by this name

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Birth of St. John the Baptist (Solemnity)

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Isaiah 49:1-6 Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15 Acts 13:22-26 Luke 1:57-66, 80

Luke 1:61  And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name."

There is a lot to a name.  We tend to do a lot of naming based on family.  We name our kids after uncles and parents etc…  Or, at least we used to.  I don’t think people do this as much any more and with the break down of the family that is to be expected.  But your name says a lot about who you belong to, what family you come from. There is usually some kind of meaning in a name.  When we are given a name at baptism we are indicating that we are in God’s family.  Now certainly our name doesn’t by itself make us a member of God’s family, but it is a sign that we have been baptized into the family of God.  We should take out name seriously and celebrate our membership in God’s family, more than other meanings that might be applied.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to know that I am in your family and help me to stand up an be counted as a child of God.

Amen