Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The name Jesus translates roughly to mean “Yahweh is salvation” – this name takes on special significance for Christians, since we believe that Jesus Christ, our salvation, is God physically present among us. Take a moment to consider the fact that God has a name that we can call upon. God is not distant or unknown anymore. His name is Jesus, and he is still with us.
This feast is also the titular feast of the Jesuit order, since we take our name, the Society of Jesus, from Jesus’ holy name. Of course, St. Ignatius received some criticism in the sixteenth century when he named his religious order after Jesus Christ himself – after all, it’s a bit presumptuous to claim that your order is the order “of Jesus”! But this decision speaks to Ignatius’s firm desire to pattern his own life and the life of all Jesuits after Christ, and it reveals Ignatius’s abiding trust that Christ alone can see this order’s mission to completion. If you’re reading this, say a prayer for the Society of Jesus today!