God’s Name Reveals the Mystery of Who He Is

When Moses stood before the burning bush, he asked God a simple question, “What is your name?” God’s answer was unlike anything anyone expected, “I AM WHO AM.”

God was revealing that He is not one god among many. He is the one and only God. He is the One from whom everything else receives its existence. God is greater than anything we can imagine or define. This is why the Israelites would not even pronounce His sacred name. They knew God was infinitely holy.

Before we pray, “Hallowed be Thy name,” we have to recover this sense of awe. The One we call Father is the infinite Creator who holds the universe in existence. Yet He invites us to speak with Him. That should fill us with wonder.

God Gives Us His Name Because He Wants Friendship

Why do we tell someone our name? Because we want to be known. We want a relationship. A name makes friendship possible. This is the astonishing meaning of God revealing His name to Moses. The infinite God makes Himself accessible. He wants human beings to call upon Him. He wants us to know Him personally.

Imagine you are in some foreign city, Rome or Paris at a café and you bump into the one person you admire the most in the world. And they introduce themselves and say, “Here's my direct cell number. Call me anytime. I really want to be friends with you."

Now imagine you get their phone number…and you never call them. The Creator of the universe has made Himself accessible. He wants you to know Him, to speak with Him, and to live in friendship with Him. Think about that.

Jesus Perfectly Reveals the Father's Name

Through the burning bush, God revealed who He is and invited us into relationship with Him. Everything that began at the burning bush reaches its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus did not simply teach us about God. He revealed the Father. Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Then, at the Last Supper, Jesus took God's self-revelation one astonishing step further. He didn't merely tell us that God wanted friendship with us. He gave Himself to us in the Eucharist so that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could dwell within us.

What began with God revealing His name reaches its fulfillment when God places Himself into our hands and onto our tongue through His Incarnate Son in the Eucharist. The One who said, “I AM,” now allows Himself to be received in Holy Communion. And now He dwells within.

God’s Closeness Gives Us a Great Responsibility

Because God dwells in us and we bear His name, “Christian,” His name can also be dishonored through us. We often think taking God's name in vain means using His name carelessly, and it certainly does. But it goes much deeper. Whenever we claim to belong to Christ but fail to live like Him, we distort God's image before the world. People often learn who God is by watching Christians. If we are harsh, they think God is harsh. If we refuse to forgive, they think God is unforgiving. If we are joyful, patient, and merciful, they catch a glimpse of the Father. Every Christian either clarifies God's image or distorts it.

That should lead us to ask some honest questions. When the people in my life encounter me, do they catch a glimpse of who God really is, or have I given them a distorted image of Him? By the way I live, am I making it easier or harder for the people I love to believe in God and love Him? Could my impatience, my anger, my lack of forgiveness, my selfishness, or my hypocrisy have contributed to someone becoming less interested in Christ or His Church? If so, what specific behavior do I need to change so that the people in my life can see the true face of God through me?

What Are We Asking When We Pray, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”?

The very first thing we ask our Father is, “Hallowed be Thy name.” What are we asking for here? That God be more holy? “Oh God I pray that you become more holy, that you become a better God.” That doesn’t sound right, God cannot become more holy and His name cannot become more holy. But those of us who bear His Name, the name “Christian”, we can certainly become more holy, couldn’t we?

With the first petition of the Our Father we are asking God to make us holy. St Peter Chrysologus writes, “But we ask that this name of God should be hallowed in us through our actions. For God’s name is blessed when we live well, but it is blasphemed when we live wickedly…We ask then that just as the name of God is holy, so we may obtain his holiness in our souls.”

Today, ask yourself, "What is one behavior I need to change so that the people in my life see more of God and less of me?" Then practice the opposite virtue.

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