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“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.” This is from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. There is power, value, and beauty in a name.
Let me tell you the meaning of the names of the people mentioned in the Gospels. The mother is Elizabeth. “Elizabeth” means “God has promised.” Her husband, Zechariah, the father of the baby, is named “Zechariah,” which means “God has remembered.” So when Elizabeth and Zechariah got married, it was a marriage between “God has promised” and “God has remembered.” As Elizabeth aged and had not been given a child by God, she must have feared that things would not go according to her name. She might have thought that God had forgotten his promise.
But Zechariah was always there to remind her that “God has remembered.” He was a reminder to Elizabeth that God never forgets those He has chosen. And when their baby was born, they named him “John,” which means “God is gracious.”
What is your name before God? God has given us a name not only in Baptism, but also on the day we were conceived in the womb of our mothers. Let us look at our names at this moment. Let us ask ourselves, “What does my name tell me about my mission for the Lord?”
Let us remember God’s many promises to us. Let us keep hoping. Let us keep trusting like Zechariah that the Lord always remembers His promises to us.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME
Lk 1:57-66, 80
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