588. What does “Hallowed be thy Name” mean? (part 3 continuation)
(Comp 588 repetition) To hallow or make
holy the Name of God is above all a prayer of praise that acknowledges God as
holy. In fact, God revealed his holy Name to Moses and wanted his people to be
consecrated for him as a holy nation in which he would dwell.
“In brief”
(CCC 2858) By asking
"hallowed be thy name" we enter into God's plan, the sanctification
of his name - revealed first to Moses and then in Jesus - by us and in us, in
every nation and in each man.
To deepen and explain
(CCC 2811) In spite of the holy Law that again and again
their Holy God gives them - "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am
holy" - and although the Lord shows patience for the sake of his name, the
people turn away from the Holy One of Israel and profane his name among the
nations (Ezek 20:9, 14, 22, 39; cf. Lev 19:2). For this reason the just ones of
the old covenant, the poor survivors returned from exile, and the prophets burned
with passion for the name.
Reflection
(CCC 2812) Finally, in Jesus the name of the Holy God is
revealed and given to us, in the flesh, as Savior, revealed by what he is, by
his word, and by his sacrifice (Cf. Mt 1:21; Lk 1:31; Jn 8:28; 17:8; 17:17-19).
This is the heart of his priestly prayer: "Holy Father… for their sake I
consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth" (Jn 17:11,
19). Because he "sanctifies" his own name, Jesus reveals to us the
name of the Father (Cf. Ezek 20:39; 36:20-21; Jn 17:6). At the end of Christ's
Passover, the Father gives him the name that is above all names: "Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:9-11). [END]
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