October 11, 2026
Twenty Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
by Fr. Jonah, O.P.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name . . .
He didn’t have to tell us his name. That he does, that we can know the very name of God, should tell us something about him: he wants us to know him. “A name expresses a person’s essence and identity and the meaning of this person’s life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one’s name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally” (CCC 204).
God gives his name to Moses in the encounter at the burning bush:
Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I Am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you’ … this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:13-15).
In his commentary on the book of Exodus, Fr. Thomas Joseph White has this to say:
The word “God,” when rightly understood, signifies the divine nature. It is not a personal name, like “David” or “Paul,” but is an abstract term pertaining to a nature, like “human being” or “angelic person.”…. The tetragrammaton [a term for the divine name given in Exodus 3], by contrast, signifies God as a singular individual. This is analogous in human discourse to the title we give a concrete individual we encounter through our sense experience, such as “John” or “Paul.” If we encounter a stranger, we cannot know that person’s name unless he (or another) discloses it to us. Even less can we know the transcendent God unless he reveals himself to us personally.
God revealed himself through the gift of his name in Exodus. In the fullness of time, he revealed himself most perfectly in his Son, Jesus. The name of Jesus is holy. It is customary to bow one’s head at the name of Jesus (and at the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well).
God has introduced himself to us. He has told us his name. Will we return the favor? Obviously, God already knows our name, already knows us to the core of our being, but it is vitally important that each of us, personally, says to him, “Here I am, Lord.” Spend some time this week reflecting on the fact that God knows your name, and speak to him from that place in your heart. Ask him, also, for a special grace of revelation—that you would be given even deeper knowledge of him, deeper knowledge of his name.
Know of my prayers for all of you.
In Christ,
Fr. Jonah, O.P.
