Together on the Journey: A Weekly Word from Archbishop Hebda
I often find it interesting to learn the history behind certain names. I’ve heard many stories from parents at baptisms of how their child was named after a beloved family member or patron saint. In my own family, “Bernard” was such a name – as it was shared by my father. It helped that it was acceptable to both the Irish and Polish sides of the family. I grew fonder of the name when I learned that it meant “bold like a bear” (even though my mother said that the boldness referred to my table manners).
Today’s Feast of the Archangels gives us a unique opportunity to reflect upon how names can reflect our identity, as is the case with each of the archangels. You will note that all three names end in “El,” one of the Hebrew words for God. In Hebrew, Michael means “Who is like God?”–an anthem heard in St. Michael’s battle against evil. As for the Archangel Gabriel, his name in Hebrew means the “strength of God,” a perfect designation for the divine messenger who would remind Mary at the Annunciation that “nothing will be impossible for God” (Lk 1:37). Finally, the name Raphael in Hebrew speaks of God’s healing, and is related to the Archangel Raphael’s healing role in the Book of Tobit. Would that we could all have identities rooted in “El”!
Our Savior’s name reveals much about him as well. The name “Jesus” means “Yahweh (God) saves,” a perfect descriptor for the Messiah. You’ll recall that he is often called Emmanuel, another one of those “El” names, meaning “God with us.” Those names perfectly reflect how Jesus, as the Second Person in the Holy Trinity, is “God with us” by virtue of his Incarnation and his enduring presence with us in the Eucharist, while “Jesus” always reminds us of the salvific mission he accomplished through his cross and resurrection. “Christ,” by the way, is not his surname… but a Greek word that reminds us that Jesus is the “anointed” One, confirming his status as our Messiah.
For Jesus and the archangels, their names reveal how at the core of their identity—what defines them most—is who they are in relation to God. That is true for us as well. No matter what name we’ve been given or inherited, what traits we may have or any other association we may make, what defines us above all is our identity in relation to God, who created each of us in his image and likeness.
I encourage you to allow this truth to take root in your heart and to shape your image of yourself and those around you, united as beloved sons and daughters of our Lord.
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