"He Who Has No Name"

If you've ever seen the film "The Ten Commandments" which is popular around the Paschal season for its annual appearance on the television network, ABC, an something that we notice is that whenever a child if Israel is asked who their God is, they say, "The God of Abraham" or one of his descendants. This is because they do not know the name of the God which they worship. The story of Moses continues to when Moses is before God present in the burning bush. Moses asked God what his name was so that he may say who sent him. God told Moses that his name was YAHWEH, which translates, I AM WHO AM, and that if he was to be asked who sent him, he is to reply that "I AM" sent him.


What this means is that God is infinite being. It seems rather confusing, but God is all being. (along with all truth, all love, and all beauty).


This gives significance to Jesus' words in John's Gospel. "Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM." 


The Second commandment reads "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain."


The Jewish people, even today, will not even write the name of God. It's abbreviated, YHWH or G-D. They do this out of respect for God and His holy name. 


In his epistle, or letter, to the Philippians, St. Paul demonstrate that this goes for the most Holy Name of Jesus. (the name above all other names.) He writes "ut in nomine Iesu omne genu flectat calestium et terrestrium et infernorum. et omnis lingua confiteatur quia Dominus Iesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris." which translates, "That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father." 


God warns us that he will punish those who use the Lord's name irreverently. So, it is very important that we are reverent in all uses of the Lord's name and that we say it only with the love and affection of our whole prayerful hearts. 


We must realize that we can NEVER talk about God "behind His back" He is always listening, and what we say can and may offend Him, and why would we ever want to offend such a good a God as the one who created all of us!? 


Take some time today to think about how often we use the Lord's name. Is it exclusively in prayer? When we talk about God is it reverently or are we irreverent at times? 


Go to your desert place with the Lord and spend some quiet time in humble adoration of his infinite goodness, and meditate on God as infinite being using his name, I AM. 


God Bless you all!