Hector J. Ibarra's Talk on the Holy Name of Jesus

Deacon Hector J. Ibarra

        All of our prayers are offered for vocation around the world, in response to the Most Rev. Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza' request for prayer. "For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names: That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth."
         This prayer it lovingly dedicated to the Sweet Mother of Jesus. No one loves the name of Jesus as she does. It will give you much happiness, and it will enable you to obtain from God wonderful graces and blessings. The frequent repetition of this divine name will save you from much suffering and great dangers. The world is now threatened with the direst calamities. Each one of us can do much to save himself from the impending evils, and we can do much to help the world, the Church and our Holy Father the Pope, simply by repeating frequently, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
         This Divine Name is in truth a mine of riches; it is the fount of the highest holiness and the secret of the greatest happiness that a man can hope to enjoy on this earth. Read and see. It is so powerful, so certain, that it never fails to produce in our souls the most wonderful results. It consoles the saddest heart and makes the weakest sinner strong. It obtains for us all kinds of favors and graces, spiritual and temporal.
        Two things we must do. First of all, we must understand clearly the meaning and value of the Name of Jesus. Secondly, we must get into the habit of saying it devoutly, frequently, hundreds and hundreds of times every day. Far from being a burden, it will be an immense joy and consolation. When, therefore, we say, "Jesus," let us ask God for all we need with absolute confidence of being heard. For this reason, the Church ends her prayer with the words "through Jesus Christ," which gives the prayer a new and divine efficacy. Each time we say, "Jesus," we give God infinite joy and glory, for we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion on Death of Jesus Christ. Each time we say, "Jesus" let us clearly wish to offer God all the Masses being said all over the world for all our intentions. We thereby share in these thousands of Masses.
        The Holy Name of Jesus saves us from innumerable evils and delivers us especially from the power of the devil, who is constantly seeking to do us harm. The Name of Jesus gradually fills our souls with a peace and a joy we never had before. The Name of Jesus gives us such strength that our sufferings become light and easy to bear. We must therefore do our best to form the habit of saying, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," very often every day. We can do so when dressing, when working-no matter what we are doing-when walking, in moments of sadness, at home and in the street, everywhere.
        Nothing is easier if only we do it methodically. We can say it countless times every day. Bear in mind that each time we say, "Jesus," devoutly,

Everyone without exception can invoke this holy name hundreds of times a day, not only for his own intentions, but also to ask God to deliver the world from impending ruin. St. Paul was in a very special way the preacher and doctor of the Holy Name. At first he was a fierce persecutor of the Church. Our Lord appeared to him on the road to Damascus and converted him, making him the great Apostle of the Gentiles and giving him his glorious mission, which was to preach and make known His Holy Name to princes and kings, to Jews and Gentiles, to all nations and peoples.
         St. Paul, filled with a burning love for Our Lord, began his great mission — uprooting paganism, casting down the false idols, confounding the philosophers of Greece and Rome, fearing no enemies and conquering all difficulties — all in the Name of Jesus. He tells us himself: "I live, yet not I, but Christ, liveth in me." St. Paul tells us of the infinite power of this Name. "In the Name of Jesus every knee shall bend in Heaven, on Earth and in Hell." Every time we say, "Jesus," we give infinite joy to God, to all Heaven, to God's Blessed Mother and to the Angels and Saints. Secondly, he tells us how to use it. "Whatever you do in word or in work - do all in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." He adds: Whether you eat or whether you drink, or whatever else you do, do all in the Name of Jesus.
        All the saints followed this advice, so that their every act was done for love of Jesus, and therefore their every act and thought won them graces and merits. It was by this Name that they became Saints. If we follow this same advice of the Apostle, we too shall reach a very high degree of sanctity. How are we to do everything in the Name of Jesus? By acquiring the habit, as we have said, of repeating the Name of Jesus frequently in the course of the day. This presents no difficulty-it only demands good will.
        St. Dominic spent his days preaching and discussing with heretics. The Albigensian heretics, whom he tried to convert, were more like demons let loose from Hell than mortal men. Their doctrine was infamous and their crimes enormous. Yet, as another St. Paul, he converted 100,000 of these wicked men, so that many of them became eminent for sanctity. In the morning, he celebrated Mass with the ardor of a seraph so that at times his body was raised in the air in an ecstasy of love. The Name of Jesus filled his soul with joy and delight.
        St. Francis of Assisi, that burning Seraph of love, found his delight in repeating the loved Name of Jesus. St. Bonaventure says that his face lit up with joy and his voice showed by its tender accents how much he loved to invoke this all-Holy Name. No wonder, then, that he received on his hands and feet and side the marks of the five wounds of Our Lord, a reward of his burning love.
        St. Ignatius of Loyola was second to none in his love for the Holy Name. He gave to his great order not his own name, but rather he called it the "Society of Jesus." This divine Name has been, as it were, a shield and defense of the Order against its enemies and a guarantee of the holiness and sanctity of its members. Glorious, indeed is the great Society of Jesus.
        All the Doctors of the Church agree in telling us that the devil reserves his fiercest temptations for our last moments, and then he fills the mind of the dying person with doubts, fears and dreadful temptations.
        We, therefore, sinful as we are, can, with this Omnipotent Name, obtain every favor and every grace. The weakest mortals can become strong, the most afflicted find in it consolation and joy.
        Because "Jesus" signifies "God-made-man," - the Incarnation. When the Son of God became man, He was called "Jesus," so that when we say, "Jesus," we offer to the Eternal Father the infinite love, the infinite merits of Jesus Christ; in a word, we offer Him His own Divine Son Himself; we offer Him the great Mastery of the Incarnation. Jesus IS the Incarnation!

