The Rite of Baptism for Christians begins with parents stating the name of their child.  This ancient tradition gives identity to the beloved baby human.  Proverbs, 22:1, states: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; a family’s high esteem has greater value than gold.”  Some have suggested that this identity is only meant for earth because God plants our true heavenly identity deep within and will call us each by that name (unknown to us in this world) after earthly life is over; when we hear our name called, we will run to Him because we long for that true identity and we’ll recognize immediately the One who calls us.

It may surprise you to know that Charlemagne tha God is not the name given to him by his parents at birth.  They called him Lenard.  The same goes for Lady Gaga (Stephanie), Whoopi Goldberg (Caryn), John Wayne (Marion), and Meatloaf (Marvin); the parents did not take one look and say, “she is gaga” or “he looks like meatloaf.”  Sometimes we grow into our earthly identity.  In the Bible, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham when he got old.  Rabbi Harold Kushner had an interesting theory about this passage.  Though it means exalted, “Abram” is a boy’s name and depicts a carefree and rambunctious attitude of exaltation.  “Abraham” inserts the “H” and changes his identity from an immature sense of virility to a wiser understanding of exaltation as a man and father.  The “H” was viewed by some theologians to be an abbreviation of God’s name (Y-H-W-H), as if God is inserting part of Himself into the one chosen to be the father of nations and father in faith.  “H” was viewed by others in a Hebrew grammatical sense in a way that expands the masculine to include the feminine, thereby making him more sensitive, caring, and compassionate in his older, exalted state.  Whatever God’s intention, changing the earthly name also changes his beyond-earth identity.

The Angel of God instructed Joseph to call his and Mary’s baby “Jesus,” a name that means “Yahweh saves.”  That identity got solidified when the parents presented the infant in the temple for the first time, much like Catholics present their babies at baptism.  The Infancy Narratives confuse some of us because, in other passages, the baby is to be called Immanuel, a word which means “God is with us.”  Very few refer to Him as Immanuel—we call Him “Jesus Christ.”  Of course, “Christ” is not a surname but a Greek version of the Hebrew word, Messiah, that translates to English as “the anointed one.”  In other words, Jesus is his human name, while Immanuel is His divine nature, and Christ is His function and purpose.

When I oversee Confirmation programs in which youth get to select a new name, I ask them to do a spiritual exercise with several steps: interview their parents about why they chose their birth name, look up the meaning of their given names, think about who they want to become and who are the patron saints of those areas of their interest, read about the life of the saint whose name they take, and consider what that name means (in both its origin and to them, personally).  Kids usually gain interesting insights when they go through this exercise which reflects upon their name.  To me, a name can hold much meaning, especially when we consider the biblical proverb that gives weight to its importance.

At baptism, children are anointed with oil (or christened).  To reiterate, the English “oil” or “anoint” comes from the Greek “chrism” (or “Christ”), which in Hebrew is “messiah.”  We are named “Christian” so that, from our infancy, we can unite with the Infant of Bethlehem to share in the earthly work of our Messiah that gets revealed each Christmastime.  “Christ-mas” implies the work for which we are commissioned from our own birth to the end of our earthly identity.  “Mass” comes from a Latin term—the final words of our liturgical worship—that means “to be sent” from church into the world to be another Christ to those we encounter.  “Christ-mas” reminds us, then, that God is with us as we go forth and that God saves.

Though we don’t often contemplate what’s in a name or what’s the meaning behind a word, like the spiritual exercise for youth seeking Confirmation, the Advent and Christmas seasons give us a good opportunity to gain interesting insights into who we are.