Today the Church asks us to pause
and to reverence a Name.

Not a title.
Not a description.

But a Name given by God Himself:

Jesus Christ.

And Scripture is clear why this Name matters.

Because this Name saves.

The Name Jesus is not chosen for its sound.
It is chosen for its meaning.

It means: “The Lord saves.”

Every time the Church speaks this Name,
she proclaims the whole Gospel in one word.

Not that God merely comforts us.
Not that God inspires us.

But that God rescues us from sin.

This is why the Church treats the Name of Jesus with reverence —
why she places it on our lips in prayer,
and why she teaches us to honour it with the body as well as the voice.

There is a simple gesture many Catholics know instinctively.

When the Holy Name of Jesus is spoken,
we bow the head.

It is a small movement.
But it says something profound.

We bow not out of habit,
but out of faith.

St Paul tells us that at the Name of Jesus
every knee must bend —
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

The bow of the head is the Church’s quiet way of living that truth.

It is a bodily confession that
Christ is Lord,
that we are not His equals,
and that salvation comes from Him alone.

In a world where names are used casually,
the Church teaches us that this Name is different.

It is spoken with reverence
because it is spoken in faith.

There is another, related custom that teaches the same truth.

When a cleric wears the biretta,
he removes it at certain moments —
and one of those moments is at the Holy Name of Jesus.

The biretta represents office, learning, and responsibility.
It is a sign of human authority within the Church.

And yet, at the Name of Jesus,
that sign is set aside.

Because no office,
no learning,
no dignity
stands above that Name.

The removal of the biretta is a silent proclamation:

All authority comes from Christ.
All ministry is exercised under His Name.
And before Him, all stand uncovered.

Even small gestures preach the faith.

In the first reading, St John tells us who we are
because of this Name.

“See what love the Father has given us,
that we should be called children of God.”

That is not poetry.
It is reality.

To belong to Christ
is to be drawn into His own life.

But John is equally clear about the consequence:

“No one who abides in Him sins.”

John does not mean that Christians never fall.
He means that we cannot make peace with sin.

The Name that saves us
also calls us to conversion.

Grace is not permission to remain unchanged.
It is power to become holy.

The Gospel gives us John the Baptist’s great proclamation:

“Behold the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.”

That sentence explains everything.

Jesus is not primarily a teacher or example.
He is a sacrifice.

He comes to take away sin —
not to rename it,
not to excuse it,
but to remove it.

And John adds:

“I have seen and have borne witness
that this is the Son of God.”

The Name Jesus belongs to the Son of God
who enters the world
to save it.

At the beginning of the year,
this feast gently corrects us.

We live in a world comfortable with religious language
but uneasy with salvation.

We speak easily of values and spirituality,
but hesitate to speak of sin, repentance, and redemption.

The Church does not hesitate.

She places the Name of Jesus before us
and teaches us how to honour it —
with our lips,
with our bodies,
and with our lives.

To bow at His Name
is to acknowledge His authority.

To speak His Name
is to confess our faith.

To live in His Name
is to allow Him to rule our choices.

Today the Church invites us
to recover reverence for the Holy Name of Jesus.

Not as a habit of speech,
but as a confession of faith.

May we bow our heads
not only at His Name,
but in our hearts.

And may the One who bears that Name
take away our sins,
claim our lives,
and lead us to eternal life.