Luke 2: 21-24
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Our Name and Identity
In every culture, the giving and receiving of one’s name is of course an especially significant event in the life the person being named. One’s given name indicates his or her identity, and belonging, within the community. Names can be given to call out desired qualities for that person as well as rootedness in their family and community.
Today’s reading is chosen from the Jesuit supplement to the Roman Lectionary, because today, within the Society of Jesus, we celebrate the “Titular Feast of the Society of Jesus.” This passage describes Joseph and Mary’s fulfillment of the Jewish law in the rites of circumcision, the naming of their son, and his consecration to the Lord in the Temple. In a related way, the name of the Society of Jesus (Societas Iesu in Latin) was given by Pope Paul III in 1540 upon his promulgation of the papal bull, Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae.
Also in a related way, we each bear the name of the Lord from our baptism, the beginning of our identifying as Christian. This is a significant event in our lives and begins our relationship with Jesus Christ. At this time of the new year, as we consider “new year’s resolutions,” may we resolve to grow and deepen our Christian identity and commitment to lives of faith, hope, and love in him from which we bear our name and identity, Jesus Christ.
—Fr. Glen Chun, SJ, a priest of the Midwest Province, is community minister of Bellarmine House of Studies in St. Louis.
Prayer
Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe,
who so loved the world that you gave your begotten son,
incarnate of the virgin Mary,
and who have given Him the name of Jesus, for the salvation of the world.
Bless us and keep us on our life following Jesus Christ,
bearing the name, Christian as disciples and followers.
—Fr. Glen Chun, SJ
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.