Ask Him for His Name

Read the Homily

The philosophers believed that God was only interested in very big and important matters: God had more important matters to worry about then to fuss over humans. He had to fix the stars and balance the cosmos making sure heavenly bodies do not bang into each other. They called God, “The God of the universe.” Then, some of the leaders said, “Actually the most important concern for God was the building of nations. He is interested in the superpowers, the balance of trade, law, politics, and economy. God only has time to be interested in important people like world leaders.” They called Him “The God of the nations.” God is not interested in us. Then, one day God appeared to Moses. Moses needed to know what God really cared about so he asked God for his name. God did not answer he was the “God of the universe” or the “God of the nations.” He said, “I am the God of Abraham.” Who was Abraham that God made him great? He is a wandering, uneducated nomad from Ur. Where? Exactly my point. He was a nobody, but he was important to God. Then God said, “I am the God of Jacob.”  Jacob? Jacob stole his older brother’s birthright. Nice guy, right? Yes, he is flawed, but still, he is very important to God. Soon he was going to be the God of Moses. Many years later, God sent an angel to Nazareth. No prophet ever spoke about Nazareth. Nothing was ever written about the town. He appeared to a virgin. Why? Because she was important to God. Mary said, “The Almighty has done great things for me, and every generation will call me blessed.” Time and time again God shows the world that nobodies are important.

A couple came up to me and said, “We have been trying to have a baby for a long time. Can you say a prayer for us?” I said a prayer and the next thing I know they are expecting. Naturally, they wanted to show me the baby. When I saw the infant, I laughed because he had the cutest face with baby fat dimples when he smiled. The mother was so proud of her baby at that moment and said, “I never thought it was possible to love another human being so much.” I wonder if this baby was aware of the fact that he is a miracle, a gift from God?  Does the baby have any idea how valuable and important he is? After he smiled again, I thought, “I think he knows.” God wants us to know we are His miracle. We are valuable and important.

God appeared to us a child, so we would know. The shepherds rejoiced when they saw the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. They knew that God came to them. They knew they were special and important to God. We need to know that we are important to God if we are going to have a relationship with Him. If you are not sure, then do what Moses did. Ask Him for His name. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, the God of Mary, the God of you and me.