St. Francis Pilgrimages

January 3 - Holy Name of Jesus

Greetings!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2006! We pray that you and your loved ones receive many blessings this year. This newsletter contains a reflection on the origins of the Holy Name of Jesus, as tomorrow is the Franciscan Feast Day. This newsletter also contains another reflection on Franciscan prayer. May the Lord continue to grant you his many blessings!

Holy Name of Jesus

In the fourteenth century, the Holy Name of Jesus developed great devotion, even though it had been invoked by the faithful in the early Church. Reforming Franciscan saints, like Saint Bernardine of Siena, St. James of the Marches, and St. John of Capistran, zealously promoted the veneration of the Name of Jesus throughout Italy and Europe. The initials 'IHS', Latin for Iesus Hominum Salvator, (Jesus Savior of Mankind) were inscribed on pieces of paper, replacing pagan, superstitious charms, or amulets, worn around people's neck. The friars would use the initials to heal the sick, as they applied the words on the sick wounds and bodies. They were also successful in convincing feuding noble families in cities to take down the divisive symbols of their power on their palaces, displaying instead the reconciling name of Jesus (some buildings in Siena, and Tuscany maintain the name to this day. In the sixteenth century the Holy Name was introduced as a liturgical feast, while in 1530 Pope Clement VII permitted the Franciscans to celebrate the Name of Jesus with its own proper Office.
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Franciscan Peace and Prayer

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9) The Franciscan school of spirituality is one that leads to both peace and love. Essentially, the Christian experience is one that effects a conversion: through Christ, a believer can be reformed according to the likeness of Christ. The believer becomes more like the One in whom he believes, thus, love and peace are the end result of Christian conversion.
To say that Francis was a man of peace is probably an understatement. He is known to have greeted people with the following phrase, "God give you peace!" and the phrase Pax et Bonum -"Peace and goodness" is a well-known Franciscan maxim. Francis was a man who exuded peace from within, and he was able to transmit that peace to those around him.
War and conflict were very common in Francis' day - among rival towns, between Pope and Emperor, Majores and Minores, hierarchy and heretic, Christian and Saracen, Assisi and Perugia. 

We hope you enjoy our newsletters and the information contained within. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to serve you.

Sincerely, Bret Thoman, St. Francis Pilgrimages