Understanding the Holy Name of Jesus on Epiphany Sunday

The Holy Name of Jesus and the Second Sunday after Epiphany
Manifestation in Word and Sign in the Tridentine Rite

A colorful mural depicting the Last Supper, featuring Jesus at the center with apostles around him. Angels are above, and a glowing 'IHS' symbol is prominently displayed. Two figures in the foreground are pouring liquids from pots.

The Epiphany Cycle and the Logic of Manifestation
In the traditional Roman Rite, the season of Epiphany unfolds according to a strict theological logic: Christ is made known progressively, not only through events but through meaning. The liturgy does not simply recount historical episodes; it interprets them dogmatically. The Epiphany itself manifests Christ to the Gentiles; the Baptism in the Jordan manifests Him to Israel; the miracle at Cana manifests His glory to His disciples. The Second Sunday after Epiphany, therefore, stands at a decisive threshold. Christ no longer merely appears—He begins to act.

Within this framework, the traditional association of the Most Holy Name of Jesus with this Sunday is neither accidental nor merely devotional. The Name belongs intrinsically to manifestation. A name given by God reveals essence and mission. As Saint Thomas Aquinas notes, in Sacred Scripture nomen sequitur rem—the name follows the reality it signifies.¹ The Epiphany cycle reveals who Christ is; the Holy Name declares what He is for us.

The Holy Name as Divine Revelation and Salvific Office
The Name “Jesus” (Yeshua) signifies “The Lord saves.” Unlike humanly imposed names, it is divinely commanded before the Incarnation is complete: “Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”² The Fathers consistently interpret this not as a pious explanation but as a theological definition. Origen remarks that Christ does not merely bear the Name of salvation, but is salvation itself made present.³

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux develops this insight with characteristic affective theology. For Bernard, the Name of Jesus is simultaneously light, food, and medicine: it enlightens the mind, nourishes devotion, and heals the wounds of sin.⁴ This triad anticipates later scholastic precision. Aquinas, drawing on both patristic and Aristotelian principles, explains that the Holy Name refers immediately to the Person of the Word Incarnate, and mediately to the saving power exercised through His human nature united to the divine.⁵ Thus, invocation of the Name is not magic, but participation in Christ’s operative lordship.

Saint Paul’s Christological hymn in Philippians gives the Church her definitive doctrinal axis: “God hath exalted Him, and hath given Him a Name which is above all names.”⁶ The Fathers unanimously read this exaltation as pertaining to Christ’s humanity glorified after the Passion. The Name is “given” not because He lacked it as God, but because His humanity now exercises universal dominion.⁷

Patristic Interpretation of the Name and the Knee That Bows
The patristic tradition consistently interprets the bowing of every knee “in heaven, on earth, and under the earth” as a cosmic confession of Christ’s Kingship. Saint John Chrysostom insists that this bowing is not symbolic but judicial: angels adore, men submit, and demons are constrained.⁸ The Holy Name thus functions within the Church’s prayer as a weapon of spiritual combat, a point later codified in exorcistic and devotional practice.

This patristic consensus also explains the Church’s ancient discipline of reverence toward the Name. The bodily inclination at the mention of Jesus’ Name, retained in traditional Catholic praxis, is not rubricism but incarnational theology enacted through the body. What is confessed by the tongue is sealed by the knee.

Cana: Manifestation of Glory Through Sacramental Sign
The Gospel of the Second Sunday after Epiphany recounts the miracle at Cana (John 2:1–11), which Saint John explicitly identifies as the beginning of signs. Patristic commentators uniformly emphasise that this miracle is neither arbitrary nor merely compassionate. Saint Augustine interprets the transformation of water into wine as a sign of the transition from the Old Covenant to the New—from the purifications of the Law to the joy of grace.⁹

Saint Cyril of Alexandria deepens this reading by stressing Christ’s sovereign authority over creation. The miracle is not a manipulation of elements but an act of divine command.¹⁰ The same Logos who spoke creation into being now silently commands water to become wine. The manifestation of glory, therefore, is inseparable from the revelation of identity.

Here the connection to the Holy Name becomes explicit. The Name “Jesus” signifies He who saves. At Cana, salvation begins to unfold sacramentally. The abundance of wine anticipates Eucharistic superabundance; the silent authority anticipates the Cross. The Name revealed before birth is now vindicated by power.

Scholastic Synthesis: Name, Power, and Instrumentality
Aquinas provides the most precise theological account of why the Holy Name possesses operative power. In the Summa Theologiae, he explains that actions done in the Name of Christ derive their efficacy not from the sound of the word, but from faith in the Person signified.¹¹ The Name is effective per modum signi, insofar as it directs the intellect and will to Christ Himself.

