Today is the first Sunday of year 2025. We celebrate today the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. We welcome the new year with our proclamation of the Holy Name of Jesus, who in His Incarnation made God’s presence become visible.
Our first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12, mentioned to us this remarkable and memorable moment in the Church, where St. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit proclaims boldly to the Sanhedrin that salvation can only be found through Jesus Christ, emphasizing that there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”. This passage highlights the unwavering conviction of the early Christians that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Peter stated that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation!
Salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ and the good works we do to others. Salvation is not through the name of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. It is not through Moses, Joshua or Elijah. It is not through David, Daniel or John the Baptist. They all are pointing towards Jesus Christ. Moreover, in John 10:7-9, Jesus claimed to be both the door of the sheep and the good shepherd. All who enter through Him are saved. How could He be both the door and the Good Shepherd? Because at night the Good Shepherd would lay at the door of the gate. There was only one way in… and it was through Him. Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ for your salvation?
It is not through Buddha, Mohammad or the Dalai Lama, and not through the philosopher and politicians. It is not through mythology, mysticism or new age religions. It is only in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay for the sins of humanity, and He alone rose from the dead proving that He is the Son of God. St. Peter exposes and explodes saying, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
The act of naming Him “Jesus” started at the beginning of the infancy narrative with the angel Gabriel instructing Mary to name the child Jesus, meaning the Lord saves in Hebrew. The giving of Jesus’ name on the eighth day fulfills what had been said at the Annunciation. In St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:6-11, we know that the name of Jesus has its own power, such that it brings all of creation into worship.
Remember that on this day, we are reminded of the new year beginning which God gave us in His Son. We need to think that our hopes and dreams can only be realizable when we entrust everything to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. So…on that eighth day Jesus was named. “What’s in a name?” we might ask. It seems to be just a convenient label—a way to identify someone or something, or even some place. God does things differently. It is typical for us believers to start with the invocation of the persons of the Holy Trinity, and Scripture reminds us where God’s name is being proclaimed and His presence and His power. We speak God’s name frequently at all times. That name takes a part from God’s proper name of Yaweh—Ya—and adds the Hebrew for “saves. Taken together, the given name Jesus means: Yahweh Saves, but pointing to the name of God, the name of Jesus, the name of the Lord.
Misuse of God’s name these days can be as simple as saying “O my God!” without a second thought. It becomes nothing more than saying “Wow!” Another common misuse of God’s name is to wish that someone or something would spend eternity in hell. The most minor thing can go wrong, and a person asks God to damn it. Children of God don’t want to use the name of the Triune God with the same casual attitude so many do. We don’t want to use it “in vain,” that is, making it common, taking it out of its rightful place of uniqueness.
On this day when we celebrate the naming of Jesus, remember that the One named the Lord, or God, has blessed us every day, and will continue to bless us into the new year. Let us praise and rejoice in the name of the Lord, trust in the name of the Lord, call upon God’s name and exalt in God’s name. This is only true because the name of God is an expression of God himself.
I warn everyone against taking any actions or saying words that profane the name of the Lord. Blaspheme is falsely claiming a right to use God’s name but without his authority. Blaspheme was punishable by death in Israel. It was this charge that was brought against Jesus. Everything about the name of the Lord is good and holy. Because of the name of Jesus, our names are written in the book of life in heaven. That’s the way we start the new year.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
