The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus praises Christ under more than thirty titles drawn from Scripture, each answered with “have mercy on us,” and then asks him to deliver us “by” the mysteries of his life. It took shape in the fifteenth century among the Franciscan preachers of the Holy Name, St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John of Capistrano. Pope Leo XIII approved it for the whole Church in 1886. It is especially fitting in January, the month of the Holy Name, and on the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, January 3.
The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus (full text)
The leader says each invocation and everyone answers with the words in italics.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, splendor of the Father, have mercy on us.
Jesus, brightness of eternal light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, king of glory, have mercy on us.
Jesus, the sun of justice, have mercy on us.
Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us.
Jesus, amiable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, admirable, have mercy on us.
Jesus, the powerful God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, father of the world to come, have mercy on us.
Jesus, angel of the great council, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us.
Jesus, lover of chastity, have mercy on us.
Jesus, lover of us, have mercy on us.
Jesus, God of peace, have mercy on us.
Jesus, author of life, have mercy on us.
Jesus, model of all virtues, have mercy on us.
Jesus, zealous for souls, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our refuge, have mercy on us.
Jesus, father of the poor, have mercy on us.
Jesus, treasure of the faithful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, good shepherd, have mercy on us.
Jesus, true light, have mercy on us.
Jesus, eternal wisdom, have mercy on us.
Jesus, infinite goodness, have mercy on us.
Jesus, our way and our life, have mercy on us.
Jesus, joy of angels, have mercy on us.
Jesus, king of patriarchs, have mercy on us.
Jesus, master of apostles, have mercy on us.
Jesus, teacher of the evangelists, have mercy on us.
Jesus, strength of martyrs, have mercy on us.
Jesus, light of confessors, have mercy on us.
Jesus, purity of virgins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, crown of all saints, have mercy on us.
Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus.
From all evil, deliver us, O Jesus.
From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus.
From Thy wrath, deliver us, O Jesus.
From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Jesus.
From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Jesus.
From eternal death, deliver us, O Jesus.
From a neglect of Thy inspirations, deliver us, O Jesus.
By the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy nativity, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy infancy, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy most divine life, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy labors, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy agony and Passion, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy cross and dereliction, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy languors, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy death and burial, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy resurrection, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy ascension, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy joys, deliver us, O Jesus.
By Thy glory, deliver us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, hear us, O Jesus.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you”; mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the gift of Thy divine charity, that we may ever love Thee with our whole heart, and never desist from Thy praise. Give us, O Lord, a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy name; for Thou never ceasest to govern those whom Thou foundest upon the solidity of Thy love. Who livest and reignest one God, world without end. Amen.
What the titles of Jesus mean
Most of the invocations come straight from the Bible. Some of the older English words need a note: “amiable” means lovable, “admirable” means wonderful, and “the angel of the great council” means the messenger of God’s great plan.
| Invocation | Scripture |
|---|---|
| Jesus, Son of the living God | Matthew 16:16 |
| Jesus, splendor of the Father; brightness of eternal light | Hebrews 1:3; Wisdom 7:26 |
| Jesus, the sun of justice | Malachi 4:2 |
| Jesus, the powerful God; father of the world to come; angel of the great council | Isaiah 9:6 |
| Jesus, meek and humble of heart | Matthew 11:29 |
| Jesus, God of peace | Romans 15:33; Ephesians 2:14 |
| Jesus, author of life | Acts 3:15 |
| Jesus, good shepherd | John 10:11 |
| Jesus, true light | John 1:9 |
| Jesus, eternal wisdom | 1 Corinthians 1:24 |
| Jesus, our way and our life | John 14:6 |
The second half of the litany asks deliverance “by” Christ’s Incarnation, birth, infancy, labors, agony, cross, death, Resurrection, Ascension and the gift of the Eucharist. These are the same mysteries Catholics meditate on in the Rosary. The closing prayer quotes the Lord’s promise in Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.”
Why Catholics honor the Holy Name
The name Jesus means “God saves.” The angel told Joseph, “thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, Douay-Rheims). St. Paul writes that God gave him “a name which is above all names,” so that “in the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:9–10).
The Catechism explains that this one name contains everything: “The name ‘Jesus’ contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray ‘Jesus’ is to invoke him and to call him within us” (CCC 2666). The simplest prayer of all, repeating the holy name with love, is at the heart of the Jesus Prayer of the Eastern Churches (CCC 2667–2668).
St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444) spread the devotion across Italy by preaching with a tablet that showed the monogram IHS, the first letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, surrounded by rays. You still see it on altars, vestments and the seal of the Jesuits. The custom of bowing the head at the name of Jesus comes from the same devotion.
When to pray the litany
- On the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, January 3. In 2027 that date falls on a Sunday and, in the United States, on the Epiphany, so the feast is not kept that year. The whole month is still dedicated to the Holy Name.
- On January 1, the octave day of Christmas, when the Gospel recalls that on the eighth day “his name was called Jesus” (Luke 2:21). See the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God in our holy days guide.
- On Fridays and at a holy hour. See Eucharistic adoration prayers.
- In reparation for blasphemy. The Divine Praises were composed for the same purpose.
- Any time you want to grow in love for Jesus. The closing prayer asks precisely for “a perpetual fear and love” of his holy name.
A short prayer to the Holy Name
This prayer was written for this guide.
Jesus, your name is my hope and my strength.
Let it be the first word on my lips in the morning
and the last at night.
Teach me to speak it with reverence,
to call on it in temptation,
and to say it with love at the hour of my death. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus?
No single author is known. It is usually traced to the fifteenth-century Franciscan preachers St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John of Capistrano. Pope Leo XIII approved it for public use in 1886.
What is the response in the Litany of the Holy Name?
“Have mercy on us” after each title of Jesus, “deliver us, O Jesus” after each “From…” and “By…” line, and “spare us,” “hear us” and “have mercy on us, O Jesus” after the three Lamb of God invocations.
When is the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus?
January 3, as an optional memorial in the Roman calendar. It was restored to the universal calendar in the 2002 edition of the Roman Missal.
How is this litany different from the Litany of the Sacred Heart?
Both are addressed to Jesus. The Litany of the Sacred Heart meditates on his love under the image of his Heart. The Litany of the Holy Name praises his titles and asks deliverance through the events of his life.
More litanies and prayers to Jesus
- Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (January 3)
- The Jesus Prayer
- Litany of the Precious Blood
- Litany of Humility
- The Divine Praises
- Litany of the Holy Spirit
- What is a litany?
- The Litany of the Sacred Heart
- The Litany of the Saints
- The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- The Litany of St. Joseph
- The Anima Christi
- Prayers before and after Communion
Texts and sources
- Litany and prayer: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Litanies, public domain. Responses written out on each line and the scan’s punctuation normalized.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2666–2668.
- Matthew 1:21, 7:7, 11:29, 16:16; Luke 2:21; Philippians 2:9–10; Isaiah 9:6; Malachi 4:2; Hebrews 1:3; Wisdom 7:26; John 1:9, 10:11, 14:6; Acts 3:15; 1 Corinthians 1:24; Romans 15:33; Ephesians 2:14, Douay-Rheims Bible.