What's in a name?
Today's the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist, and despite Shakespeare's implication that a name means little, the naming of John makes us wonder ...
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.
- Luke 1:57-63
- The Virgin, the Baby Jesus and Saint John the Baptist, William Bouguereau
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.
- Luke 1:57-63
- The Virgin, the Baby Jesus and Saint John the Baptist, William Bouguereau
posted by crystal | 5:27 PM
4 Comments:
Maybe God is a feminist. Maybe he was saying, "You heard the lady, his name is John."
Ha :-) I like that interpretation.
I have kind of a superstition about that name. It just happens that the ones I've known were really good guys. Plus, my favorite Beatle, so you can't beat that...
Hi Darius. I like it too. My college boyfriend was named John ... he was a good guy. But about the Beatles, George was my favorite :-)
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