Today's Gospel: Mark 9:38-40 When my husband and I were having our last child, we decided not to tell anyone the names we were considering. The potential names of unborn children have a funny way of eliciting strong opinions, and we didn’t want to hear other people’s thoughts - good or bad. We wanted our child alone to become the foundation for future associations with the name that he or she would carry. A name has weight and power, strength and influence. And over time, the reputation of a person a name is attached to - for better or worse - can determine that name’s relative value. So - what does it mean to call upon the name of God? When we consider just a handful of His names, we gain a sense of the fullness of Who He is. He is Emmanuel, the Good Shepherd, the Morning Star, Jehovah, the Light of the World, Love, King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, Refuge, Ransom, Savior, Servant, Sun of Righteousness, Teacher, Truth, and Wonderful Counselor. There is no darkness or impurity in Him. He is all-powerful perfection. As humans, we are made in His image (Genesis 1:26) and when we are drawn to the light of God, we are following His love back from whence we came. Any person who is relying upon God’s full might and power, trusting completely in His infinite goodness, becomes more and more like Him, and therefore cannot be working against Him at the same time.

Ponder:

Which name of the Lord is my favorite, and when was the last time I used that name to call on Him?

Pray:

Lord, You are my Refuge, Savior, Teacher, and Lover of my soul. Please remind me to call on You and Your powerful names in my hour of need today and always.
Copyright 2018 Gretchen Matthews Gretchen Matthews is a wife, mother of three, storyteller, and lover of the Word. She encourages others to see grace at work in their lives at her blog, Like the Dewfall, which you can find at gretchenmatthews.com. Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required
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Gospel Reflections Team

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