Blessed be His Holy Name!

Today we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2666):

But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity The Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves." The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him.

If you find yourself in the state of temptation, invoking the Name of Jesus is your salvation. The devil hates that Name!

It also should be noted — and in fact, was noted by the celebrant at Mass today — that the most recent General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) affirms that at the mention of the Name of JESUS, particularly during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the heads of priests and laity alike should bow. (This is also true when the name of Mary is mentioned during the Eucharistic prayer, and when the Names of the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity are spoken together.)

Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)