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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 1:59–63
At the time of John the Baptist’s birth, it was customary for
family, neighbors, and others within the community to gather for a
child’s circumcision on the eighth day. According to Genesis
17:1–14, when God appeared to Abraham and established a covenant
with him and his descendants, circumcision was instituted as the
external sign of this covenant for every male child on the eighth
day. Over time, it also became customary to name the child as part
of the ceremony.
The naming of a child in Jewish tradition was significant. A
child’s name connected him to his family and continued the family
lineage. It was a way of honoring the family member whose name the
child was given. Customarily, the firstborn male was named after
his father or another significant relative. That’s why the family
and friends who gathered for John’s naming and circumcision were
surprised when he was not named Zechariah after his father and even
more surprised when he was given the name John, a name that no
other relative had.
The inclusion of this story in the Gospel narrative indicates that
John’s name and its departure from Jewish custom hold special
significance. Giving him a name that no other family member had was
God’s way of indicating that John’s family, identity, and mission
extended beyond his blood relatives. The name John means “God is
gracious” or “God has been gracious.” Hence, John’s name points
beyond his life to God, the Source of grace. His mission was
universal, preparing the way of the Lord for all people. Through
John, the gateway of God’s grace and mercy is proclaimed, and
Jesus, the source of grace and salvation, enters.
As we reflect on John the Baptist and his unique identity, we
should also ponder our own identity in Christ. While family is the
first and most important community where we come to know God and
learn to love, God also calls us to an identity that transcends our
biological family. We receive our most important identity through
baptism. Just as circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant,
baptism is the sacrament that initiates us into the New Covenant in
Christ.
Through baptism, we take on a new identity and become members of
the one, eternal family of God. All who are in a state of grace are
brothers and sisters in Christ, with God as our Father and the
Blessed Virgin Mary as our spiritual mother.
Reflect today on your identity in Christ. In many cultures, it is
customary to receive a new name at baptism, symbolizing this new
identity. Ponder the identity given to you through baptism, the
identity that defines who you truly are. Embrace this identity with
all your heart.
My Lord and God, in You and You alone do I find my true
identity. Through my baptism, I have entered into Your family of
grace and become a child of Your Father in Heaven. Please help me
to fully embrace this Christian identity and dignity, always living
as the child of God I am called to be. Jesus, I trust in
You.
Image: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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