The Holy Name

Today we are to reflect on the meaning of the name “Yeshua,” which is transliterated as both Jesus and Joshua in English translations. It means “Yahweh saves,” highlighting how the Divine work of salvation is revealed through the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, first signified by the very name itself.

Our Gospel reading brings us back to the birth of Jesus, the visit of the shepherds, and the holy family’s faithful adherence to Jewish customs in circumcising and naming their child. They gave the name that the angel had provided before conception.

The first reading is the familiar blessing from the Book of Numbers, still cherished by both Jewish and Christian communities. In this blessing, God’s name is placed upon us, and we become people who bear the Divine Name.

In our second reading from Philippians, we explore the meaning of the name Jesus. It is revealed through Jesus becoming human, dying upon the cross, and being raised by the Divine, unveiling the savior of the world. This is the name at which every knee shall bow.

In the reading from Galatians, Paul describes the human birth of God’s Child, born under the law to open the way for all people to become children of God. As such, we are accepted by the Divine not through works of the law but by grace—the loving favor extended to all of God’s children.

We gather in the Eucharist as people who have been baptized into that name and who are being called into the divine life of the One who shared our human existence.