What's in a Name?
Here's a sad trend in society today: the loss of the sacred when it comes to naming our children.
Used to be that you'd name your new baby after a saint or an angel, with the intention of placing that baby under the patronage of the same. Kids were named Margaret, Joseph, Francis, Theresa, Mary, Andrew, Thomas, Gabriel, Michael, Rita, Christopher, and so on.
Not only did we place our children under the protection of these saints and angels, but we gave those kids a role model to look up to in the future. A name to live up to, a reputation to protect. Little Catherine would grow up hearing stories about all the saints named Catherine, and would naturally feel like she "owned" that saint - after all, we share names! That's important to a kid. Little Anthony would grow up hearing about St. Anthony of Padua, and he would wish to imitate St. Anthony at every possible turn.
True heros. True role models.
Now? Well, the venerable tradition was eroded ever-so slightly when we started using the short-form of names. Anthony became Tony, Francis became Frank, Peter became Pete, Elizabeth became Beth, Catherine became Cathy, and so on. It was subtle - but still a step in the direction of secularization nonetheless. It was a way of ever-so-slightly distancing the children from the saints whom they were named after.
After too long, the whole enterprise was more-or-less forgotten, and now kids are subjected to all sorts of names, which may or may not belong to a saint - and even if that happens, it happens by mistake.
Little boy is named Michael, not after St. Michael, but after Michael Jordan. Little girl is named Mary, not after the Blessed Mother, but after her great-great grandmother, for purely sentimental reasons.
Any more, then trend is to pick exotic names which have no relation to a saint at all: Destiny, Summer, Jordan, Parker, Trey, April, and so on.
At least those kids can choose their own patron saint at Confirmation, should God someday grant them the grace of receiving that sacrament.
There's more to choosing a name than simply picking something that sounds cool, or pretty; there's more to it than sentiment; a name (Scripturally speaking) describes who you are, what is your essence. In a certain sense, the name is you, and you are your name.
Choose wisely ...
Used to be that you'd name your new baby after a saint or an angel, with the intention of placing that baby under the patronage of the same. Kids were named Margaret, Joseph, Francis, Theresa, Mary, Andrew, Thomas, Gabriel, Michael, Rita, Christopher, and so on.
Not only did we place our children under the protection of these saints and angels, but we gave those kids a role model to look up to in the future. A name to live up to, a reputation to protect. Little Catherine would grow up hearing stories about all the saints named Catherine, and would naturally feel like she "owned" that saint - after all, we share names! That's important to a kid. Little Anthony would grow up hearing about St. Anthony of Padua, and he would wish to imitate St. Anthony at every possible turn.
True heros. True role models.
Now? Well, the venerable tradition was eroded ever-so slightly when we started using the short-form of names. Anthony became Tony, Francis became Frank, Peter became Pete, Elizabeth became Beth, Catherine became Cathy, and so on. It was subtle - but still a step in the direction of secularization nonetheless. It was a way of ever-so-slightly distancing the children from the saints whom they were named after.
After too long, the whole enterprise was more-or-less forgotten, and now kids are subjected to all sorts of names, which may or may not belong to a saint - and even if that happens, it happens by mistake.
Little boy is named Michael, not after St. Michael, but after Michael Jordan. Little girl is named Mary, not after the Blessed Mother, but after her great-great grandmother, for purely sentimental reasons.
Any more, then trend is to pick exotic names which have no relation to a saint at all: Destiny, Summer, Jordan, Parker, Trey, April, and so on.
At least those kids can choose their own patron saint at Confirmation, should God someday grant them the grace of receiving that sacrament.
There's more to choosing a name than simply picking something that sounds cool, or pretty; there's more to it than sentiment; a name (Scripturally speaking) describes who you are, what is your essence. In a certain sense, the name is you, and you are your name.
Choose wisely ...
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