👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾Why Is a #Christian #Name #Needed?
Beloved brethren, heirs of the apostolic faith, children nourished at the breast of the Holy Church, grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today we turn our hearts to reflect upon a sacred practice in our Holy Tradition the giving and bearing of a Christian name. This is not a mere custom, as the careless suppose, but a spiritual inheritance and a divine ordinance. Let us, therefore, with reverent minds and open hearts, consider why a Christian name is not only necessary but a source of divine blessing.
1. The Christian Name: A Sacred Gift, Not a Casual Label
There are many who do not recall the Christian name conferred upon them at baptism a sign of the spiritual forgetfulness that plagues this age. Yet the Christian name is not given at random. It is neither cultural decor nor familial tradition. It is bestowed by the priest the hand of the Church as one who acts in the name of the Lord, upon the soul being baptized. It is a holy naming, authorized and sanctified in the waters of rebirth.
The Church, our mother and teacher, receives her children at the font of new life not in mere ceremony, but in mystery and truth. There, the soul is born anew of the Holy Spirit, sealed with myrrh, nourished by the Word of the Cross, and welcomed to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. In this spiritual birth, the name given is no less than a banner raised above the heart a name not just remembered in time, but recorded in heaven.
2. Biblical Roots: God Himself Bestows New Names
From the very foundations of sacred Scripture, we see that God changes names as a sign of covenant, mission, and transformation:
Abram becomes Abraham – the father of many nations.
Jacob becomes Israel – the one who wrestled with God.
Simon becomes Peter – the rock upon which Christ built His Church.
Saul becomes Paul – from persecutor to apostle.
Shall we not understand this divine pattern? God does not do so lightly. He marks those who are His with a name that reflects His purpose in them. So too, in baptism, we are given not just a name, but a destiny, a remembrance, and a spiritual inheritance.
3. Why Take the Name of a Saint? Three Divine Reasons
a. A Memorial to the Righteous – Isaiah 56:5
“To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters…”
The saints are living stones in the heavenly Jerusalem. Their names are not forgotten, for they are engraved upon the mind of the Church and on the lips of the faithful. To bear their name is to place oneself under their intercession and to strive toward their likeness. The Church, like a mother, clothes her children with the names of saints that they may be clothed in their virtues also.
b. A Channel of Blessing – Proverbs 10:6
“Blessings crown the head of the righteous…”
The name of the righteous is not merely remembered it bestows a blessing. When one is named after a saint, one shares in the overflow of grace that still radiates from their sanctified life. The name is not only a remembrance it is a participation in the saint’s legacy and prayer.
c. Continuity of Christian Identity in Times of Trial
In the days before the terror of Gragn Muhammad, Christians were proudly called by their Christian names. Yet, under persecution, they began to use alternative names to preserve their lives and heritage. Though understandable, this became so widespread that the true names of Christian identity began to fade.
Continues 👇🏾