We bear the name of God (Homily for Wednesday of the 14th week in Ordinary time year II July 10 2024

Homily for Wednesday of the 14th week in Ordinary time year II July 10 2024

Hosea 10:1-4, 7-8; Psalm 105; Matthew 10:1-7

We bear the name of God 

Today's gospel reading introduces us to the names of Jesus Christ's disciples and highlights the authority He bestowed upon them—authority to cast out unclean spirits and heal every disease and infirmity. Names are significant as they designate identity. Being called by our name indicates that the caller knows us personally. This is why when a stranger calls us by our name, we often wonder how they know us.

When God calls us, it is not arbitrary. He calls us by our names because He knows us intimately. In Isaiah 43:1, God tells us that He has called us by our names because we belong to Him. Jesus knew the personalities and conditions of His disciples before calling them. God's calling by our names signifies not just familiarity but a deep, personal interest in each of us. Unlike a manager who can only attend to one person or group at a time, God is always attentive to us. We are under His watchful care at all times, not just when we call upon Him in prayer.

When God calls us, as He did with the disciples, we are invited to participate in His mission. At that point, it is no longer our individual names that matter, but the name of Christ that we now bear. The disciples were able to cast out demons and heal infirmities because they acted in the name of Jesus Christ, not in their own names. We are called by our names to answer to the name of Christ. Focusing on our names can lead to division based on personality, origin, or social status. However, focusing on the name of Christ unites us as children of the Almighty God.

Problems arise when we forget that our success is due to the name of Christ that we bear. This forgetfulness often stems from selfishness and pride. In the first reading, Israel became wayward because she forgot the God who made her prosperous. She began to attribute her fruitfulness to herself rather than to God's hand in her life. When God withdrew, her true state of nothingness became evident to her and to other nations.

Beloved, everything we have and everything we are is by the grace of God. To constantly remember this is true wisdom.

God bless you all