Leon Kass wrote an interesting chapter about the naming system in his recent book Leading A Worthy Life (2017). Kass observed that much of our public social life in the United States is nowadays conducted on a first name basis. The waitress in the restaurant begins with “Hi I’m Susan, I’m your server this evening and I’d like to tell you about our specials.” The doctor calls all the patients by their first names, even on first encounter. At social gathering, the typical tags have a first name only, “Hello, My name is Mary.” College students introduce themselves to their professors by first name only and the professors prefer to be called their first names. Kass argues that the usage regarding first names reflects the changing structure of marriage and family life. We today care less about where we come from, our heritage, and our parents. The ways of our fathers and mothers are not out ways. We are full of individualism and we are proud of it as we increasingly look solely to ourselves.
In the Gospel reading today, we hear the story of the call of Matthew. The name Matthew is the Greek form of Hebrew meaning “gift of God.” In Mark 2:14, the same story is about a man named “Levi.” Why is there is a change in names? One theory is that Levi has two names: Levi and Matthew. Another theory claims that Matthew had a special significance for his community as its founding apostle as their “patron saint.” Or there is a theory that Matthew is a play on the Greek word for mattetes, which is means disciple. Regardless of the origin of the name Matthew, this passage reveals Jesus’ power to forgive sins and Jesus takes an extra mile by eating with tax collectors and sinners. It is only Matthew 9:9 that identifies the tax collector who is called to follow Jesus as Matthew.
In your prayer today, perhaps you can reflect on knowing your name – what it means, why you have it, and how it should be regarded and used. Moreover, ask the Lord for the wisdom you need to know your name in a deeper sense – how can your name relate to your call to be a true disciple of Christ?