Message of Abbot Paul - Saturday 23rd December 2023

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

by any other name would smell as sweet.”

We all know these famous lines spoken by Juliet to Romeo. True as they might be, in the Bible names reveal the very essence of a person’s identity, beginning with the name of God, who is above and beyond the confines of a human name, hence, ”I am who I am,” the name revealed to Moses at the Burning Bush. Throughout the History of Salvation, every person, every place has a name which is laden with meaning and when the angel Gabriel announces to both Mary and Joseph the conception of a son, they are given the holy name by which he will be known, Jesus: he who will save his people from their sins. Emphasis is also made on the name revealed by the Prophet Isaiah, Emmanuel: God is with us. What is your name? Why were you given that name? What does it mean? Is that who you are?

 

​Our Gospel reading today, again from Luke, (Lk 1: 57-66), tells of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. “The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.” Joy, of course, is a major theme in Luke’s Gospel. Here it is joy in God’s kindness shown to Elizabeth at the birth of her son. All is well until the time comes for the boy to be circumcised and named. “They were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’” That was the name given to the child, as yet unborn or even conceived, by the angel Gabriel. Disagreement follows. Only the father can clarify the situation and he’s been struck dumb. “They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God.” The name John means God has been gracious or God is gracious. In the case of John the Baptist, he is the offspring of God’s graciousness towards Elizabeth and Zechariah. It is also a prophetic name, for God’s graciousness will be manifested in his life, his preaching, his preparing the way for the Messiah and his martyrdom, when he dies as a witness for the truth. “All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.” The awe and wonder of the neighbours to the whole affair is notable as are their words. In fact, the evangelist confirms that “the hand of the Lord was with him.” This episode reminds us that each one of us has been chosen by God from our mother’s womb to accomplish something very special in life. Let us pray for the grace to discover God’s will for us and to fulfil it with joy and thanksgiving.