Third Sunday of Lent, 7 March 2010

Do you like your name? Honestly, would you change it if you could? I like the name my parents gave me at Baptism, though I had to fight a bit to keep it when I joined the Passionists. They wanted to give me a new name – do you know what it was? Bosco - as in the great Saint John Bosco.

Today, God gives us His name. It came about because Moses needed to know. God had picked Moses out as the leader of His Chosen People. Moses is a model for anyone whose patience is sorely tried by others. The people in the wilderness complained a lot and Moses got tired of them at times. He went up the mountain to get the 10 Commandments from God. While he was away, the people got impatient and worshipped a golden calf. Moses was furious and smashed the tablets of stone in sheer frustration.

But Moses was a man of great faith with trust in God. He was called by name by God. You are called by name – whether you like the name or not! Moses got his name from Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued him from the River Nile. More important than your name, it is you, like Moses, who has been called into the friendship of God. Last Sunday, we read that Moses was with Jesus and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

God spoke to Moses in the way we would talk to a friend. Notice how God says to Moses not to come any closer and points out to him that it is holy ground that he is standing on. Maybe sometimes I need to remember how privileged I am when at Mass I can welcome Him into my heart at Holy Communion. It is good not to forget that at many moments in life, we are on holy ground because Jesus is present. This is not meant to make us afraid but to help us have proper reverence for each other and for God.

Moses listens to God who tells him that He has heard the cry of the people to be free from the burden of slavery. God will deliver them. He is aware of their sufferings. Moses is a sensible man. He says to God that if the people ask who it is who has made these promises, what name is he to give them in reply. God says to tell them, “I am who I am” – “I am has sent me to you”. You can’t really name God as you and I are named, or else we would have, in some way, exercised some authority over Him.

Because God is ‘I am’ it means that He is always with us. He is not past or future tense – God is present. He is always here for me no matter what way I may be or what I may have done. I would love to say that I am always there for you – I try to be – but I am imperfect and I fail. God doesn’t stop loving us even for one second. I am (God) is always there for you and not just in general, but by your name.

The first question to the parents at the celebration of Baptism is, “What name do you give your child”? Then the parents name the child and when the water is poured, it is the name they have given that is used to bring their child into the life of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whether you like your name or not, God loves you and that is what matters most! God loves me by name, in English, in Irish or in French! (Is there a French version of the name Aidan, I wonder?)

Aidan Troy, C.P. [Aodhán ó Troighthigh, C.P.]