Pray with the Name of Jesus

The Name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer (Catechism 434-435). The Apostles specifically use the Name of Jesus in their prayer. This is a pattern throughout the book of Acts: people are baptised in his Name (Acts 2:38), the lame are healed in his Name (Acts 3:6), the Jewish officials ask that the apostles not preach his Name (Acts 5:40), and exorcisms are done in his Name (Acts 16:18).

It is easy to forget the power of Jesus’ Name. It is the ‘Name which is above every name.’ The evil spirits fear his Name; in his Name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants all they ask in this Name.

When we pray with the name of Jesus, we pray in the person of Jesus, he is present (Mt 18:20). Jesus’ name ‘is the only one that contains the presence it signifies’ (CCC 2666).

The Name of Jesus is commonly used as a swear word today. This is what the Ten Commandments mean by using the Lord’s Name in vain—using God’s Name with no purpose and not realising the power that the Name holds. Just like the Apostles, we should use God’s Name as a blessing and a powerful weapon in our prayers.

A PRAY CARD in the MISSION DECK