The Name of Jesus is the refuge of the penitent sinner,
a refuge full of meekness in which majesty effaces itself, tenderness becomes sweeter, Divine mercy appears in Its grandeur. The Name of God is awesome; in it is found the ardor of the flame which consumes, the wrath which chastises, the weight which crushes; but all these things have been tempered in the wellspring of mercy by Jesus Christ Who was smitten with love for us in the womb of the Virgin Mary. There, that ardor has lost its violence, that wrath has become forbearance, that overwhelming weight has become light . . . "O my God," exclaims the Prophet, "say to my soul: I am thy salvation." [Psalm 34: 3] May Thy Name be heard by my ears; Thy voice is full of sweetness and Thy face full of beauty.
Meditation of the Day
How To Overcome Temptation of Self-Importance
The Name of Jesus is truly a consolation to the afflicted and a protection against the evils of suffering and concupiscence. Not matter what, God will not allow his servants to succumb to temptation , for in no way will be allow them to be conquered by their afflictions. There is no despair or forgetfulness in the sweet Name of Jesus if only we call upon it with the greatest possible intensity…
Yes indeed, for those souls inflamed with love, the Name of Jesus is a happiness beyond measure, the Name of Jesus alone can reveal the intoxicating nature of his love and express the passionate longing of his heart. One should seek no other reward. It not a man often happy to expose himself to danger for a friend, even though the knows him to be subject to the impermanence of his mortal nature! How much more so should we do this for God our Jesus, who is immortal and who, as everyone knows, was so glad to suffer for us…
Saint Augustine says that the Name of God, when it is written in the hearts of the just, bestows on them such great courage that they endure patiently being unconquered, said: if you do to me the things that you threaten, only let the Name of Jesus be heard, and the tortures will be mild; and if you attack me with fire, the angels will administer to me with the saving dew of heaven. Because of the power of this Name, the holy martyrs triumphed over all their torments, whence the prophet says in Psalm 34: “through we will despise them that rise up against us, “ and again in Psalm 123: “our help is in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth," which is to say that this Name is so powerful that in our torments it consoles and assists us. Nor is it to be wondered that the martyrs sustained so much suffering with so much joy when it was this Name that supported them.
- Saint Bernardine of Siena (+ 1444) was an Italian Franciscan and great preacher who spread devotion to the Holy Name. Click here to read more of this saint and the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
h/t Doctors of the Catholic Church and Magnificat
1 comment:
We received a lengthy comment from Jasdeep Sindhu who wrote at length on Hindu cosmology. We express our thanks, however the comment was of such magnitude that we suggest that it be posted at a web blog rather than in a combox format.
One other thing, I would hope that Jasdeep Sindhu and others, who have been so kind to visit our Girardian blog, consider reading Rene Girard to get our perspective on religion, the sacred and human violence. Once one reads with extreme attentiveness to accuracy and detail the works of Rene Girard we believe that one's perspective of the human condition will be altered and then, oh my, a most interesting dialogue would be generated. (See some of Girard's work along our blog sidebar.)
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