What's in a name

     Today we celebrate a Name!  Not just any name, but the Most Holy Name of Jesus.  In the season celebrating his birth, we remember that before he was conceived, the angel gave him this name - JESUS - a name which means "God saves his people".  In the Collect of today's Mass we pray for mercy, "so that all may know there is no other name to be invoked but the Name of your Only Begotten Son."  Saint Bernadine of Siena promoted this devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, reminding us that at the Name of Jesus, "every knee must bend, in the heavens and on the earth and under the earth, and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord."

     I remember out West encountering a group of Religious whose name was that of the Most Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.  I also remember a time in the Church when the men's group would usually be a Holy Name Society, and they took a pledge to honor that Name.  I remember a time in a parish when a dedicated parish member confronted a Holy Name man who ran a newsstand that also carried less than inspiring printed materials - it was an interesting moment of witness.  I remember a time when his NAME was honored and respected.  May those days NOT be a thing of the past.  The Prayer after Communion says that "we may come to rejoice that our names, too, are written in heaven."  What's in a name?  Everything!