Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 519 – Part IV.

YOUCAT Question n. 519 - Part IV. What does it mean to say, “Hallowed be thy name”?

(Youcat answer repeated) To “hallow” or to treat God’s name as something holy means to place him above everything else.

A deepening through CCC

(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).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) A “name” in Sacred Scripture indicates the true nature of a person. To hallow God’s name means to do justice to his reality, to acknowledge him, to praise him, to give him due honor, and to live according to his commandments. 

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 2813 a) In the waters of Baptism, we have been "washed … sanctified … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (2 Cor 6:11). Our Father calls us to holiness in the whole of our life, and since "he is the source of [our] life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and … sanctification" (1 Cor 1:30; cf. 1 Thess 4:7) both his glory and our life depend on the hallowing of his name in us and by us. Such is the urgency of our first petition.

(This question: What does it mean to say, “Hallowed be thy name”? is continued)