Novena in Honor of the Holy Name of Jesus

History of the Devotion

Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus began in the Middle Ages. A special lover of the Holy Name was St. Bernard who speaks of it in most glowing terms in many of his sermons. But the greatest promoters of this devotion were St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John Capistrano.

They carried with them in their missions in the turbulent cities of Italy a copy of the monogram of the Holy Name, surrounded by rays, painted on a wooden tablet, wherewith they blessed the sick and wrought great miracles. At the close of their sermons they exhibited this emblem to the faithful and asked them to prostrate themselves to adore the Redeemer of mankind.

They recommend their hearers to have the monogram of Jesus place over the gates of their cities and above the doors of their dwelling. Because the manner in which St. Bernardine preached this devotion was new, he was accused by his enemies, and brought before the tribunal of Pope Martin V. But St. John Capistrano defended his master so successfully that the Pope not only permitted the worship of the Holy Name, but also assisted at a procession in which the holy monogram was carried.

The emblem or monogram representing the Holy Name of Jesus consists of the three letters: IHS. In the Middle Ages the Name of Jesus was written: IHESUS; the monogram contains the first and last letter of the Holy Name.

Urban IV and John XXII are said to have granted an indulgence of 30 days to those who would add the name of Jesus to the Hail Mary or would bend their knees, or at least bow their heads when hearing the Name of Jesus. The custom of adding the Name of Jesus to the Ave Maria was propagated in Italy, and from there to the Universal Church. Sixtus V (2 July 1587) granted an indulgence of 50 days to the ejaculation: “Praise be to Jesus Christ!” with the answer: “Forevermore,” or “Amen.”

Sixtus V and Benedict XIII granted an indulgence of 50 days to all as often as they pronounce the Name of Jesus reverently, and a plenary indulgence at the hour of death. These two indulgences were confirmed by Clement XIII, 5 September 1759. As often as we invoke the Name of Jesus and Mary (“Jesu!,” “Maria!”) we may gain a indulgence of 300 days, by decree of Pius X, 10 October 1904. It is also necessary to gain the papal indulgence at the hour of death, to pronounce at least in mind the Name of Jesus.

Scriptural Foundation

We give honor to the Name of Jesus, not because we believe that there is any power hidden in the letters composing it, but because the Name of Jesus reminds us of all the blessing we receive through our Holy Redeemer. To give thanks for these blessings we revere the Holy Name. The Name of Jesus invoked with confidence:

• brings help in bodily needs, according to the promise of Christ: “In my name they shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18). In the Name of Jesus, the Apostles gave strength to the lame (Acts 3:6; 9:34) and life to the dead (Acts 9:40).

• gives consolation in spiritual trials. The Name of Jesus reminds the sinner of the prodigal son’s father and of the Good Samaritan; it recalls to the just the suffering and death of the innocent Lamb of God.

• Protects us against Satan and his wiles, for the devil fears the Name of Jesus, who has conquered him on the cross.

In the Name of Jesus we obtain every blessing and grace for time and eternity, for Christ has said: “If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it to you” (John 16:23). Therefore the Church concludes all her prayers by the words: “Through Our Lord Jesus Christ,” etc.

So the word of St. Paul is fulfilled: “That in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those that are in heave, on earth, and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10)

First Day – The Giving of the Glorious Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that the Holy Name of Jesus is not a name invented by man, but it comes from God, who wished it to be made known by the archangel Gabriel, as St. Luke testifies (Luke 2:21)

Jesus is a name that expresses perfectly the hypostatic union of the divine nature and of the human nature. The world could not have been saved by a pure God, because God is impassible, nor by a pure man, because man is limited and finite. This is the reason why the holy name Jesus, which signifies the same as Savior, as the angel declares (Matthew 1:21), has been given to the Son of God, mad man through Mary, in order to show that both as God and man he accomplished the redemption of mankind by delivering them from the slavery of sin at the same time. In short, Jesus is a name that comprises infinity, eternity, immensity, wisdom, justice, mercy, and all the adorable perfections of God. What happiness for us to be reconciled with the Eternal Father through the merits of this Divine Mediator who has had the goodness to pay our debt at the cost of his precious blood.

Adorable Jesus, if you have sacrificed yourself to deliver your people from the hands of their enemies in order to acquire an eternal name, it would be but fair that this name should surpass and eclipse every other name, even that of the seraphim, as the Letter to the Hebrews says: “as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (Hebrews 1:4)

And if the Eternal Father has wished that this name should be that of his Son, may you grant that, having experience on earth its happy effects, we may arrive at the complete happiness in heaven to praise you and to bless you for all eternity.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Second Day – The Sweetness of the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that there is no name in the world that is equal to the name of Jesus in sweetness. “Nothing is sweeter than chant,” says St. Bernard, “nothing more agreeable to hear, nothing more charming to think of, than the name of Jesus, the Son of God.”

