Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

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.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.” Lk 1:57-66

It was important for Elizabeth and Zechariah to name the boy, John. First, when an angel appears, Zechariah doubted the angel, then became mute, it is best to do what the angel/God wants you to do. Second, names are important. Your parents put some serious thought into naming you. Many times grandparents, parents, and saints are places parents look to name their children. Why? There is something special about keeping family names alive. We want to keep the memories of our families alive and remember all of the good they did. We are proud of our families and want to give the best future to our children. We want our children to be better than us or have even greater opportunities.

As a teacher, I was taught by my mentor to learn the names of all of the kids before I taught them. It is amazing the respect I receive from them by making sure I know their name. It shows that I care about them as a human being and that they matter. We are not just a number in a system or government, but a name gives us an identity within a family that can be traced back to the very beginning. Many times we put too much emphasis on the numbers instead of the people involved in those numbers. God took special care to think and will us into existence out of love. There are no two set of fingerprints the same. God knew us before we were even knit in our mothers’ wombs.

We may share birthdays with someone, but every baptism is unique. God has set each one of us apart for a special mission like He did John today. We not only have physical gifts and talents to give but also spiritual ones. Our names are important, but we must take time each day to sit in silence and listen to God in our heart so we will know our identity given to us by our Creator.

Today’s challenge: Research where your name came from, why your parents chose it, what it means. Take time today to ask God why He made you, the response might strike fear in you, but He will give you what you need to fulfill it. It’s why He made you.

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO