Name (שֵׁם šem)

Name (שֵׁם šem), in Hebrew, is a noun derived from a two-consonant root that means not only a name but also “designation, fame, reputation or memory.” Sometimes שֵׁם (šem) is equivalent to the name of the God of Israel, YHWH. שֵׁם (šem) translates into Greek ὄνομα (onoma).
Today’s responsorial Psalm (Ps 118) blesses the One who “comes in the name (שֵׁם šem) of the Lord”, and in the first reading (Acts 4:8-12) we read the words of Peter, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, says: “let it be known to all of you and all the people of Israel, that in the name (ὄνομα onoma) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, that through Him this man stands before you in good health”. This means that it was not the apostles, but Jesus, who performed the healing, which is only a sign of the power that flows from the Person of the Crucified and Risen Lord. The name, in this context, indicates the identity of Jesus himself as the Savior, because not in another name, that is, not in another person, but it is in Him that salvation was given to us by God.
In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus reveals his identity using the image of a shepherd, the good one, ready to give his life for the sheep that are His. Hence, as He says, no one takes His life, but He gives it because He has the power to give His life and regain it. However, how aware are we of the power we have through faith and accepting the Person of Jesus as Savior?