To preach it is to give light to the understanding, is to inflame the will; to think of it is to feed the soul, is to excite its fervor; to call on it, is to win grace and unction. In fact, we see that if a Christian finds himself weighed down by sadness, whether through the artifice of our common enemy or in consequence of some misfortune that has befallen him, as soon as the Name of Jesus passes from his heart to his tongue, by the light of this divine name, darkness is dispersed, the mind becomes calm, the heart is strengthened, the faculties brighten up, and everything returns to life.

This is the reason why St. Paul, as soon as he received from the Divine Word himself the commission to publish his glorious name, began to repeat it so often, not only in his discourses, but also in the epistles that he addressed to the Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, and to all other communities.

He knew by experience how sweet the Name of Jesus is, what its virtue is to dispel the darkness of error and bring back men to the happy paths of perfect belief. Oh, how happy shall we be if in all our trials, on all sorrowful occasions, we take care to invoke the glorious Name of Jesus, and while invoking it with our lips, to consecrate our hearts to it! Then our soul will taste an ineffable sweetness, which we can never find here below.

Most amiable Jesus, you are the master of angels, the Creator of the world, the sovereign of the universe. You are my Lord and my God (John 20:28). I thank you for having wished to take this Most Holy Name for our consolation, for our encouragement, and for our salvation; and as, in this valley of tears, we have recourse in our needs to your glorious Name by sweetly invoking it, grant that we may finish our lives in peace while saying, “Live Jesus! Live our Savior!”

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Third Day – Salvation from the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that the name of Jesus signifies nothing else than Savior; and St. Peter assures us that the Eternal Father has not given to men any other name by which they may be saved (Acts 4:12) amidst the snares of this deceitful world, than the adorable Name of Jesus.

It is this name that makes the truth of faith shine everywhere, and that calls all men from the depths of darkness to the light of the Gospel. It is by virtue of this adorable name that the Apostle gave light to the blind, made the lame walk, healed the sick, raised the dead to life, and filled the whole world with astonishment. And if the angel at first announced that Jesus would bring life into the world by delivering it from the cruel slavery into which Adam had plunged it, this good Savior confirmed this promise himself when he declared (John 10:10) that he had come sot hat his sheep might have life, and might have it more abundantly.

Ah since in this world there is no good that is not due to the efficiency of the Name of Jesus, let us acknowledge with humility and with love the source of all these riches; and if in the past we have been unfaithful, let us once and for all put an end to our ingratitude, and let us endeavor to repair all the wrong that we have done, and say: O amiable and Holy Name of Jesus! May the seraphim of heaven give to you for me suitable thanks, and never cease to praise you by forever repeating that you merit all glory, all honor, and all power.

My sweet Savior, I hope to obtain, by virtue of your Name, the salvation of my body and soul; I hope that with this glorious Name in my heart and on my lips, victorious over the world and the flesh, I shall have the happiness to sing your praises and to bless the august Trinity for ever and ever.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Fourth Day – Efficacy of the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, the efficacy of the adorable Name of Jesus for the purpose of offering prayers pleasing to God, and of obtaining all that we ask of him. This name opens for us the way to arrive promptly at the feet of the Most High, and to have our prayers heard at once. The Gospel also attests that the prayers of Jesus himself have always been heard by virtue of his great name, and that he authorizes us to say, when speaking to God, “Our Father, who art in heaven.”

In consideration of Name of Jesus, God looks with a favourable eye upon our petition; he accepts it kindly and grants it, because he sees that it bears his seal and is marked with the precious blood of the Lamb that was immolated for us. For this reason Jesus exhorted the Apostles, and exhorts all, that we should ask in his name all that we ask of his Father, in order to be sure that we shall obtain it: “If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you.” (John 16:23)

It is enough for him to hear the petition, and he will bestow upon us the favors that have been asked of him in the name of his Beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased, and who, in order to satisfy his offended justice, has shown himself obedient even unto death.

We should, then, know how to profit by the efficacious power of the holy Name of Jesus; being sure that our prayers will be heard, we should, often, every hour of the day, repeat our prayers to the Eternal Father, and we shall advance in perfection on the road of the divine precepts, until we attain the happiness of seeing and possessing him for all eternity in heaven.

