"WHAT'S IN A NAME?"
Jesus is indeed God, and the power of His Name is that of the Living
God!
"What's in a
name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell sweet"
(William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet). Shakespeare's statement is true on one
level, but he puts these words in the mouth of Juliet precisely to point out
that, at a deeper level, this saying isn't necessarily true. Names do make a
difference and do have power. It is the sweetest language we speak; it can
bring us great joy when we hear our name or especially when we remember someone
else's name. When a person's name is called, you can see their eyes light up!
The Rite of
Committal has proven that to me! At the conclusion of the Funeral Rite of the
Church, it is our final act, as a community of believers, to care for the body
of our deceased loved ones. We celebrate at the grave or chapel with Scripture
readings, prayers (words of committal), and a final blessing at the burial
site. At the end of the Rite, I like to conclude by reading from "The Name
Book" to honor the deceased in a particular way. The book expresses the meaning
and spiritual significance to the birth name given to the individual. When God
created the first man, He began a timeless tradition by giving him a name,
"Adam", meaning "formed of earth." As human beings, we have
been handing out names since the beginning of recorded time!
A person's name
does not consist of labels, symbols, or special codes of some sort. In Genesis
1:27, we read, "So God created man in His Image; in the divine Image He
created him; male and female He created them." Our names are an integral
part of who we are; for Scripture tells us that "we were fearfully and
wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14). In today's readings, we reflect upon the
wonderful power of Jesus' Name. St. Peter declares to the onlookers that a
crippled man has been cured, not by any power of his own or of John's, but by
the very Name of Jesus! Peter says, "By faith in His Name, this man, whom
you see and know, His Name has made strong, and the faith that comes through It
has given him this perfect health..." (Acts 3:16).
Today, we also
respond to this miracle with the refrain from our Responsorial Psalm: "O
Lord, our God, how wonderful Your Name in all the earth" (Ps 8:2ab)! Jesus
is indeed God, and the power of His Name is that of the Living God!
The power is in the
name!