The things which had been spoken concerning Christ were wonderful things. There was the message of the angel to Mary and to the Shepherds. All wonderful things. But listening to the way some children speak of Him, Mary and Joseph must still be wondering. They must be wondering what sort of children they are who take the Name of Jesus in vain. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." We should respect the Name of Jesus above all names.
Today, we have a problem for you. You will have to think very hard, but then you will find that the answer is really very simple. We begin with a story.
A boy was ill in the hospital, very ill. On examining him, the doctor said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Sonny. You will have to be very brave. But then I know you can take it. You have cancer of the tongue. The only way we can save your life is to operate. You will never be able to speak again." The boy was very sad, but brave.
When the time for the operation came, the doctor leaned over him and whispered very kindly, "This will be the last time you'll be able to speak, Sonny. Say whatever you want." The boy said something and kept repeating it until he went under the ether.
That is a sad story, but the problem is: If you were in that boy's place, just what would you say? I said that you would have to think very hard, but that the answer was very simple. Try to figure out what you would say.
What the boy in story did was very simple. He just kept repeating over and over again the sacred Name of Jesus. It was a pleasant memory to him in the future years to think that the last words he spoke were the holiest and most sacred ones that he could possibly say. When he gets to Heaven and his body is made perfect again, how sweet it will be for him to look at Our Lord and say this was his last word spoken in life and his first word spoken in eternity―"Jesus, Jesus."
This boy is very different from children who use the sacred Name of Jesus carelessly and in vain. Such action is the result not so much of bad will as of habit. Just the same, it is a very bad habit. Some children fall into the habit because they think it is smart. They think they sound grown up. Real men, however, use the Holy Name of Jesus only in reverence. You will never hear a true gentleman taking the Name of Jesus in vain.
There is a simple cure if you are foolish enough to have fallen into that habit. That is simply to get into the habit of saying something else. There are enough good words with which to relieve your feelings―words which do not make you common or cheap. Pick one of these and use it when you strike out or get caught off second or miss a drop kick. Because you try to hit a home run and miss is not a reason for you to shout God's sacred Name in vain.
It is the name give to His Son by God Himself. An angel told it to Mary. It is a name which tells why He came into the world, for it means "Saviour." To live up to His name, He died for and saved us.
This is what St. Bernard says, "Are you downhearted? Let the Name of Jesus be in your heart, let it be on your lips. Have you been guilty of grievous offense? Call on the Name of Jesus and hope revives. By it, all temptation is overcome, every passion subdued. O my soul, you have a universal remedy in that Holy Name of Jesus, that name so sweet and so powerful."
Today, we have a problem for you. You will have to think very hard, but then you will find that the answer is really very simple. We begin with a story.
A boy was ill in the hospital, very ill. On examining him, the doctor said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Sonny. You will have to be very brave. But then I know you can take it. You have cancer of the tongue. The only way we can save your life is to operate. You will never be able to speak again." The boy was very sad, but brave.
When the time for the operation came, the doctor leaned over him and whispered very kindly, "This will be the last time you'll be able to speak, Sonny. Say whatever you want." The boy said something and kept repeating it until he went under the ether.
That is a sad story, but the problem is: If you were in that boy's place, just what would you say? I said that you would have to think very hard, but that the answer was very simple. Try to figure out what you would say.
What the boy in story did was very simple. He just kept repeating over and over again the sacred Name of Jesus. It was a pleasant memory to him in the future years to think that the last words he spoke were the holiest and most sacred ones that he could possibly say. When he gets to Heaven and his body is made perfect again, how sweet it will be for him to look at Our Lord and say this was his last word spoken in life and his first word spoken in eternity―"Jesus, Jesus."
This boy is very different from children who use the sacred Name of Jesus carelessly and in vain. Such action is the result not so much of bad will as of habit. Just the same, it is a very bad habit. Some children fall into the habit because they think it is smart. They think they sound grown up. Real men, however, use the Holy Name of Jesus only in reverence. You will never hear a true gentleman taking the Name of Jesus in vain.
There is a simple cure if you are foolish enough to have fallen into that habit. That is simply to get into the habit of saying something else. There are enough good words with which to relieve your feelings―words which do not make you common or cheap. Pick one of these and use it when you strike out or get caught off second or miss a drop kick. Because you try to hit a home run and miss is not a reason for you to shout God's sacred Name in vain.
It is the name give to His Son by God Himself. An angel told it to Mary. It is a name which tells why He came into the world, for it means "Saviour." To live up to His name, He died for and saved us.
This is what St. Bernard says, "Are you downhearted? Let the Name of Jesus be in your heart, let it be on your lips. Have you been guilty of grievous offense? Call on the Name of Jesus and hope revives. By it, all temptation is overcome, every passion subdued. O my soul, you have a universal remedy in that Holy Name of Jesus, that name so sweet and so powerful."
Sunday Morning Storyland
Sermons for the Children's Mass
Bruce Publishing Company, 1946
558,169
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