What's in God's Name(s)?
LORD, WHO ARE YOU?: THE NAMES OF CHRIST by Cardinal Jorge
Medina Estevez
Ignatius Press, 2004 156 pages, $11.95
To order: (800) 651-1531 www.ignatius.com
The first thing we usually learn about a person is his or her name. There is a good reason for this: Names are intimately linked to identity. On hearing someone's name, you can probably guess his or her nationality. You might also be able to make inferences about the person's religion, cultural background and whether the person is married or religious.
Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez, former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, wants to introduce us to Jesus and help us to know him more intimately. Cardinal Estevez wants us to consider Jesus' different attributes and recognize his identity by meditating on his different titles.
In Lord, Who Are You?, Cardinal Estevez has written a delightful series of reflections on Jesus' titles that invite meditation on Christ's names “for the purpose of drawing near to him with humility, in order to know who he is and what sort of blessings the Father imparts to us through him. The fruit of such reflection — or meditation, if you prefer — should be the praise of God for his love and for the wonders he has done and continues to do for us, gratitude for all his boundless gifts and, as a consequence, love for him who loved us first.”
Much can be learned from Christ's many names, from “Bridegroom” to the “Word of God.” Each particular name evokes some unique aspect of his divine and human nature. In each reflection, Cardinal Estevez brings his obvious love of Scripture to bear on his examination of biblical precedents and etymological roots. He rounds out his meditations by offering helpful catechesis and doctrinal explanations.“To be a disciple of Jesus Christ implies more than admitting his historical existence and accepting or acknowledging the loftiness of his moral doctrine, considering it as the teaching of an important philosopher or even of the greatest philosopher of all time,” he writes. “To be a disciple means to believe in Jesus. … To believe in Jesus means acknowledging that he is the Son of God who has come into this world, following him lovingly and accepting his word as the ultimate criterion of the truth.”
This book is packed with helpful insights and profound meditations that are sure to inspire in the reader a deeper love for Jesus Christ. I highly recommend it as a tool for exploring the depths of the very question its title poses.
Cardinal Estevez wants to introduce us to the God of the universe. He wants us to know the Lord by name. He has accomplished his goal for this reader. I find this book especially useful during Eucharistic adoration, where I can look up and gaze into the face of Jesus the Messiah, the Prophet, the Lamb, the King, the very Word of God himself — and I'm able to relate his name to his identity.
Mike Sullivan is editor of
Lay Witness magazine
(www.laywitness.org).
- Keywords:
- July 25-August 7, 2004
