Names are important in the Bible, often indicating a person’s calling or mission. If we were to adopt a name based on how God wants us to serve him, what would it be? Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Thursday of the 5th week of Lent can be found here.
Names are important things – they cement our identity and give us a sense of who we are, either when we introduce ourselves to others or are addressed by them. Nowadays names are given to babies on the basis of what the parents happen to like, but in former times they described an attribute or occupation of the person concerned. It’s often fun to look up the meaning of names to see how well they apply to the ones who bear them. Just to take some random examples, Dean comes from the Latin Decanus, meaning a person in charge of 10 others. Jeffrey is a form of Godfrey, meaning “God’s peace”. Richard means “strong leader” in Old French while Martin comes from Mars, the Roman God of war.
In our first reading God changes Abram’s name as a result of the covenant God makes with him. He is now to be called Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude of nations”. This name is in part related to Abraham’s vocation, but it is mainly about God’s vision for the world. His love and providence is not confined to one family or nation, but extends to all people everywhere. In the Gospel, Jesus claims the divine name of “I Am” which God revealed to Moses in the Book of Exodus. This assertion of divinity, both through the name “I Am” and saying that he existed before Abraham, causes the Jewish leaders to try and stone him for blasphemy. But as with Abraham, this alternate name for Jesus – “I Am” – tells us something about what God is doing in the world. He reveals himself to us in human form, in the man Jesus, whose glory comes not from himself but from the Father.
Whatever our name, and whatever it means, let us reflect on how God’s purposes are being fulfilled through us. What is our particular vocation, the way in which we are being called to serve him in the world? If we were to be given a holy nickname, what would it be, reflecting how we are seeking to make his love known to everyone?
Mass today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 10am.
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