Solemnity of Birth of Saint John the Baptist Lk 1,57-66,80

Many of us may sometimes wonder: What is hidden in that name? Does the name express something specific, does it hide something, or does it mean something special? Shakespeare also dealt with a similar question and answered it as follows: “A rose, by whatever name, would still smell just as lovely.” Of course, he was right. The name we give to a thing does not determine its essential nature. A rose would be just as beautiful. and fragrant, even if we decide to call it, say, a mouse’s ear or a rabbit’s ear. In our culture, names are not as important as they were, for example, in the ancient Jewish culture. We can say that for us, names are primarily a means of identification: so that we can mark the thing we are talking about in communication, and that the listener imagines the same thing as us.

For example, if the parents have two sons, they name one Peter and the other Paul. Then they know which is which. And that’s how they address them. For us, names are simply some kind of labels that we attach to a person at birth, and which the person then carries throughout his life. Of course, not all names are liked by people. There are cases when people cannot get used to their name when they internally reject it, and there are even those who change it. The use of names in the Holy Scripture, as many of us know, is special. Names usually expressed something. They were given with a clear intention. Sometimes they expressed thoughts or feelings that the children’s parents felt about their birth. Let’s look at the name Isaac, for example. This name can be translated as “laughter”. When Abraham and Sarah had a child in their old age, they called him Laughter.

This name probably expressed to them how they felt when they faced the miraculous and unexpected event of the birth of their son. Another time, the name given to the child was a kind of proclamation or expression of faith. For example, the name Elijah. It means “Yahweh is my God”. The child Elijah was born at a time when tensions were growing in Israel over the worshipers of Baal. And so his parents wanted to express their devotion to the God of Israel in this way. In our Gospel today, there is an account of the naming of a little Jewish boy, John the Baptist. It is necessary to remember what preceded the event about which today’s Gospel writes. Elizabeth, his mother, was already old when she became pregnant. She and her husband Zacharias were childless until then. Her pregnancy was too much for both of them, but especially for Zacharias. Although he wanted a child, he was unable to believe in God’s promise that a child would be born to them. When it came down to it, he somehow couldn’t process it internally. Therefore he was given nine whole months to keep his mouth shut and his mind open, and to think and meditate properly on all this. He was simply speechless.

When a child was born, according to Jewish tradition, on the eighth day, circumcision and the naming of the child were to take place. Dad should have done it. But the father was incapable because he was mute. Therefore, the Relatives simply assumed that, according to custom, he would be called after his father, Zacharias. But Elizabeth intervened. “He shall be called John,” which meant “God is gracious.” The surprised relatives consulted Zacharias about this, who agreed. Yes, this was exactly what he felt too. He remembered what the angel had told him at his conception: “he shall be great before the face of the Lord.” And just after this, his mouth opened. As soon as his mouth opened, it caused a truly justified astonishment among the neighbors. “Whatever this will be boy?” It is the same as many parents feel when their child is born: “What will become of him, of her?” How will this child change the world? Will he be a person who loves people, suffers for people, is loved by people, respected, honored, and sought after? Or will he be a selfish, self-centered individual whose only object of respect and will get attention? What does this name mean? If someone asked us or our parents this question, they would probably answer: “I have no idea.”

Names were not given to us – certainly in the vast majority of cases – because they carried some special meaning. They were simply given to us as a kind of label so that our parents and other people could identify us. But even this is not a negligible fact. On the contrary, it is a very important fact. My name is just my name. My name means me. When someone hears my name, they think of me. And it emerges not only in my face and form but also in my qualities and characteristics. The opposite is also true: when I hear my name, I pay attention. And that even if it sounds inconspicuous, quietly, somewhere in the crowd. I strain my ear. And I wonder what they’re talking about. In this sense, my name is me. Someone once said: The sweetest music on earth is the sound of my name.” And it’s true. Our names can be words that have no special meaning. Well, they are important to us. My name is me. My name expresses me as a person. For me, it is what sets me apart from the crowd and makes me unique. What does my name mean? The definitive answer depends on me. Each of us represents something in the minds of those who know us. And when people hear your name or my name, they think of something.

What do they come up with?  What do they think of it? What feeling fills them? Will a feeling of pleasantness or resistance, sympathy or hatred arise in them? Does my name convey honesty or dishonesty? Kindness or cruelty? Pleasantness or arrogance? A name represents a person and a person represents a certain lifestyle. What our name symbolizes ultimately depends on us. John grew up, and thanks to his deeds, the surname “Baptist” was added to his name.  And so he became a great name for us. He was the forerunner of Christ and this Christ he publicly presented and brought to the scene when he baptized him.  He did not receive his surname at birth. He was given based on deeds of life.  Many names and surnames are known in history, which were given to people based on their deeds in life: for example, Ivan the Terrible, Pippin the Short, Peter the Great, John Chrysostom, Basil the Blessed, etc. What surname could I get?