by Michael Raia
Photo Credit: Lawrence OP, High Altar of St. Aloysius, Glasgow
Lord, may we who honor the holy name of Jesus enjoy his friendship in this life and be filled with eternal joy in the kingdom where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
(Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus)
This year the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus fell on a Sunday, so many of us might have missed it. The proper reverence due the name of Jesus is something that that’s grown increasingly noticeable given the cultural dissonance that, at least to me, has become especially poignant with this past year’s surging media consumption. It’s an odd situation, given the equal surge of political correctness and avoiding offense – it seems the perfect time for Christians to reflect on the dignity of this sacred name and begin to rebuild the culture around reverencing it – beginning with our own personal prayer and corporate worship.
Many priests and some lay faithful and religious will know that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal directs the posture of liturgical worship, including a bow of the head in particular places. These include any mention of the name of Jesus, the persons of the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the saint of the feast day being celebrated. In particular, this reverence shown to the Holy Name of Jesus is of great importance:
275: A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.
A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated.
A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar; during the prayers Munda cor meum (Almighty God, cleanse my heart) and In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive); in the Creed at the words Et incarnatus est (by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . and became man); in the Roman Canon at the words Supplices te rogamus (Almighty God, we pray that your angel). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. In addition, the priest bows slightly as he speaks the words of the Lord at the consecration.
When I first came upon this directive and began observing the practice during Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, observance felt an arduous task and admittedly seemed forced and overly mechanical. Not unlike many other new practices we might incorporate at this point in our lives, changing muscle memory for a seasoned adult Catholic can be a challenge. Case in point: the re-translation of the Mass in 2011 left many of us stumbling through previously rote prayers, which at the same time made a smooth celebration of the Mass more of a challenge and also offered a rich opportunity to think more deliberately through aspects of our worship and perhaps glean new insights and a deeper entrance into the Paschal mystery of Christ at the very heart of the liturgy.
Indeed, I have found that a prayerful posture is not only helpful, but almost essential for me personally to filter out the various distractions at any Mass to pray in a deliberate way at key times, particularly the Collect, the Universal Prayer or Prayers of the Faithful (Intentions), Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer, and Prayer after Communion. These prayers in particular are not static like most other portions of the Mass, so they are more easily missed, at least for me, if focus is not directed with greater effort. For more reading on the interior and exterior aspects of liturgical worship, see this prior post on the external dimension of posture and this one on the interior dimension of lifting one’s heart, or offering one’s self as a victim with Christ on the altar.
As this habit of head bows became more comfortable for me over many months and even years, two things happened: Not only was the richness of my participation in liturgical prayer deeper due to a greater ability to filter out surrounding distractions (still a mightily difficult task, to be sure!) and catch more of the proper prayers of the Mass (those previously mentioned which are typically specific to the day and/or liturgical season), but I also realize how frequently our culture abuses the Holy Name of Jesus. Clearly blasphemy and using the Lord’s name in vain are sins to be avoided, but in the positive sense, nurturing a true love and honor for this name is a worthy effort, and one that is sorely needed.
As we foster a greater devotion to the Holy Name, we become increasingly aware of its power – the power of the Word made Flesh, who has a name and a face: Jesus Christ. This name has the power to save, the power to heal, the power to make demons flee. It is little to ask a nod of the head for this most awesome form of speech in awareness of how often we use it casually, but what an even greater gift is the reminder of how powerful this name can be for us:
“God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every 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.”
The Roman Catholic Church ordinarily celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3.