I have one of those names that everyone remembers but nobody knows. Growing up, people would call me John, Guy-on, Lou, Jean, John-Lucas...the list was go on. Even today, my business partners mess up my name. They will mistaken me for a girl, or, like my old teachers, assume my last name is actually my first. It was only when they heard it and saw it written that it stuck with them: Gianluca. My name is Gianluca. Though I'm commonly called G, Luca, or GL to "make it shorter".
I used to hate my name. Our identities are strongly attached to our names, so when people could not get it right, I felt like they were not accepting me as I present myself. I grew out of that of course and I don't take it personally anymore.
Still, how we choose to identify ourselves says a lot about who we are. Names have power.
Gianluca is an Italian name. It is a compound of the name "Gianni" (John) and "Luca" (Luke). The first part derives from Hebrew, and means "God has had mercy" or even "the gift of God". Luca is Latin origin. Lux; in English, light. Put together my name means, "the light that is God's gift", or simplified, "the light of God".
You may be wondering, "what does this have to do with the blog name?"
My name lists two of the four Gospel writers: Saint John, and Saint Luke. Each Gospel had a specific theme, and subsequently, a specific symbol. Given the emphasis of Jesus' divine nature and his descent "from above" (the Word made flesh), early Christians associated John with the eagle. Luke rather had a sacrificial element to it; it presented Jesus as the Priest and the Sacrifice. Indeed, in this Gospel He emphatically gives himself to those around him. In the beginning of the Gospel, Zechariah offers an ox for sacrifice in the Temple.
The eagle and the ox.
This blog is more than about me. My name is more than just a part of my identity. In part, my identity derives from my name. It is my hope that I can live up to its significance. It is my hope that I truly may be the "light of God", that I may unceasingly shine God's mystical Incarnation, and that I may offer myself up as sacrifice, just as Jesus offered Himself.
