The first Sunday after the Feast of the Circumcision is appropriately the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke (2:21) states that after eight days He was circumcised and named Jesus, making this feast closer to the actual event commemorated on January 1st. Originally, the Feast of the Holy Name was celebrated on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, alongside the Wedding at Cana, since on a wedding day the name of the bridegroom is proclaimed. However, the Church judged it more fitting to honor the Name above all names closer to the anniversary on which it was given.

The name Jesus means Saviour. There is no name as powerful as the singular one given by the Archangel. Heaven and earth tremble before it. St. Paul expounds in his Epistle to the Philippians (2:10): “everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth must bend the knee before the name of Jesus.” Yet this is not a tyrannical submission; rather, it is true Fear of God. In the Old Testament, the Name of the Lord was uttered but once a year, on the Day of Atonement. This separation is understandable: God had not yet become man.

Now, in the time of the New Covenant, the Name of Jesus is, as St. Bernard claims, Light, Food, and Medicine.
Light—for the Light came into the world, and the darkness could not overcome it. It is by the Name that we are called into His holy light.
Food—His Name fosters virtue, and he who meditates upon it is fed with great graces.
Medicine—the Psalmist says it best: “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” How wonderful is the Name that is spoken and brings with it humility of heart and strengthens the soul.

There is no other name by which we are saved, nor is there any other that satisfies the soul. He has given us a Name that signifies who He is—love, tenderness, and salvation. Truly, in the words of the Blessed Virgin, “He has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.”