From today’s Scripture: “He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter, James, son of Zebedee, John, the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder…”—Mk 3:16-17

I am friends with two brothers who have identical nicknames, which has made for some funny misunderstandings over the years! In today’s verses, Jesus engages in some name-changing of his own. He first changes Simon into Peter, meaning “rock” and alluding to his future role as the foundation of the church. With the lesser-known renaming of the brothers John and James, however, I like to think of “sons of thunder” as a playful nickname chosen by Jesus because it matches their personalities.  As such, is this a rare show of Jesus’ sense of humor? I picture him laughing as he chose the brothers’ new name of Boanerges just because it seemed to fit.  

Let us pray: Lord, teach us to find joy and laughter in everyday life, and find pleasure in our relationships with those we love.

Today’s author is Bill Goodwin, a volunteer writer who has served at the Glenmary Farm and at a mission parish and later worked at the Glenmary Research Center.

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