This scholastic clarification guards against superstition while preserving real devotion. It also explains why the liturgy so carefully integrates the Holy Name into public worship rather than isolating it as private piety. The Name belongs to the Church’s authoritative confession of faith.

The Holy Name in the Tridentine Liturgy
In the Tridentine Missal, the texts associated with the Holy Name—whether on its proper feast or by commemoration—emphasise exclusivity of salvation and universality of dominion. The Acts of the Apostles are echoed explicitly: “There is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.”¹² This is not merely scriptural citation; it is doctrinal demarcation. Against syncretism and indifferentism, the liturgy names the one Lord.

The placement of this devotion within the Epiphany cycle reinforces the Church’s understanding that universality does not mean plurality of saviours. Christ is revealed to all, but He remains one. The Holy Name sharpens the Epiphany’s scope without diluting its claim.

Medieval Development and Ecclesial Discipline
The later medieval flowering of devotion to the Holy Name, especially through the preaching of Bernardine of Siena, must be read against the backdrop of social disorder and moral laxity. Bernardine’s promotion of the IHS Christogram was not aesthetic but penitential. Cities were urged to enthrone the Name publicly as a remedy for blasphemy, factionalism, and vice.¹³

The post-Tridentine Church did not invent this devotion but regularised it, embedding it within the Missal to ensure doctrinal sobriety and liturgical balance. Devotion was thus disciplined by worship, and zeal by theology.

Theological and Spiritual Implications for the Faithful
Read together, the Gospel of Cana and the Feast of the Holy Name form a unified catechesis. Christ manifests His glory not anonymously, but as the One whose Name saves. The faithful are taught that reverence of speech is inseparable from reverence of belief. To profane the Name is to deny the Epiphany; to invoke it faithfully is already to confess Christ’s Kingship.

In the traditional liturgical vision, devotion to the Holy Name also functions as reparation—particularly apt in an age of casual blasphemy and doctrinal imprecision. The tongue, disciplined by worship, becomes an instrument of truth.

Conclusion
The Second Sunday after Epiphany, illuminated by the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, presents Christ as fully revealed: known by His works, named by divine decree, and confessed by the Church. Cana manifests His glory; the Holy Name declares His identity. Together they proclaim a single truth at the heart of Catholic faith: that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that every knee must bow before Him—first in the liturgy, and finally at the consummation of all things.

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q.13, a.1.
Matthew 1:21.
Origen, Commentary on Matthew, II.
Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones in Cantica Canticorum, Sermon XV.
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q.16, a.1–2.
Philippians 2:9–10.
Cf. Leo the Great, Sermon 68, on the Ascension.
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians, Homily VII.
Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John, Tractate VIII.
Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, Book II.
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II–II, q.83, a.15.
Acts 4:12.
Cf. Bernardine of Siena, Sermones de Nomine Iesu

Shrove Tuesday: Confession, Carnival, and the Last Feast Before the Fast

Latest articles

Today’s Liturgy: April 3 Good Friday
On Good Friday, the Mass of the Presanctified commemorates Jesus’ Passion and death, marking a day of mourning and reflection for Christians. The solemn liturgy consists of prayers, readings, and veneration of the Cross, emphasising its significance for salvation and hope, bridging the sorrow of death with the joy of the Resurrection.
Sermon for Good Friday
On Good Friday, St. John’s Passion reveals both the historical and theological causes of Christ’s death: condemned as a political threat by Rome and a blasphemer by Jewish authorities, yet freely embracing the Cross. As the Suffering Servant, He dies for the many, transforming evil into redemption through sacrificial love and divine obedience.
The Day of the Lamb: The Coherence of Holy Week in the Traditional Roman Rite and Its Disruption in Modern Reform
The article discusses the coherence of Holy Week within the pre-1955 Roman Rite, emphasising that the Supper, Passion, and Resurrection are experienced as a singular sacred act rather than distinct events. It critiques modern reforms that shift the focus from sacramental participation to chronological narrative, potentially obscuring the unity of the Paschal mystery.
The Return of the Young Through Tradition: Holy Week in the Philippines as a Sign of Renewal
In the Philippines, young people are increasingly returning to the observance of Holy Week, embracing ancient traditions rather than modern adaptations. This renewal reflects a deeper connection to faith through communal participation and embodied practices, contrasting with contemporary, superficial expressions of religion. Such involvement fosters identity, meaning, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Maundy Thursday: The Institution of the Sacrifice, the Priesthood, and the Mandate of Charity
Maundy Thursday marks the establishment of the Eucharist, the priesthood, and the command of charity, pivotal to the Christian faith. During the Last Supper, Christ sacramentally offers Himself, intertwining these mysteries. The washing of the feet exemplifies the humility required in embodying charity, linking the priesthood and service in the Church’s life.