The second thing we are commemorating on this day is an idea, a concept about names. When you make a Feast Day for a name, it suggests that names matter. “What’s in a name”, Juliet said from the balcony. “That which we call a rose by any other name would be as sweet,” suggesting that names do not matter. But of course the rest of Shakespeare’s play reminds us that names very much do matter, with rather tragic consequences sometimes when we ignore the importance and the power of a name.
Changing Names
I am fascinated by the power of names. Adam gave names to all the animals, and whatever he called a thing, that was its name. Naming is about understanding things, classifying them into groups that have some kind of meaning in our world view, a mystical, almost magical ability that we human beings all have.
