Names matter. Genealogists love when families keep using the names from previous generations to show the continuity. In some cultures it was customary to give the child the name of the saint whose feast day it was — as my confrere Fr. Emeregildo can testify! Nowadays many parents like to have unique names for their child, often with unique spellings just to drive phonics teachers crazy. Names matter in the Bible as well. In fact, they matter so much that sometimes angels are sent to provide the correct name. “He will be called John.” That name means “gift of God” and Zechariah and Elizabeth were acutely aware that their son was a gift from God. But isn’t every child a gift from God! There was another angel-supplied name prominent in this season — the name of Jesus said to be “the name above every other name” (Philippians 2:9). Rejoice that God calls you by name as well.
