Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus: Meaning, IHS and Prayer

The Most Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated on January 3, in the Christmas season, honoring the name given to the Son of God at his circumcision: Jesus, which means “God saves.” St. Paul writes that at this name “every knee should bow,” and Catholics have long shown it special reverence, bowing the head at the name of Jesus and making reparation when it is blasphemed. In 2027 January 3 is a Sunday, so the memorial is not celebrated; in the United States that Sunday is the Epiphany. Below are the meaning of the name, the IHS monogram, the history of the feast and devotions to the Holy Name.

What the name Jesus means

Jesus is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Yeshua or Yehoshua, “the Lord saves.” The angel gave the name before Jesus was born:

And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.

And St. Luke records that it was given at his circumcision, eight days after Christmas:

And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb.

St. Paul explains why the Church honors it:

For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:
That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:
And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

The Catechism teaches that the name of Jesus contains everything: God and man, and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray “Jesus” is to call on him and have him within us.

The IHS monogram

The letters IHS that appear on altars, vestments, hosts and church doors are the first three letters of the name Jesus in Greek capitals, ΙΗΣ (iota, eta, sigma), written in Latin letters. They were later read as abbreviations such as Iesus Hominum Salvator, “Jesus, Savior of men,” but the origin is simply the name itself. St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444) promoted the monogram on tablets surrounded by rays of light, and St. Ignatius of Loyola made it the emblem of the Society of Jesus.

History of the feast

13th century: after the Second Council of Lyons (1274), Pope Gregory X asked the Dominicans to preach reverence for the Holy Name, the origin of the Holy Name Society, once found in nearly every American parish.
15th century: St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John of Capistrano spread the devotion through their preaching.
1721: Pope Innocent XIII extended the feast of the Holy Name to the whole Church, later kept on the Sunday between January 1 and 6, or January 2.
1969: the feast was removed as a separate celebration, since the Gospel of January 1 already recalls the naming of Jesus.
2002: it was restored to the Roman calendar as an optional memorial on January 3.

The prayer of the feast

The Collect of the Holy Name of Jesus in the traditional Roman Missal:

O God, who didst ordain thine only begotten Son to be the Saviour of mankind, and command that he should be called Jesus, mercifully grant that we may enjoy in heaven the vision of him whose Holy Name we venerate upon earth. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.

Devotions to the Holy Name

Bow your head whenever you say or hear the name of Jesus, an old Catholic custom.
Pray the Litany of the Holy Name.
Pray the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Make reparation for blasphemy with the Divine Praises: “Blessed be the Name of Jesus.”
Keep the Second Commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” See the Ten Commandments.
Call on the name of Jesus in temptation, fear and at the hour of death.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus?

January 3, an optional memorial in the Roman calendar. In the older calendar it is kept on the Sunday between January 2 and 5, or on January 2.

What does IHS mean?

The first three letters of “Jesus” in Greek (ΙΗΣ). It is often read as Iesus Hominum Salvator, “Jesus, Savior of men.”

Why do Catholics bow at the name of Jesus?

Out of reverence, following St. Paul’s words that “in the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).

Texts and sources

Matthew 1:21, Luke 2:21 and Philippians 2:9–11 (Douay-Rheims).
Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916 daily missal), Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, public domain (archive.org). OCR errors corrected.

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (January 3): Meaning, IHS and Prayers