquering them and even making them as a path to our sanctification and salvation. 

 Obviously, the name of Jesus should remind us about the amazing humility of the Son of God when came as a man to die for our sins. Thus, as his believers and followers, we must also strive to show the same selfless humility that Jesus demonstrated and that was graphically described by St. Paul in this way: 

 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:5–8)

 But we might ask: Why is it important to call on the name of Jesus? The answer can be found in what St. Paul said in his Letter to the Romans: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (10,13) By calling the name of Jesus, with the proper frame of mind, we would put ourselves into the dynamic of Jesus’ mission of human redemption. 

 As St. Paul said in so many words, apart from Jesus, we humans stand completely helpless beneath the tyranny of sin and death. The only hope we have is precisely to call on the name of Jesus. It is the name that is above all names, since as St. Paul said, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth. (cfr. Phil 2,9-11) 

 Let’s remember that in the case of Jesus, his name is not just a label. Rather, it’s a name that is a source of life, freedom and transformation for us. It’s a name that would bring us salvation, joy, peace and the promise of an abundant life. 

 We should make it a habit to call on the name of Jesus as often as we can. Doing so is actually what is proper to us.

Beware of priestly demagoguery

THIS is a delicate topic. But on this second day of the New Year, we are reminded of this danger that is becoming to be more common these days when we read about John the Baptist whose vocation and mission it was to prepare a people fit for the coming of the Redeemer. (cfr. Jn 1,19-28) 

 It is obviously good for preachers, especially during the Holy Mass, to be persuasive, articulate and eloquent in their homilies, but they should see to it that they refrain from becoming like a demagogue, shouting and somehow giving the impression of scolding those attending at Mass. 

 It is as if they are the only ones who know the truth or, worse, who are leading such perfectly holy lives that they feel they have the right to talk and look down on the Mass attendees, speaking condescendingly and even haughtily and arrogantly to them. We priests should refrain from being simply as a performer or actor. We should be faithful ministers of Christ. 

 Pope Francis once said that the homily “is not a casual discourse, nor a conference or a lesson, but a way of ‘taking up anew that dialogue which has already been opened between the Lord and his people.’” In other words, the homily is a continuing dialogue that Christ has initiated with the people, applying the perennial truths of faith to the current circumstances of the people. 

 The homily is not therefore some kind of class or lecture, but rather Christ continuing his redemptive work on us, inspiring and edifying us. Pope Francis said that priests should deliver good homilies so that the “Good News” of the Gospel can take root in people’s hearts and help them live holier lives. 

 What is clear is that the priests in delivering the homily should be very conscious that he is assuming the very person of Christ as head of the Church. He has to project and channel Christ there, not himself. He should be careful not to “steal the spotlight” from Christ. 

 And the priest should be most aware that he is speaking to the people with the view of helping them to become more and more like Christ, who is the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. He is not there just to entertain them, or to give them a lecture, much less, to scold them. 

 A homily is not a speech, a lecture or a class. It should have a friendly and serene tone that fosters the encounter between the people and Christ. It is not showtime, with some sing-and-dance sequence, or drama time with crying moments. But it should somehow be something that feeds the mind and heart of the people. In short, their soul. 

 For this, they have to make sure that the homily is immediately relevant to people’s lives. This will require a lot of study and meditation of God’s word whose relevance never fades. This will also require that we learn how to relate God’s word to our lives. We really have to know as much as we can the lives and concerns of the people. 

 With regard to this point, let’s remember what the Letter to the Hebrews said: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (4,12) 

 In other words, God’s word will always be relevant and effective in our needs. It is the most important word that we need to be familiar with and, in fact, to make also as our own. It is definitely much more important than what our philosophies, ideologies, sciences and technologies can offer us.

Our Lady guides us all through the New Year

HOW appropriate to dedicate New Year’s Day to the Divine Maternity of Mary! It gives us the idea that we should be close to Mary if want the whole new year as an occasion to pursue our ultimate goal in life—to be like Christ until we become “alter Christus” (another Christ), if not “ipse Christus” (Christ himself), as we are meant to be. 

 In the gospel of the day, we are told about how Mary kept all the things she heard from the visiting shepherds and pondered them in her heart. (cfr. Lk 2,16-21) That is the proper attitude to have if we want to make Christ come alive in our lives. This is actually the real business we should be engaged in all throughout the year. 

 In this regard, we need to learn the art of pondering which we need to do if we are to at least sustain our sanity and keep pace with the rapidly changing situations of life. Our problem is that we tend to avoid this basic function, perhaps not intentionally, and just fall into what some people say as “what comes naturally,” that is, to rely simply on instincts, common sense, and knee-jerk reactions. 

 We seem to be so pushed only by the rush of events, by excitements, by fads that without noticing it we are slowly losing dominion over our own life and affairs. We tend to renounce our duty to determine our own life and, instead, begin to depend on external factors. It looks like we are losing our freedom. 

 This state of affairs actually puts us into some vulnerable situations, especially these days when with all the rapid developments around, we need to be more discerning so as not to get confused and lost. 

 For example, in the field of technology, a big wave of new gadgets are now marketed, all giving out their great benefits. But we need to find out which one truly would fit us given our specific circumstances and conditions. This requires mulling things over. 

 Truth is we need to be with Christ always. There is no way we can have a life that is proper to us other than to be with Christ and to work with him. After all, Christ is actually the pattern of our humanity and the redeemer of our damaged humanity. We cannot be what we ought to be outside of Christ. 

 Without Christ, everything will be vanity. “Vanity of vanities,” as the Book of Ecclesiastes says. Without Christ, we would simply be falling into self-indulgence which can be mesmerizing for a while, and even a long while. But in the end, it would lead us nowhere. 

 This is a truth of faith that has to filter down to the ends of the world. We may have to do it slowly and with great effort, but also steadily, never stopping because of certain difficulties and resistance. To be sure, this is a truth of our nature, let alone, a truth of faith. Our nature is not just biological, social, etc. It is first of all spiritual that relates to the supernatural world in a knowing and loving way. 

 Remember Christ saying, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me.” Well, if Christ is the truth, then he is also freedom, since it is the truth that will set us free. (cfr. Jn 8,32) 

 In other words, we cannot be in the truth and be free if we are not with Christ. Let’s remember that truth and freedom are not self-generated things. They are not our inventions. They come from our Creator.