The Tenth Day of Christmas refocuses us on the core of the season: the Son of God celebrated through the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. The name “Jesus” was announced to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel, who comforted her with the words, “Fear not… thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.” This name, translating to ‘God is salvation’ or ‘God saves,’ encapsulates both the identity and purpose of Jesus.
The significance of this name is immense in Christian theology. St. Paul emphasizes in his epistles that Jesus’s name is “above every name,” and that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” and “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Historically, it was customary for Christians to bow slightly when saying or hearing the name of Jesus as a mark of respect—a stark contrast from our age when even some conservatives often find themselves using it as an epithet or an exclamation point.
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus might be a time for faithful traditionalists to put this old custom back into practice, reinforcing the everyday reverence for their faith that Muslims have earned for their prophet by making sure to say “peace be upon him” after any mention of his name.
