www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer about prayer requests

Dear, in Christ,

May I echo the request of our good friend, Father Gregory, who asked that we include a Christian name in prayer requests?

I want to take prayers to the altar, and include a particle for persons asking for prayers, and this is best done when a Christian name is given, and I write it down.

We can remember a prayer for a neighbor, or relative, so much better, if we have a Christian name to commemorate.

With thanks,

unworthy,

Elias

Dear Fr. Elias,

What is, indeed, a Christian name? This question always intrigued me.

"Elias" was the Greek name for the Hebrew Elijah. Was Elijah/Elias a Christian? I know that an argument can be made about Elias being a 'type' of Christian ...

What about Apollos? Daphi? Petros? Lucas? Zeno?

A Ukrainian Catholic friend of mine once approached a priest for Communion and gave his name, which was not very "Christian" sounding, and the priest took the liberty of changing it before giving him Communion. Unfortunately, the communicant received under someone else's name, not his own, the name he was Baptized with.

Can't any name be Christian if the one wearing it is Christian? Do we remember people or names in our prayers?

Thank you and God bless,
Joe ... err, Joseph Thur

Dear Joe,

We have had this discussion on another thread recently. It is an Eastern Orthodox (therefore, I am assuming, also Eastern Catholic) custom to be prayed for by the Church and to be communed using your baptized name.

My priest often tells us before the reception of Holy Communion: "when I say 'the servant of God xxx, don't fill in with the name Chuck or Butch...I know that you were not baptized with that name".

In the Orthodox churches, you must be baptized with the name of a saint, angel or member of the Holy Family, and though you may never be called by that name in the secular world, it *should* be the name that you are communed with, prayed for, and even buried and memorialized with. As this custom has fallen a bit to the wayside in the U.S., often the baptized name will be inserted after the commonly used name, atleast in religious associated print.

Perhaps it doesn't really matter what name a person gives to be prayed for, as long as they give a name, but Father Elias is an Eastern monk, if he doesn't ressurect and uphold Eastern traditions, who will? *WINK*

In Christ,
Alice

Alice,

I wasn't referring to nicknames, but Baptized names. It is also our Christian tradition to baptize all, including culture and names. If Zeno is a person's baptized name, then it is Zeno. If it is Eternity, a name of my son's friend, then it it Eternity. She is a Catholic. My one classmate from high school was named September. It was not Sarah, Stephanie, Sophia. It was September.

Many Christian names were formerly Jewish or Pagan names. None of the Apostles had Christian names. Nor did Jesus or his mother, Mary.

I will end my replies here since this is a Prayer forum. Thank you.

Joe

Please pray for me "Luke" since returning from a year working at Abu Ghraib prison I am back in body but not mind and soul and in deep depression and anxiety about the future of being over 70 and no longer working. Thank you for a prayer for an old soldier who "rendered unto caeser" for 52 years.

Luke may the peace of Christ decend upon your soul. May things, days of the past be handled by your mind, that you may be able to rejoice in the days of old. Each day was to bring you to perfection in Christ Jesus. Your eyes have seen much that our hearts cannot comprehend. May you find rest in the Lord Jesus Christ through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, amen.

What if we're asking for prayers for a Protestant who doesn't have a Christian name just some made up one. Or what if we're praying for a Muslim, Jew, or pagan?

Not trying to be a smart aleck, what should one do?

Just give the names and explain the circumstance. In most cases nicknames were given in the past.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

I would like to also to ask something that has been broguht to my attention. Can we just post the first names of the people needing prayer. With a depraved society, names of people reposed, and locations leaves little needed for those that will rob homes. This is becoming a more frequesnt problem even in rural areas.

So please remember first name (preferably Christian name) in your prayer requests only and the reason.

Thank you,

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Moderator

There really are non-Christian first names. My favorite example is "Melor", which was popular in the USSR among Communists - "melor" is an acronym for Marx-Engels-Lenin-October-Revolution". No priest who knew what it meant could possibly baptize anyone using such a name. What a priest will normally do when a child is presented for Baptism and the parents ask for an impossible name is baptize the child with the Saint's name appropriate either to the date of birth or the date of Baptism (there are always several Saints per day, so the priest can choose one of the appropriate gender) and - if the parents complain - point out that in most countries Baptism no longer counts as civil registration and he cannot stop them from calling their son "Incognitus" if they so desire (my parents did not do anything of the kind, thank God!), but that for ecclesiastical purposes a Christian must have a Christian name.

One also sometimes runs across the aberration of parents who don't give their child any first name at all - just initials! Believe it or not, this actually happens.

Incognitus

My thoughts on this are that someone with a non Christian name has the chance by virtue of their good living to turn it into one. There was a time when the first Christians were once heathens with heathen names. Also In the west there is tendency to regard Baptism as naming ceremony and not as entry to the Christian Church. So bring on Saint Wayne

ICXC
NIKA

Dear Pavel,

What you say is true, and I know a good Archbishop who would say exactly the same thing...

However, it is nice to honor tradition and church history by remembering one who has already achieved sanctity, thus making them the child's patron to call upon in prayer, and thus giving the child a feastday on which to celebrate!

In Christ,
Alice

So there is hope for me yet .....Archbishop...hm....like the sound of that....

ICXC
NIKA

I agree with you, Pavel, about bringing in new names. We also need Saint Tyrone, Saint LaToya, Saint Chong Dah and so on. Christ will get His grace to those who believe in Him and especially those who are baptized . . . just like He did to the first Saint Apollos and other early converts. So, let's broaden the cultural base and appeal of the Church by including everyone's name. For Christ calls everyone by name; and He says "Behold, I make all things new again."

But, shouldn't this topic of "What is a Christian name?" be discussed on another discussion-board? Like, Town Hall or Faith? After all, this is the Prayer board: for posting prayer requests.

-- John

I have to agree with John. This forum is for prayer and prayer requests. A discussion about Christian names and Saints that they are named after dhould be brought up to Faith and Worship as not to take away from the pupose of this section of the Forum.

So please start another thread there, and reserve this portion for prayer and prayer requests.