O sweet Jesus, our love and our hope! Since you have deigned to assume mortal flesh, in order to open to us the gate of pardon, and to render our prayers efficacious by virtue of your glorious Name, grant that, in order to obtain from the heavenly Father graces and gifts, our prayers for perseverance may be heard, so that, faithful to the divine law to the end of our lives, we may, with your Holy Name on our lips, pass from this valley of tears to the glory of paradise.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Fifth Day – Consolation afforded by the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that those who love Jesus are, by his sweet name, so much sustained and consoled in their afflictions and in all other evils that it is for them a happiness to suffer inorder to be able to participate in these ineffable consolations.

This, says St. Bernard, is the reason why the Spouse of the Canticles compares the name of Jesus to oil, “Your name is as oil poured out” (Sg 1:2), for as oil gives light, food, and a remedy, so is the name of Jesus a light, food, and a remedy. All spiritual food without the Name of Jesus is insipid and dry. No writing, however charming and interesting it may be, can be sweet nourishment to the heart if it does not contain the Name of Jesus.

If in the sermons, discussions, and conversations, the Name of Jesus is not mentioned, the soul tastes no sweetness. The Name of Jesus is honey to the mouth, melody to the ear, joy to the heart. This name rendered sweet the pains and torments of the martyrs, of the virgins, and of all the saints, so that when reduced to the last extremity, while invoking the Name of Jesus, they were comforted; they forgot their sufferings.

Why should we, then, be cast down in our tribulations, in the storms that arise against us to throw us, perhaps, into the abyss of despair, when the Name of Jesus alone can lighten the weight that oppresses us, and can carry us to heaven? Have, therefore, recourse to Jesus, faithful soul, attach yourself to Jesus, he is a secure haven in which we need not fear to suffer shipwreck; he is the morning star that guides us through the darkness to the way of salvation; he is the watchful sentinel that discovers the enemy and puts him to flight; in a word, he renders easy and sweet to you the yoke of the evangelical law.

O amiable Name of Jesus! Your devoted servants invoke you, since you are so prompt in coming to console them in their necessities. For pity’s sake, my good Master, come also to give consolation to my soul, which, though sorely pressed down on account of its combat with redoubtable enemies, and which, because of bad conduct, is perhaps far away from you, yet like the prodigal son hopes to find in you the clemency of a Father, and dares to say to you, with St. Anselm, O my Savior! Save me; save me, Jesus, and do not permit me to perish.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Sixth Day – Peace that is given us by the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that Jesus being the King of peace, whose presence was sought throughout the earth, cannot but bring consolation to us. So, before his birth, in order to give a token that his coming was peaceful, his Divine Providence wished that the whole world, under the reign of Caesar Augustus, should be in perfect peace.

And when he was born, the voice of the angels chanted the heavenly song that was heard by the shepherds of Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.”

Origen remarks that the coming of Jesus, our Savior, brought peace to the whole world. In fact, he reconciled us with the Eternal Father, from whom original sin had separated us; he also quieted in us the inferior powers which in consequence of the same sin had revolted against the spirit; so that, says St. Bernard, by virtue of the Name of Jesus, the transports of passion are appeased, the movements of concupiscence are repressed, and the soul finds itself brought back to the state it would have enjoyed had it persevered in original justice.

This being the case, let us imitate St. Teresa, who, when asked by Jesus himself about her name, answered, without knowing him, “My name is Teresa of Jesus.” Let us also say that we belong to Jesus; in this way we shall enjoy a continual peace on earth, and while becoming peaceful, which quality makes us the chosen of God, we shall perpetuate it forever in heaven.

O amiable Jesus, you are truly the King of peace and of tranquility; this we experience when we invoke you in our trials. In the midst of the sad vicissitudes that afflict and harass us in this valley of tears, it is only in your very Holy Name that we find calm, peace and rest.

Grant that we may hereafter be more fervent in the practice of good works, and that by faithfully following in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, like humble and docile sheep, we may be delivered from temptations of the flesh, and seek shelter and protection in the fold of your very sweet heart.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Seventh Day – Strength of the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that Jesus, impelled by the ardour of his love toward mankind, without leaving the bosom of the Father, clothed himself in our flesh.

He came into the world to deliver us from its chains; that like an irresistible warrior he attacked man’s enemy, Satan, who had become the sole master of this world that groaned under his tyranny because of the transgression of the law of God; that, finally, he conquered it, crushed it, and snatched from its grasp, as he himself has said (Luke 11:22), the arms in which it had trusted, and divided the spoils of the conquered among his children, to whom he gave as their armor the sacraments and the sign of the cross.

