The Power of the Holy Name of Jesus
The power of the Holy Name of Jesus is deeply rooted in the Sacred Scriptures. Several episodes in the New Testament refer to the power of the invocation of the Holy Name: In Mark 9:38-39, demons were driven out; in Acts 3:6, Peter makes a crippled man walk and in Acts 9:32-34, Peter heals a paralyzed man. Reverence for the name of Jesus is emphasized in Philippians 2:10: “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth”. In Romans 10:13, Paul reiterates the salvific nature of the Holy Name by stating that those who “call on the name of the Lord” will be saved.
The City Saved By the Holy Name of Jesus
A devastating plague broke out in Lisbon in 1432. People fled in terror from the city and thus carried the plague to every corner of Portugal. Thousands of men, women and children of all classes were affected; people died everywhere, in the streets, in their houses, in the marketplaces, in the churches. In the words of historians, the epidemic flashed like lightning from person to person, or from a coat, a hat or any garment that had been infected. Bodies lay unburied in the streets, such that the dogs licked up the blood and ate the flesh of the dead, becoming themselves carriers of the dread disease and spreading it even more widely.
Among those who assisted the dying with unrelenting zeal was the venerable bishop Monsignor Andre Dias. Seeing that the epidemic grew every day in intensity, Dias urged the people to call on the Holy Name of Jesus. He urged everyone, whether sick or healthy, to repeat, “JESUS, JESUS.” He also urged the people to write the Holy Name on cards and to keep the cards on their persons, under their pillows and on doors. But above all, to constantly invoke with their lips and in their hearts this most powerful Name. Dias also summoned the people to the cathedral, where he blessed water in the Holy Name, ordering the people to sprinkle themselves and those who were sick and the dying with the holy water.
Wonder of wonders! The sick got well, the plague ceased and the city was delivered in a few days from this terrible plague. Soon after, all of Portugal was freed from the dreaded disease. The grateful people, mindful of the marvels they had witnessed, continued their love and confidence in the Holy Name of Jesus, so that in all their troubles, in all dangers, when evils of any kind threatened them, they invoked the Name of Jesus. Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus became widespread, and the greatest curse that had ever fallen on the country was transformed into the greatest blessing.
Our church celebrates the Feast Day of the Holy Name of Jesus this Sunday, January 17, 2021.Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer has granted permission for the Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Mission to celebrate our patronal feast day in lieu of the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Please remember to wear face masks in church and maintain social distancing. Thank you for your cooperation!