16 Mar 2016
(Elementary School Mass)
Today we hear about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo. But did you know . . . those were not their
real names? No, they weren’t. Their real names were Hananiah, Azariah, and
Mishael. After they were captured and
sent to be slaves, King Nebuchadnezzar changed their names. And he did that because he was afraid their
names would remind them too much that they were children of God. And King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t want that; he wanted
them to forget about God. And so, he
changed their names to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo to make them forget who
they were.
Now, each one of us has a name, too. And that’s the name that our parents gave us
when we were born. But there’s also
another name each of us has, too, because of our baptism. And that’s the name “Christian.” Even if I don’t know your first name, I can
still come up to you and say, “Hello, Christian”—because that’s who we are.
But, sometimes, people try to make us forget our name. They try to make us forget who we are. And that’s when Jesus whispers to you and
says: “Remember, you’re a child of God; you are a Christian.” And when we remember that, we can let other
people call us whatever they want—because we know they’re wrong. We are “Christian”—that’s our name, and
that’s what helps us to be strong.
Now, when Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael were in the furnace,
they didn’t get hurt. And that’s because
they never forgot who they really were.
Their always remembered their true names, and that they were children of
God, just like us. So, today, if someone
asks you what you’re name is, remember that (part of) your name is
“Christian.” That’s a big part of who
you are—and it’s a reason to come here to Mass and give thanks to God.
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