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Tuesday, January 3, 2023

The Holy Name of Jesus


 This picture is one for Friday's feast of the Epiphany when the wisemen who followed the star arrived to worship the new born king and found the Infant Jesus. However, they would bring the Infant Jesus gifts fit for a king as Matthew tells us in his gospel. I do not really know the history of this feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, but many of us here are now reading and praying over an article that appeared in the New York Times on December 23 on "Why Jesus Loved Friendship" as a guest essay under "Opinion" by Peter Wehner. Our celebrant mentioned it yesterday and it is worth praying over. Jesus said that he did not call us servants but friends. God wants to be in a relationship with us that is defined by "mutual affection, intimacy and self-revelation. Jesus really treated all he met as friends; and look at the ones he chose to be his special friends: some were fishermen, one was a tax collector, one would deny him three times and one would betray him, but Jesus loved each and called them His friends.

I think friends are a gift from God and I love the idea of having Jesus as my best friend. He is always available, always ready to listen, always ready to forgive, to encourage, and to love me. He wants us to treat him as an intimate friend and spend time with him, as we do with our friends. Try staying with Jesus today and listening to what He might be trying to tell you. Tell Him your desires for the New Year.

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