Feast of the Nativity of
John the Baptist, Cycle B
St. Francis De Sales Parish
June 24, 2012
What’s in a Name?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P.
Amato
Names
Jennifer and her husband
Michael just had twins.
Naturally, they learned early
in the pregnancy that Jennifer was bearing twins and for some months, were
considering different names for their new children. Finally, as the day came for the twins to be
born, they made their decision.
They named the first little
girl Lauren – after Jennifer’s sister – and Claire after her godmother.
Michael and Jennifer gave a
lot of thought to these names. And they
ended up connecting their two newborns with family member and personal friend,
both of whom meant a great deal to them.
Many of you who have
children have gone through the same thing.
Naming your children enables you to connect them with other family
members or friends or with favorite saints or with people in your cultural
heritage.
Or it enables you to select
a completely new name and express your love and hope for your child in that
way. Naming your children then is a
wonderful opportunity to set a course for your child.
Jewish
Naming
We hear about the naming of
a child in today’s gospel.
It is interesting that the
Jewish custom of Jesus’ day allowed neighbors to have input into the
naming. A new child was seen as a gift
not only for the family, but also for the entire village.
The Jewish custom also
dictated that the first son would be named after the father or the paternal
grandfather, as my brother James was named after my father’s father. So it was natural that the villagers in
today’s gospel expect this little boy to be named after his father Zechariah.
But we are told that God has
some special plan for this child and this was expressed in the naming. In fact, when the angel reveals to Elizabeth
and Zechariah that they are going to have a baby, the angel also reveals to
them the name – John.
So here the parents are
going along with God. Something very different
is going on here.
God’s
Renaming
If we look in the Scripture,
we also see that God will sometimes change peoples’ names.
God renames Abram and calls
him Abraham – which means “the father of
many nations.” Jesus renames Simon
and calls him Peter – which means, “rock.”
In effect, God renames the
son of Elizabeth and Zechariah and calls him John – which means, “The Lord has shown favor.”
This renaming by God means
that God who is the author of life is authoring new life in this person.
God is doing something
special in this child and for this child.
And through this child God is also doing something new and special for
all of humanity.
It is important to note that
existing human patterns and customs are put aside in the renaming. And the message here is that people no longer
need to be trapped in the identity, patterns, habits, and lifestyle that they
are now in.
Simply put, this renaming by
God of John and of others in the Scriptures means that a new day is dawning for
humanity. God is giving us new identity,
new hope, new possibilities for human life.
Our
Renaming
So also God in and through Jesus
can rename us.
Jesus can break through
patterns, habits, and lifestyles that trap us in a certain way. God’s presence and life can empower us in new
ways through renaming.
For example, we who are
wandering without a purpose in life, we can be renamed “Visionary.” We who hold on
to a hurt that seems impossible to let go of, we can be renamed “Forgiver.”
Or we who have been excluded
from the Church or family, we can now be renamed “Included.” This can happen
because of the light, love, and life of Jesus Christ.
And in turn, we are
empowered by Jesus to rename others who are named “addict” or “criminal” or
“alien” or whatever. We can do this by being vehicles of the
healing, constructive, positive, hopeful, and inclusive way of Jesus Christ.
We can speak a new name to
others to enable them to see themselves in a new way. We can rename others so that they will feel
new worth and purpose and direction for their lives.
Conclusion
Naming and renaming – a
powerful lesson and possibility this morning!
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