Sunday, January 01, 2012

January - dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

Jesus

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J.M.J.

Novena to the Holy Name of Jesus
Second Day.
Sweetness of the Name of Jesus

Alphonsus Liguori

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(Taken from "The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ" by
St. Alphonsus Liguori)

 Consider, devout soul, that there is no name in the world that is
equal to the name of Jesus in sweetness. "Nothing is sweeter to
chant," says St. Bernard, "nothing more agreeable to hear, nothing
more charming to think of, than the name of Jesus, the Son of God"
(Office of the Holy Name). 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 find 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 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, Hebrews, and to all other
nations. He knew by experience how sweet is the name of Jesus, what
is its virtue 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

Jesus H. Christ

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consecrate our hearts to it! Then our soul will taste an ineffable
sweetness, which we can never find here below.

 Most amiable Jesus, Thou art the master of the angels, the Creator
of the world, the sovereign of the universe. Thou art my Lord and my
God ("Dominus meus et Deus meus." -- John , xx. 28.). I thank Thee
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 Thy glorious name by
sweetly invoking it, grant that we may finish our lives in peace
while saying, Live Jesus! Live our Saviour!

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"Respect His Holy Name" cards are available in our Store
(http://olrl.org/mm5/merchant.mvc) for 2 cents ea. Order a good
quantity to distribute this month of January -- dedicated to the Most
Holy Name of Jesus!

Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous

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