As our children’s birth drew near, we brainstormed what we might call them. The list ranged from very pious, to very contemporary, to very selfish. (As a Cubs fan, I still maintain Ron Santo Skarr has a nice ring to it, boy or girl.)
It’s a rather humbling experience, praying over what name you might give the new life entrusted to you.
After all, in scripture, God is the one who names (cf. the Book of Genesis). Naming something is to give it agency, purpose, hope.
Ignatius encourages us to prayerfully review with God our day’s moments. In the quiet or busyness of our hearts, we can name the substance of our experience. All the joys, all the sorrows. The times we were impatient, the times we were generous. Ignatius found God in the very fabric of human existence which, just like welcoming new life, is a miraculous experience.
—Jordan Skarr works with the Jesuits at the Midwest province office in Chicago, assisting with programming for pastoral ministries.