On the day of his circumcision the Lord received the name Jesus, meaning “God saves” (Lk 2:21). Devotion to the Holy Name was popularised in the fifteenth century by St Bernardine of Siena and St John Capistrano, who both carried the monogram of Jesus (IHS) with them on their preaching tours. We honour the Holy Name not only because it is the name of our Saviour but because it is, in itself, a powerful prayer. “…for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved” (Acts 4:12).