This victory made him so formidable to the demons of hell that his name alone causes all the powers of the abyss to tremble, and fills them with terror, as the Apostle says, “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). When hearing this adorable name the angels of light prostrate themselves out of respect, to render homage and to testify their gratitude to their Redeemer; but the angels of darkness humble themselves by force, being compelled by virtue of the Most High to acknowledge their conqueror, notwithstanding the shame, the spite, and the rage that torment them.

And as for ourselves, whom Jesus has principally redeemed, let us imitate the good angels in rendering on our knees due thanksgiving for the good he has done for us, and by remembering not only the profound veneration with which his glorious Name should fill our hearts, but the firm hope he gives us to acquire by his merits a blessed life in eternity.

O Jesus! You who did allow to shine forth the strength of your Name, to deliver us from the servitude of sin and the slavery of the devil. Show that you are a perfect conqueror by preserving your conquest with vigilant care. Grant that our souls may always be worthy of belonging entirely to you. We can do nothing of ourselves without the help of your grace; be you so good as to aid us, to protect us, and, prostrate at the feet of your throne, we shall gratefully sing forever of the strength of your glorious Name.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Eight Day – Power of the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that the glorious Name of Jesus is wonderful in what regards the divine mysteries of his incarnation, life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.

All of which comprise things so profound and so sublime that the angels themselves cannot comprehend then, and the the Apostle has said that they are a scandal in the eyes of the Jews and folly in the eyes of the Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:23), while we see in them a celestial light that shows us the wisdom and the love of God. Yet consider, also, that it is wonderful in regard to its power. Jesus is the Word of the Eternal Father, and as nothing has been done without him, says St. John (John 1:3), so nothing is preserved, nothing is governed independently of his power.

It is by virtue of his Name that the barbarians renounced idolatry to embrace the Gospel, the Apostles producing these marvelous conversions by the prodigies and miracles that astonished nature. It is by virtue of his Name that the sun is resplendent, that the moon reflects its light, that the stars shine, that the planets follow their course, that the humble are exalted, that the proud are humbled, mountains are leveled, that valleys are filled up; for the Eternal Father has placed all things in the hands of his Son (John 13:3). And who of us will not prostrate himself to adore this Name that is so great, so majestic, that fills heaven and earth! Who of us will not render to him the homage that is due to him, when we know that it is owing to Jesus that we are Christians, and that in imitating him, we can aspire to the glory of paradise.

O Jesus, all-powerful and truly wonderful! If the eyes of our soul had not been opened and enlightened by the light of faith, which you have taught us by your own mouth, how should we ever have been able to know your divine mysteries! Without this aid, we should have always been buried in the darkness of ignorance and in the shadows of death. May thanks be always given to our sweet Jesus, who has had compassion on us, and in opening to us the gates of heaven, has constituted us heirs of the eternal kingdom! And if our heart is entirely filled with joy for having received so great gifts, may our tongue never cease to praise him who is the author of them.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Ninth Day – Triumphs in the Name of Jesus

Consider, devout soul, that the Name of Jesus did not triumph only over death and sin by despoiling hell of its power, but it also expelled from the height of the cross the devil, who had usurped dominion over this world by drawing all things to himself.

If, therefore, the glorious Name of Jesus has done so much good for us, let us, consecrate ourselves to him, our heart, our faculties, our words, so that everything in them may breathe the sweetness of Jesus; and also our actions, that one may see shine in them the virtues that Jesus practiced on earth – his humility, his patience, his charity, his zeal, his love. By this means we shall, after this life, be able to take part in the triumphs of Jesus in heaven.

O very amiable and very sweet Jesus, our God, our Savior, our Father! How can we, miserable creatures that we are, respond to the love that you have shown and that you do not cease to show to us! It is certain that you alone as God can justly compensate yourself, since before you wer are as if we were not. And then, what have we that is not a gift of your bounty? Yes, O supreme good! All that we have comes from you; and as such we render it to you, in offering you, in this novena that we celebrate in honor of your Name; all that we are.

But, knowing that our love is agreeable to you, we give you specially our whole heart which is the source of this love. Deign to receive it as belonging to you; and if its is not worthy of you, purify it of its imperfections and of its defects, sot that we may see shine in it the Name of Jesus, that it loves only Jesus; that it thinks only of Jesus; and that the superabundance of its affections communicating itself to our tongue, Jesus may be praised and blessed through all ages. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be

Leader: Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
All: Now and forever!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint
Your only begotten Son
Savior of mankind,
And did command that
He should be called Jesus,
Mercifully grant that we may enjoy
The vision of him in heaven,
Whose Holy Name
We venerate on earth.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.