His Name

W Whether to call him Jesus or Christ—does it matter? Until I was 48, it didn’t matter a whit. I never gave it head room. Then I met him—in the hearts and actions of the men who ministered to me on a Cursillo weekend over 41 years ago, and I’ve never been the same. I call him Jesus because that’s his name. I know He loves me specifically and deeply. He has proven this over and over and over again. What a miracle! I began to realize that Christ is neither his last name, nor merely his title. It’s his incomprehensible aspect of the Divinity who not only was part of creating everything, but into whom Jesus the man grew as his human life matured. If I need to recognize his oneness with the Father, I’ll call him Christ Jesus or Jesus the Christ. But I prefer to relate to him as friend; that’s how He came to his compatriots, that’s how I met him, and that’s good enough for me!