The Wonders of the Holy Name:
Father Paul O'Sullivan
ISBN 9780895554901
eISBN 9781505102413
ASIN B00T59F3UO
This was the third volume from Father Paul that I have read. I picked the first, was The Holy Ghost, Our Greatest Friend and the second The Wonders of the Mass. I picked up the first book because it was promoted by TAN books in an email blast. They were promoting a bundle of books by Father Paul O'Sullivan. I know I have seen the covers before. After reading the first one I picked up a few more. And this was the third volume I have read. The beginning of the description of this book is:
“The Wonders of the Holy Name may well be the most valuable of all Fr. O'Sullivan’s very popular and soul-stirring books, for it reveals the simplest secret of holiness and happiness over. Scarcely one Catholic in a million has heard about the amazing power of the Holy Name of Jesus which the author explains here. He brings forth stories and quotes from Scripture, history and the lives of the Saints, showing the incredible efficacy of this Sacred Name and urging us to invoke it often — dozens of times, even hundreds of times each day!”
And the chapters are:
Letters of Approbation
Letter from the Master General
To the Reader
1. The Wonders of the Holy Name
2. What Does the Name of Jesus Mean?
3. The World in Danger Saved by the Holy Name
4. The Plague in Lisbon: The City Saved by the Holy Name
5. Genseric the Goth
6. D. Melchior Smiles at His Tormentors
7. The Saints and the Holy Name
8. The Doctrine of the Holy Name
9. We Can Ask for Everything in the Name of Jesus
10. The Devil and the Name of Jesus
This is another great little volume. It is the third by Father Paul I have read and it will not be the last. The author in the section ‘To The Reader’ states:
“Read this booklet slowly and with attention, not once, but many times, and you will thank God all the rest of your life.
It will give you much happiness, and it will enable you to obtain from God wonderful graces and blessings.
It teaches the wonders of the Holy Name of Jesus, which few Christians understand. The frequent repetition of this divine name will save you from much suffering and great dangers. The world is now threatened with the direst calamities. Each one of us can do much to save himself from the impending evils, and we can do much to help the world, the Church and our Holy Father the Pope, simply by repeating frequently, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” (See page 3).”
And that is exactly how I feel about the book. When I was in university, I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, there was a series of booklets by the founder Bill Bright, called Transferable Concepts, and by reading them many times you could almost memorize them and the message so that you could share it. This volume reminds me a lot of those books, but specifically geared for Catholics. And a quick look at some of his other titles look the same. The author states the same above in his letter to readers. I have a feeling that the books by Father Paul will be ones I return to time and time again for these very reasons. But even before that letter to the readers of the volume are three letters promoting and encouraging the use of the book. It is a fantastic little volume.
Some of the sections I highlighted my first time through this volume are:
“Two things we must do. First of all, we must understand clearly the meaning and value of the Name of Jesus.
Secondly, we must get into the habit of saying it devoutly, frequently, hundreds and hundreds of times every day. Far from being a burden, it will be an immense joy and consolation.”
“Each time we say, “Jesus,” we give God infinite joy and glory, for we offer Him all the infinite merits of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.”
“Bear in mind that each time we say, “Jesus,” devoutly, 1) we give God great glory, 2) we receive great graces for ourselves, 3) and we help the souls in Purgatory.”
“Every Christian must turn to God and ask Him to have mercy on us. The easiest of all prayers, as we have seen, is the Name of Jesus.”
“The Name of Jesus is the shortest, the easiest and the most powerful of prayers. Everyone can say it, even in the midst of his daily work. God cannot refuse to hear it.”
“Many people find it hard to sleep.
They will find help and consolation by invoking in these sleepless moments the Holy Name, and very probably they will fall into a tranquil slumber.”
““Whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” He adds: Whether you eat or whether you drink, or whatever else you do, do all in the Name of Jesus.”
As I hope can be seen by these samples from the book just how valuable it is. The book helps us realize the importance of the praying the name of Jesus. Helps us learn to draw in deeper in prayer. It is an excellent volume that any Catholic would benefit from reading.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by Father Paul Henry O'Sullivan, O.P:
How to Avoid Purgatory
My Lord and My God, Or, Visits to the Blessed Sacrament
Our Lady of Fatima
Read Me or Rue It
St. Patrick and the Irish
The Divine Office: How to Say it Devoutly, How to Make it a Pleasure
The Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Story of a Great Man: Doctor Antonio de Oliveira Salazar
The Ten Commandments: For Real - For Now
What Ireland Owes to Portugal
…
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