Do you know the power you have in your hands if you invoke the name of Jesus?

Jesus' name is light, food and medicine. It is light when it is preached to us; it is food when we think about it; it is the medicine that relieves our pains when we invoke it ... Because when I pronounce this name, I carry before my mind the man who, par excellence, is meek and humble of heart, benign, sober, chaste, merciful and full of everything who is good and holy, indeed, who is the almighty God, whose example heals me and whose assistance strengthens me. I say all this when I say Jesus.

Devotion to the name of Jesus can also be seen in the liturgy. Traditionally, a priest (and altar boys) will bow when the name of Jesus is pronounced during Mass. This shows the great reverence that we should have for this powerful name.

Why does this name have such a power? In our modern world, we don't think much about names. They are functional, but not much else. But in the ancient world, it was understood that a name basically represented the person and knowing a person's name gave you some level of control over that person: the ability to invoke that person. This is why, when asked by Moses his name, God simply replies: "I am what I am" (Exodus 3:14). Unlike the pagan gods, the only true God was not equal to men. He was in total control.

Yet, with the Incarnation, we see God humbling himself to take on a name. Now, in a sense, it is at our complete disposal. Christ tells us: "If you ask for something in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14, emphasis added). God did not become a generic "man", but a specific man: Jesus of Nazareth. In doing so, he infused Jesus' name with divine power.

The name of Jesus is intimately linked to salvation. Peter said it's the only name we can be saved by. In fact, the name means "Yahweh is salvation". Therefore, it has a central role in evangelization. Many of us, however, avoid the name of Jesus when talking to others. We are afraid that if we abandon that name too much, we will look like a religious nut. We fear to be grouped as one of those "people". However, we must claim the name of Jesus and use it when we talk to others about Catholicism

The use of the name of Jesus reminds others of an important point: conversion (or restoration) to Catholicism is not simply a matter of accepting a series of doctrines. Instead it is basically about giving life to a person, Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI wrote: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a noble idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, who gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction". The use of the name of Jesus makes this "Meeting with a person" tangible. Nothing is more personal than someone's name.

Also, when talking to evangelicals, using the name of Jesus can have a practical effect. When you speak by that name you speak their language. I noticed it when I use the name of Jesus when I describe my Catholic faith. I could say: "Jesus forgave my sins in confession", or "The highlight of my week is when I receive Jesus on Sunday morning at Mass". This is not what they expect from a Catholic! By making it clear that I am in a relationship with Jesus, evangelicals come to see that Catholicism is not an alien religion consisting mainly of rules and men with funny hats. This breaks the barriers for them to learn more about the Catholic faith.

Invoking the name of Jesus has power - power that we cannot always see or fully understand. As St. Paul wrote, "[And] very one who invokes the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10,13). If we want our loved ones to be saved, we need them to understand the power of that name. In the end, in fact, all peoples will recognize the power of the name of Jesus:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name which is above every name, which in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil 2: 9-10, emphasis added ).

We do our part to bring that name to every corner of our lives, so that one day all our loved ones can recognize - and experience - its saving power.