{"id":344951,"date":"2017-01-03T14:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-01-03T20:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=344951"},"modified":"2017-01-04T20:56:20","modified_gmt":"2017-01-05T02:56:20","slug":"holy-name-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/holy-name-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Holy Name of Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is said that one night, St. Teresa of Avila met the Child Jesus on the stairs of her convent. The little One asked her name. She said, “I am Teresa of Jesus.” He said, “Then I am Jesus of Teresa.”<\/p>\n

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What would Jesus say to you? Is your name attached to His? Of course it is! He is Jesus of you.<\/em><\/p>\n

On this feast of The Most Holy Name of Jesus,<\/strong>\u00a0(January 3,) just for today, repeat the Name of Jesus in your heart at every opportunity, and think that He repeats yours, too. It would seem that He does.<\/p>\n

He says we are carved into the palms of His hands. (Isaiah 49:16) He says our offerings are before Him always. (Psalm 50:8) He says we are the apple (translation “pupil” ) of His eye.(Zechariah 2:8) He says He keeps all our tears in a flask around His neck, (Psalm 56:8) and has counted every one of them. He says wherever He is, there also are we, His servants. (John 12:26)<\/p>\n

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Come near to God, and He will come near to you. (James 4:8)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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One way to draw near to the Beloved, and to have Him set us as a seal on His Heart, (Song of Songs 8:6) is to repeat the Name of Jesus often, even always.<\/p>\n

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He tells us to pray and ask the Father for our needs in His Name.<\/em>\u00a0(John 16:23)<\/p>\n

We are saved by His Name. (Acts 4:12)<\/p>\n

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At His Name every knee must bend,<\/p>\n

in heaven, on earth,<\/p>\n

and under the earth. (Philippians 2:10)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He Himself is the Word of God, incarnate for us, and Jesus is the Name chosen for Him to walk the earth among us as one of us. (John chapter 1)\u00a0\u00a0He wants to make us like Himself, to draw us into His divine life.<\/p>\n

God says His word always accomplishes what He sends it to do and never comes back void. (Isaiah 55:11) As Jesus is that Word, His Name is a powerful prayer. We can internalize this prayer until it is part of us. This is one way to practice the inner presence of the Lord, and to keep Him intentionally in our hearts and minds at all times, to foster our awareness that we stand in His presence and breathe in His love.<\/p>\n

It could never be “vain repetition” to say the Holy Name of Jesus as many times a day (or as many times a night) as we can. It is prayer. It makes Him present. This prayer never returns to God empty, but full of love, because we belong to Jesus, and when we say His Name, it delights the Father. Prayed with love and devotion, it can only be a beautiful gift to God and a worthy practice on our part, for the love of Him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Jesus. Jesus, Beloved Lord. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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There is no other Name that could do so much, or mean so much. No other Name can actually act and be alive in the depths of our souls.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Let’s pray it in our hearts all day today; this one day, every time we can, or every time we remember.<\/p>\n

Pray it to surround the people you meet today with holy love. Pray it through your quiet moments. Pray it in line at the grocery store, or sitting in the car at red lights. Pray it as you take your walk. Pray it over your children. Pray it as you do your work. Breathe it into your heart as you close your eyes in peace tonight. Imagine it being written there in beautiful light, and take it with you into your dreams.<\/p>\n

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“I think of your Name in the night time.” Psalm 119:55<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Every repetition of the Holy Name of Jesus is another step, another heart beat of prayer. It brings us closer to Heaven, and, here and now, closer to the steps of His feet, and to each beat of His Sacred Heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A Blessed Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is said that one night, St. Teresa of Avila met the Child Jesus on the stairs of her convent. The little One asked her name. She said, “I am Teresa of Jesus.” He said, “Then I am Jesus of Teresa.” What would Jesus say to you? Is your name attached to His? Of course… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,90,2976],"tags":[3279,3278,3280,330,74,1811,1829],"class_list":["post-344951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-faith-blog","category-prayer","tag-feast-of-the-holy-name-of-jesus","tag-holy-name-of-jesus","tag-inner-prayer","tag-jesus","tag-prayer","tag-st-teresa-of-avila","tag-st-teresa-of-jesus","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t