In the priestly prayer that the Church gives us today on the feast of Jesus Christ the High Priest, Our Lord prays making known the name of his Father: "I have made known to them and will make known to them your name.". This is something very priestly. We know that the name of God and the name of Jesus are not just any names. In fact, there is a whole commandment dedicated to respect for the name of God: "Thou shalt not utter the name of the Lord thy God falsely." (Ex 20:7). The commandments give us the essential moral instructions for the fulfillment of personal and social life. Only by respecting the name of God will we find personal happiness and our society will function well. When we disrespect God, we end up disrespecting ourselves and others.
When God instituted the priesthood of the Old Covenant, He said: "They are to be holy to their God and they shall not profane the name of their God, for it is they who offer the food to be burned for the Lord, the food of their God. They must be holy." (Lev 21:6). In other words, since they have the sacred task of offering sacrifices to God, they must have a special respect for God's name. In fact, respecting God's name is an integral part of his holiness. As has been said, honoring the name of God is something very priestly, and the laity, in the exercise of their common priesthood, should share this concern. Simply pronouncing the name of God or Jesus, piously and in faith, can be a beautiful form of worship. And then we might consider whether we ever use the name of God or Jesus Christ as a mild expletive. No doubt we would do so with no ill intent but, in itself, as an act, it is a form of blasphemy. Likewise, it is part of our priestly soul to insist, politely but firmly, on respect for the name of God in society and to call attention to it when it is not respected. No one would dare disrespect Muhammad (and they should not: we should not disrespect any revered religious leader). Even more so they should respect the name of God or God made man (Jesus).
The latter is all the more true because the name of Jesus, and this name alone, brings salvation. As the apostles boldly affirmed before the Jewish authorities "There is salvation in no other, for under heaven no other name has been given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). (See also Acts 2:21 and, in general, the many uses of "name" in Acts). St. Josemaría wrote about the "Power of your name, Lord!". (The Way 312). It is a power we would all do well to discover.
