My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nineteen (19) In Brief articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which treat the Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father.” The following reflection considers CCC, 2858
The first of the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed be Thy Name” calls for God’s Name to be sanctified.
Of old, God revealed His Name to Moses. While we may be familiar with the burning bush episode, where God calls Himself “I am who am” “I am” (cf. Exodus 3:14), there are other ways of speaking God’s Holy Name in the Old Testament. The tetragrammaton (YHWH) is filled out giving us”Yahweh” which is said to be the most distinctive Name for the God of Israel. The Hebrew word “Adonai” closely corresponds to the Greek Kurios and is translated as the possessive form “my Lord” and as the proper Name Lord (cf. Judges 6:15; 13:8; Psalm 2:4; 16:2). The Hebrew term “Elohim” is translated as “God” and is the most frequently used Name for God in the Old Testament, equivalent to the Greek Theos (cf. Genesis 1:1). The Second Commandment of the Decalogue, “You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11) is not unrelated to this petition of the Lord’s Prayer and shows the coherence of the Sacred Scripture.
In the fullness of time God revealed His Name in Jesus (cf. Matthew 1:21). Apart from the Holy Name of Jesus there is no salvation (cf. Acts 4:12). It is at the Holy Name of Jesus that every knee should bend, and every tongue confess His Lordship (cf. Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10).
By us and in us, in all nations and every person the Holy Name of God is to be revered. When we are baptized into the death and resurrection of the Lord, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we bear God’s Holy Name. His Name is hallowed in us when we live holy lives. God and His Name are holy in themselves. The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is a call for us to revere God’s Holy Name in the here and now, anticipating the hereafter in Heaven. The holiness of God and His Name is clear in Sacred Scripture (cf. Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Blasphemy is obviously a sin against God’s Holy Name. We should never encourage, promote or tolerate vicious use of God’s Holy Name. Reparation for sins against the Holy Name include the praying of the Divine Praises. One notorious preacher of the Holy Name is the Franciscan Saint Bernadine of Siena (1380-1444). The monogram / Christogram IHS was a staple of his preaching, giving the first three Greek letters for Jesus’ name iota-eta-sigma. Other renderings of IHS are secondary, namely in hoc signo and Iesus hominum salvator. May God’s Holy Name always be honored and revered in us, by us, and all, to God’s glory forever.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr