Known and Loved

A Reflection on the First Reading for October 18th, 2020:
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Isaiah
45.1, 4-6

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their robes, to open doors before him — and the gates shall not be closed:

“For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god. I arm you, though you do not know me, so that all may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“Like Oreo cookie, but with an “a” at the end.”


This is how I’ve come to explain to people how to pronounce my name. Sure, it sounds funny, but it works. I was that kid in elementary school whose name no one could pronounce — not even the teacher. And if people heard my name before seeing it written down, then they couldn’t believe how to spell it: “What do you mean it begins with an “A”?” When I was younger I disliked my name because no one could call me by it.


Except God. God always knew my name… and how to spell it. At the time of my baptism God gave me His name too, as I became adopted into God’s family. I became Aurea, Daughter of God. I often forget how well our God knows me. Thankfully, Isaiah in this passage reminds me that God truly knows me — even when I don’t know Him.


Just a little further in Isaiah we read, “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” (Isaiah 49.1) Our good and gracious God calls me by name because He knows me. God knows me. God knows you. Let that sink in. Our Creator knows the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives.


And God loves us still.


Always.


God’s unconditional love remains. Because God is God, I can know with certainty that I am loved.


Knowing I am loved changes everything. Or at least it should! When I think about the moments in my life that I felt I could do anything, I mean anything, it was when I knew someone had my back — that I was truly loved. In those moments when I know God’s deep love for me, there is a deep desire to speak of it and share it. And that’s all God asks of us — that we let Love transform us to know His name and share it. By virtue of my baptism, it is my responsibility to not only share the love I know, but to tell others of God’s love for them also; that God calls their name, even when they may not know it or hear it. This can be quite a daunting responsibility in the midst of the realities of the world we live in. However, as much as I know that I am loved, I can be just as certain that I am not alone. I can face what the world puts before me, because those who have been baptized in Christ are co-responsible with me. Together, we can proclaim God’s name and witness God’s love to one another and to those who don’t know Him yet. We must.


All because God knows my name. And thankfully, I know His.




Aurea Sadi

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