YOUCAT Daily

Be who you are!

Bible

Lk 1, 57-66. 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.”

But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name”, and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

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YOUCAT

What does it mean for a Christian to be baptized with a particular name?

“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, the person is baptized with a name. The name and the face are ultimately what make a person unique, even in God’s sight. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Is 43,1). (2158)

Christians treat the name of a person reverently, because the name is profoundly connected with that person’s identity and dignity. From time immemorial Christians have selected names for their children from the list of the saints; they do so in the belief that the patron saint is an example for them and will intercede with God for them in a special way.