Did you know that Jesus is also known as "Divine Mercy" and "The Incarnate Word"? OK, those were easy ones. Do you know the story of the "Infant Jesus of Prague" or "The Black Christ of Esquipulas"? Mrs. Ball has written an interesting book describing the numerous names by which Our Lord has been known throughout time and throughout the world. The earliest names, of course, come from the Bible, but many of the others have been made known through the writings of the saints, visions, and documented miracles. Others are simply devotional. She says that her goal is "that a study of some of His holy names will call forth a greater love of Him Who is Love" (p. 9). In addition to the main text, Mrs. Ball includes the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a lovely prayer, as well as an extensive bibliography.

This book is laid out in short sections that may be read in a few minutes while providing food for thought for hours. Forty-four names by which Jesus is known have been listed and described, with a short prayer or meditation after many of them. Those names whose origin is well-known have longer passages than those names that are less familiar. I must admit that two of the passages struck me as a bit odd: the one titled "Cosmic Christ–-Jesus, Priest" which is a modern piece of poetry and the one titled "Jesus, Our Mother", which is a commentary of the universal natures of Christ. Both seemed out of place and less than reverent, but the book has both the "nihil obstat" and an imprimatur. Most of the remaining names were familiar to me and quite traditional.