"WHAT IS IN A NAME?"
In the names of
the three principal characters of today's Gospel, we have a symbol of what our
celebration of Christmas ought to be.
William Shakespeare
wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by
any other name would smell as sweet." People's names don't have much
significance these days, and yet, though we don't often reflect on it, some
surnames, such as farmer or baker, apparently evolved from a person's
occupation. Biblical names are often rich in meaning. God Himself insisted that
the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth be named John for a very good reason. That
name in Hebrew literally means "the Lord is gracious, the Lord has shown
favor." John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and
in a sense he summed up in his person all the favors God had shown to the
Chosen People through His spokesmen, the prophets. Everything that God did in
the Old Testament pointed to the person of whom John was to be the herald,
Jesus Christ.
In the birth of
John and in the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, we see the grace of God breaking
forth into a world broken by sin and death and without hope. John's miraculous
birth shows the mercy and favor of God in preparing His people for the coming
of their Lord and Savior, the Christ. When God acts to save us He graciously
fills us and makes our faith "alive" to His promises. Do we make our
lives an offering to God, along with our family and all that we possess? God
wants to fill us with His glory all the days of our lives, from birth until
death. We need to continually renew the offering of our lives to God and give
Him thanks for His mercy and favor for life!
John's
extraordinary conception and birth as the herald of Christ was the last step in
God's preparation for the saving mission of the Messiah. His parents' names
weren't a matter of chance either. "Elizabeth" means "the Lord
has sworn," and recalls the solemn promise God made to send the Messiah.
"Zechariah" means, "The Lord has remembered," and indicates
the faithfulness of God in keeping those promises.
What's in a name?
In the names of the three principal characters of today's Gospel, we have a
symbol of what our celebration of Christmas ought to be. Our hearts should be
filled with praise and thanks to God for having remembered His great favor
through the person of His Son, born into the world to be our Savior.
Is this the
Christmas message in your heart today?