The Incarnation

God, the mighty Creator, the God that fills Heaven with His Majesty, hid all His power, His Majesty, His greatness, and became a little child in order to become like us and so to gain our love. He entered into the pure womb of the Virgin Mary and there lay hidden for nine whole months. Then he was born in a stable between two animals. He was poor and humble. He passed 33 years working, suffering, praying, teaching His beautiful Religion, working miracles, doing good to all. He did all this to prove His love for each of us and so constrain us to love Him.
        St. Paul says that God exhausted all His power wisdom and goodness in becoming man for us: "He emptied Himself out." Our Lord confirms the words of the Apostle, for He says: "What more could I do?" All this God did, not for all men in general, but for each one of us in particular. Think, think, of this.
        And in the future, when you say "Jesus," remember that you are offering to God all the infinite love and merits of His son. You are offering Him His own Divine Son. You cannot offer Him anything holier, anything better, anything more pleasing to Him, anything more meritorious for yourself.

The Passion

When He was hanging on the Cross, He saw me, He saw you, Dear Reader, and offered every pang of His dreadful agony, every drop of His Precious Blood, all of His humilities, all the insults and outrages He received, for me, for you, for each one of us! He has given us all these infinite merits as our very own. We may offer them hundreds and hundreds of times every day to the Eternal Father — for ourselves and for the world. We do this every time we say "Jesus." At the same time, let us wish to thank Our Lord for all He has suffered for us. It is appalling that many Christians know so little of this Holy Name and all that is means. As a result, they are losing precious graces every day, and they are forfeiting the greatest rewards in Heaven. Sad, deplorable ignorance!

How to Share in 500,000 Masses

        The third intention we ought to have when saying "Jesus" is to offer all the Masses that are being said all over the world for the glory of God, for our own needs, and for the world at large. About 500,000 Masses are celebrated daily. And we can and should share in all of these. The Mass IS Jesus. He once more becomes man, He renews the Incarnation in every Mass as really as when He became man in His Mother's womb. He also dies on the Altar as really and truly as he did on Calvary. The Mass is said, not only for all those who assist at it in the church, but for those who wish to hear it and offer it with priest. All we have to do is to say reverently, "Jesus, Jesus," with the intention of offering these Masses and participating in them. By doing this we have a share in all of them. It is a wonderful grace to assist at and to offer one Mass; what will it not be to offer and share in 500,000 Masses every day!
         Therefore, every time we say "Jesus," let it be our intention

To offer to God all the infinite love and merits of the Incarnation To offer to God the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ To offer to God all the 500,000 Masses being celebrated in the world-for His glory and our own intentions

St. Peter and St. Paul warn us in the strongest language to beware of the devil, for he is using all his tremendous power, his mighty intelligence to ruin is, to arm and hurt us in every way. There is no danger, no enemy in the world we have to fear as we should fear the devil. He cannot attack God, so he turns all his implacable hatred and malice against us. We are destined to take the thrones he and other Bad Angels have lost. This lashes him into wild fury against us. Many foolish, ignorant Catholics never think of this; they take no care to defend themselves and us thus allow the devil to inflict on them infinite harm and cause them untold sufferings. Teachers, catechists and mothers should constantly warn their children against the devil. All their efforts will be only too little!

Thanks to:

Rev. Msgr. Reginald R. Nesvadba and Rev. Wayne Wilkerson
Rev. J. Kentenick (1885-1968) Founder of Schoenstatt
Rudy T. Garcia and Family, and Spanish Deaconate Class (1999-2003) Foundation
Sons of God Laiety Movement, Rev. Robert Maher, Hector J. Ibarra and Family, founders

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