The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 17

From all evil, Jesus, deliver us.

The question of evil has plagued human beings probably from the moment after the very first sin. People often ask why an all-good God would create evil or even allow evil to exist. First, God never did create evil. His creation is good. It is human beings who, by their own free will, fell into the corruption of good, into evil, and the world fell with them.

For evil is not a “thing.” It does not exist on its own. It is a corruption, a warping of something that is good. It is a parasite, living off something that is good. It is an absence rather than a presence, like darkness is the absence of light. 

What is more, God only allows evil because He brings a greater good out of it. We may not see this happening, but God’s perspective is infinitely broader than ours. While the argument is too extensive to dig into in this post, we can be assured that while we, in our free will, often choose corruption and absence, the warping that is evil, we can trust God to be all-good, all-wise, and all-loving and to bring us out of that evil into Him if only we repent and cooperate with His grace.  

From all sin, Jesus, deliver us.

Jesus does indeed deliver us from all sin, for He took our sins upon Himself and carried them straight to the Cross. Jesus suffered and died so that we might be forgiven of our sins. He took the covenant curses upon Himself, curses that we triggered when we broke the covenant of love that God made with us. 

Remember that when we sin, we either damage or break the relationship with have with God (that’s one of the differences between venial and mortal sin). When Jesus delivers us from our sins, He restores our relationship with the Blessed Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So when we pray this petition, we ask for forgiveness and restoration, but we also ask for the grace to avoid sin in the future so that we can live with God in love.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 16

Jesus, purity of Virgins, have mercy on us.

Since the earliest days of Christianity, some men and women have decided to give up marriage and family to devote themselves entirely to serving God in whatever way He calls them to do so. Some have remained in the world, yet separated from it in many ways, while others have chosen to join a religious community. 

Jesus gives these virgins the grace they need to retain their purity in thought, word, and action. Of course, purity isn’t just for those who have committed themselves to virginity for the sake of God’s kingdom. Married people and single people with a possible vocation to marriage are also called to purity and must rely on God’s grace to hold fast to His will for their lives. 

Jesus, Crown of all Saints, have mercy on us.

Jesus is our King and our crown. He rules us and gives us the power to rule under Him. When we are baptized, we become priests, prophets, and kings.  As part of the priesthood of the faithful (distinct from the ordained priesthood), we participate in divine worship and offer God the sacrifices of our lives, all that we have and all that we are. As prophets, we speak God’s truth whether that makes us popular and well-liked or not. As kings, we rule over ourselves, conforming our wills to God’s perfect will for us. In all three offices, Jesus’ crowns us with His grace, His wisdom, and His love.

Be merciful, spare us, O Jesus. Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus.

As the litany transitions into a new section, we once again call on Jesus to be merciful to us, sparing us and graciously hearing and responding to our pleas. This should be a constant refrain for us, but we must pray these verses with confidence, knowing that our Lord longs to pour out His mercy on us, trusting that He wants to save us, and believing that He always hears us and answers us.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 15

Jesus, teacher of Evangelists, have mercy on us.

Evangelists are those who preach the Gospel, those who spread the Good News that God became Man in Jesus Christ, that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, and that He loves us and desires our love in return. We might think of the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who wrote the Gospels, or perhaps we might think of Paul and his missionary companions or the great preachers, theologians, and saints of times past or even of today.

Yet we are all called to be evangelists. We are all called to preach the Gospel in our words and actions. Perhaps we may protest that we don’t know how to do this. It’s a good thing, then, that we have the very best Teacher to inspire us with what to say and do. Our job is to listen and obey.  

Jesus, strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us.

What would we do if we faced the choice between death and compromise with regard to our Christian faith? Most of us will likely never know, but many people throughout the centuries have experienced the dilemma, and those who drew their strength from Jesus went to their deaths willingly, even joyfully, knowing that God would sustain them and reward them.  

Martyrdom does not always have to be about death, however. We are all called to little martyrdoms, little self-sacrifices, every day. While they don’t involve the ultimate choice, they can still be difficult moments when we have to decide between what is right and what is sin, between God’s will and our own will. Jesus gives us the strength to make the correct choices even in these smaller, non-bloody instances of martyrdom, so we must turn to Him constantly that we may be His witnesses at all times.

Jesus, light of Confessors, have mercy on us.

The word “confessors” here does not mean priests who hear and absolve sins in the sacrament of Confession. Rather, a confessor, in this sense, is a person who confesses the Christian faith, a person who speaks the truth whether it is easy or difficult, welcome or unwelcome. When we are willing to do that, Jesus enlightens us. He tells us what to say and shows us what to do. We must allow Him to work and cooperate as He does so that His light can shine through us.

The Litany Project: Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, Part 14

Jesus, joy of the Angels, have mercy on us.

In the dark of the first Christmas midnight, the shepherds watched over their flocks. Then suddenly, the sky exploded with the light of rejoicing angels, proclaiming that the Savior has been born. “Glory to God in the highest,” they exult, “and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased!” (Luke2:14). 

The angels surrounded Jesus all during His life. They served Him after He resisted temptation in the wilderness. An angel comforted Him in the garden the night before He died. The angels would have descended in legions upon legions to assist Jesus during His Passion if He had only said the word. But He did not, so they watched in silence and sorrow. But we can be sure that the angels were the first to rejoice at Jesus’ resurrection, and they were clearly eager to spread the news that the Lord had risen, conquering death and bringing new life to all those who accept Him in faith and love.

Jesus, King of Patriarchs, have mercy on us.

The Patriarchs (people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses) may have lived long before Jesus, but they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. They understood that God had a plan for His people and that He ruled over them in a special way to prepare them to bring Him to the whole world. Jesus is now the King of Patriarchs because, as He explained to the disbelieving Sadducees, God is the God of the living. Jesus is the God of the living. The Patriarchs are alive, far more alive than we sometimes are, and they know their God and King in Jesus Christ. 

Jesus, master of Apostles, have mercy on us.

Apostles are those who are sent. They do not act on their own authority but on the authority of the Sender. When we think of “Apostles,” we usually think of the Twelve, but all of us are called to participate in the Church’s “apostolate.” We are all sent out on a particular mission, and God gives us the skills and graces we need to do it well. While we may not always feel like we are successful, our job is to cooperate and leave the results to the Master.