What’s In A Name?

April 10, 2025 // Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Genesis 17: 3-9

Reflect on the Word // 

“God’s Pearl.” Since childhood, the little wooden plaque on my bedside table had proclaimed the meaning of my name, but not until adulthood did I shift from mild disdain to deep appreciation for my name. 

My mom had liked the name Shannon before I was born, but the neighbors picked it first for their daughter—so Megan it was. I joined a quickly-growing sea of other Megans; in elementary school, I was distinguished by my first name and last initial. By high school, I was one of seven Megans in my high school orchestra (with as many spelling variations to match).

Nearing my third decade of life and battling with chronic suffering, I was prompted one day to pray with my name's meaning: God’s Pearl. Oysters form pearls as a response to discomfort and suffering, I remembered. A beautiful gem of redemption born from pain. Maybe my name isn’t just the next best choice on the list. Maybe I’m more than a nobody in the crowd of Megans. 

Indeed, I sensed the Lord respond, You are MY beloved Pearl, being formed in beauty and grace throughout a lifetime of redemptive suffering. 

Names are extremely meaningful to God. The Catechism tells us that Jesus’ name “expresses both His identity and His mission” (§ 430). In Genesis, God named Abraham, which means “father of multitudes” (see Genesis 17:3-9). In his name, a childless Abraham received not only an irrevocable promise, but discovered his own deeper identity and greater mission. Likewise, when I learned the truth of my name through God’s eyes, my identity was anchored; my mission became clear.  

Today’s First Reading invites us to ponder the deeper meaning of our names. God has made a covenant with each of us, just as He did with Abraham. He’s inviting us to receive the name proclaimed over us at Baptism as part of that covenant, and consider how our names might reveal our unique mission. 

Your name is not arbitrary to God. It is intentional. He calls you by name—with delight. Hear Him proclaim it now with tenderness and love. Through it, learn how incomparably, eternally precious you are to Him.

Relate to the Lord // What does your name mean? How do you feel about your name and how is God revealing your identity through it?