Wednesday of the Second Week of Christmas ‘a’

Jn 1:35-42

“Jesus looked at him and said, you are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas, which is translated Peter.” Why would Jesus change Simon’s name? Why was that so significant? I think that Jesus wanted to make a very important statement. He wanted Simon to understand that following Jesus requires a complete change of life. When you become a disciple of Jesus, you are transformed into a whole new person, a new creation. When we received the sacrament of baptism, we receive a new name. This means that we have become a new person, a holy person, a child of God. When a person decides to become a nun or a religious, in most of those religious orders, that person is required to choose a new name as a reminder that the old life is over and it is time to begin once again, a brand-new life -- a better life, a holy life. And this leads us to understand that we can’t simply call ourselves Christians and remain the same. We are obligated to become a new person, a new creation, a holy person, a child of God.