Name

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Name

Sacred Faithful

Meaning Revealing Promising

"I Am Who I Am"

Yahweh

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:     Genesis 12: 1 to 3

The Lord told Abram:  Go from your land, your relatives, and from your father's home and  go to a land that I will give you. I will form your family into a great nation and share many blessings with you. Your name will be great and you will be a blessing. If someone blesses you, I will bless them. If someone curses you, I will curse them. Every family on earth will find a blessing in you.

(scripture adapted by John J. McNamara)

Reflection

What is in a name? What does a name reveal? 

I think of the process that Kathy and I went through in giving  names to our four children. We reflected and prayed as we came up with the names for both a boy and a girl.

We thought of our family traditions and the meaning of the name. We turned to our religious faith for the biblical roots----going for the four gospel authors if we wound up with four boys. John and Mark covered half of the gospels!

Erin was chosen for both our Irish roots and for the meaning of Erin---peace. It was a time of war with our troops in Vietnam and we were all praying for peace. 

There were deep family roots for our youngest, Kathleen. Kathy's Mom, Kathy, and my sister all shared that name.

The process of naming was both exciting and a challenge. We wanted to get the name right. We knew that our children would be answering to those names for a long time.

With All Saints day coming on Sunday, November 1st, we can think of the connection between our name and a special saint. 

 The name is special. 

The name is sacred.

We reflect on the Sacred Name, the Name of God. It is a name of mystery. We are challenged to translate it. Many scholars call it untranslatable. 

"I Am Who I Am" (our attempt to translate that Sacred Name) calls Abram and asks Abram to go to a new land, to begin a new journey, to uproot from family. What a request?

The request is surrounded with mystery. Abram wonders who is asking him to make this journey. 

Yet Abram responds in faith and in trust. The Lord has made a promise: Abram's name will be great.

And so it is. Three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) call him "Father" because they all trace their roots back to his "Yes".

Kathy's photo reminds us of our own encounter with mystery. We look at it and wonder exactly what it might be. We are intrigued. We want to name it.

In Abram's "Yes" we have been named. We are the Children of Abraham, the name given by the Lord to Abram in Genesis 17:5. His name means the Father of Many Nations.

There is so much in a Name! 

1. What is the story behind your name?

2. Is there any connection between your name and a special saint?

3. What does the name of the Lord ("I Am Who I Am") mean to you?

4. In what ways have you said "Yes" to God in your life?