March 23 ,2025; Exodus 3:1-8a,13-15; 3rd Sunday of Lent
Names in the Bible are important. A name is not a tag to distinguish one person from the next. Biblical names are meant to reveal the essence of a person. To ask someone, “What is your name?” is to ask, “Who are you in your deepest self?” Therefore, the divine name that God gives in today’s first reading is meant to reveal who God is for us. The problem is that the meaning of the name is not immediately clear. “I am who am,” sounds more like a puzzle than a name. And to complicate the matter, the Hebrew characters that form the divine name can be translated in a variety of ways. One of those ways is, “I will be who I will be.” This is the understanding that I would like to adopt in today’s homily. Because when we use it, it gives us a helpful direction for Lent.
The name, “I will be who I will be,” points to the future. It is telling us that we will not fully understand who God is today. God’s presence in our life will only be understood as our life unfolds. It is as we negotiate the opportunities, the surprises, the discouragements and the blessings of life that we come to see who God is for us. Of course this name also assures us that as we move into the future, God moves with us. Day by day, year by year, we more fully see God’s mercy and love. The purpose of Lent is to deepen our relationship with God. Remembering God’s name can help us do this. For God’s name tells us that we should walk forward in hope.
You might be in the early years of your life, wondering, “Will I find work that I will enjoy and that will be life giving? Will I meet someone whom I truly love and who may become a partner in life. Will I have children and be able to raise them well?” God says “I will be who I will be. And I will be for you.” So walk forward in hope, knowing that God has a plan for your good. You may find yourself in the midst of life, established and blessed in many ways, and wondering, “Will these blessings last? Will my children be happy? Will my friends stay close. Will my life make a difference?” God says, “I will be for you.” So move forward in hope knowing that your life is in God’s hands. You might find yourself in the later years of life, wondering, “How much time do I have left? Do I have the courage to face the health issues that are to come. Does my life still have purpose.” God says, “I will be who I will be.” Walk forward in hope knowing that you do not walk alone.
This Lent we should ground ourselves in God’s commitment to us. None of us know what the future may bring. But we walk forward in hope because God will be who God will be—and God will be for us.
I converted in 1972 at the age of 18. Having grown up in a very rigid Protestant denomination, we were taught to revere the King James Bible as the only true version. To question that premise or to question their teaching was severly frowned upon even when it twisted the Biblical wording to suit thier adgenda. I was reprimanded several times for my questions starting from the age of 7 or 8.
This homily has given me a totally new perspective on Exodus 3:14. It also put a deeper meaning by changing the tense of the expression “I Am who I Am” which always confused me as a child. The wording ” I will be who I will be” is comforting in that it teaches us, like stated in the homily, that God will always be with us. It takes on greater meaning when I go through times of trial to know that I am not alone.
Thank you for posting this.