The Great Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Divine Surname
The Modern Crisis of the Hijacked Identity
The contemporary world is characterized by intense anxiety over identity protection. Where digital footprints are permanent, the warning against identity theft is ubiquitous. Individuals are taught to guard Social Security numbers and employ complex encryption. If a name is hijacked, the victim loses access to resources and standing. To have an identity stolen is to become a ghost in one’s own life—estranged from the power and rights that were once guaranteed. It is a state of being legally alive but functionally disinherited.
However, as the calendar marks the beginning of the year 2026, it is necessary to recognize a far more ancient and insidious form of identity theft. This theft does not occur on servers; it occurs within the human soul. It is the systematic hijacking of the divine identity. The world constantly attempts to replace the true identity of the human person with false labels. Society suggests that a person’s worth is a variable based on productivity, net worth, or past mistakes. This spiritual identity theft seeks to convince the individual that they are a nameless orphan, a slave to their history, or a stranger to the Creator.
On this Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, the Church provides a definitive status report. The liturgy serves as a legal and theological restoration of the true name and standing of every believer.
The Mark of Ownership: The Priestly Blessing
The restoration of identity begins with the First Reading from the Book of Numbers. This text provides the ancient formula for establishing a relationship with the Divine. It is the Aaronic Blessing:
"The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!"
While these words are often heard as a poetic sentiment, they carry a profound legal weight in the context of the Covenant. This liturgy served as the primary means of maintaining the national identity of Israel. The conclusion of the passage reveals the true functional purpose:
"So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them."
In the ancient world, to have a name invoked or placed upon a person was a formal act of claiming property. If a monarch placed his seal upon a territory, that territory was under his protection. By placing His Name upon the people through the priests, God was asserting a claim of ownership. He was declaring that the Israelites were not a nameless mass; they were a people with a specific legal standing before the King of Kings.
This is the primary defense against spiritual identity theft: knowing whose Name is carried. Before a person attempts to re-brand themselves with New Year's resolutions, they must first acknowledge the Name that has already been placed upon them.
The believer does not enter the year as a self-made entity, but as a person who carries the seal of the Most High. The blessing of the Lord is not a reward for behavior; it is the consequence of belonging to His household.
The Fullness of Time: The Decree of Adoption
The mechanism by which this Name was fused to humanity is explained by Saint Paul in the Second Reading. Paul outlines the monumental shift in human status that occurred through the Incarnation. He writes:
"When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."
This legal transaction was the fulfillment of centuries of preparation. This is the theological necessity behind the title Mother of God. If the Son of God were not truly born of a woman, He would lack the human nature required to represent humanity. By taking His flesh and blood from Mary, the Son of God entered into the human contract. He stepped under the Law to pay a debt He did not owe, because humanity owed a debt it could never pay.
The consequence of this intervention is a total transformation of status: Adoption. In the Roman legal traditions, adoption resulted in the legal extinction of the old name and all previous debts. When a person was adopted into a new family, their past liabilities ceased to exist. The adopted person gained an irrevocable right to the father’s estate.
Paul asserts that because of this born of a woman moment, the believer no longer operates as a slave, but as a fully legitimate heir. The indwelling of the Spirit allows the believer to cry out, "Abba, Father!" This is the ultimate protection against identity theft. The world may claim that a person is defined by their past or failures. But the legal reality in the Kingdom of God is that the believer has received a new surname. They are an Heir to the very life of God.
Reflection as Spiritual Defense
How is this identity preserved against the noise of a new year? The model is found in the Mother of God in the Gospel of Saint Luke. After the local shepherds visit the manger, the crowd is described as being "amazed." However, amazement is a fleeting reaction; it is an insufficient foundation for a permanent identity. In contrast, Luke observes:
"Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."
The Greek term for "reflecting" is symballousa, which means to "bring together." Mary acted as the custodian of the divine evidence. She took the poverty of the stable, the shepherds, and the face of her Son, and she held them together. She did not allow the chaos of the journey to steal the truth of what God had declared. At the end of the octave of Christmas, the child was formally brought into the covenant:
"He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before conception."
The name "Jesus" means "God Saves." This is the Name invoked upon every Christian at Baptism. It is the identity Mary protected in her heart, and it is the identity she assists the faithful in guarding today.
Reclaiming the Divine Surname: A Call to Action
As 2026 begins, the world will attempt to re-institute the theft of identity. To prevent this, three specific actions are proposed:
First, assert the status of heir. Every morning, recite the words of Saint Paul: "Abba, Father." The day should not begin until this legal standing is recognized.
Second, audit the heart’s narrative. Identify one lie the world told last year about who you are. Bring that lie before the Mother of God and ask for the grace to replace it with Truth.
Third, invoke the Name as a shield. Use the Name of Jesus as a defensive seal. When the pressure to prove worth arises, invoke the Name: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me."
Mary is the Mother of God, and she is the Mother of the faithful. She guards the inheritance of her children. May the Lord bless and keep every soul in 2026. May His face shine upon this congregation and give every single person peace. Amen.
