Lent Day 6: On Nicknames, Rap Names, and Pope Names

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Hope all of my American readers enjoyed the long weekend, and that your first week(ish) of Lent was a blessed one.

I want to talk for a moment about names. First, we can see from the Scriptures that naming and being named is a very important thing, a sacred act in which God allows humans to participate. After creating Adam, God gives him charge of all of the creatures of the land, and entrusts to him the task of naming the animals. And then we see the numerous stories of God giving people a new name and references to each of us having a new name that we will be called by in heaven, a name known to God alone. We also see people receiving new names in modern times on several occasions -- confirmation, marriage, priestly ordination, and profession of religious vows.

But besides all of this, the other time people more frequently get a new name is a little less formal (and less divine) than all of this -- our first 'new names' are usually nicknames given to us by others.

And there's something that, in my almost 35 years of life, I have come to realize:

There is no good nickname for the name "Leslie."

Look, I know you're trying right now to come up with a good nickname for me. Please don't! So many have tried, and have fallen short, that I don't want you to misdirect your time in this way. Instead, why don't you join me in the silly (but enjoyable) task of picking out a couple names for yourself, just in case you ever need them.

First, a rap name. I have found that adding a dash and/or a dollar sign are helpful in establishing your rap name, should you need one. (I have personally chosen L-Dawg, although Le$lie was a close runner-up.)

Second, a Pope name. (I recommend either choosing from names of previous popes, or from other recognized saints of the Church. The possibilities are endless! But know that my Pope name, Salsa Guadalupe, is taken.)

But if you want to really know a bit about how the new Pope will be selected, who chooses his name, and a host of other interesting facts, check out this awesome illustrated play-by-play from Vatican Insider on "How a Pope is Elected." Click the link, and an arrow click will guide you through the process. It's really fun and informative!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

P.S. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still open to answering people's Catholic questions, and especially since I've committed to writing each day of Lent, send those questions in while the iron is hot (or something like that)! E-mail me at  coffeetalkwithleslie@gmail.com.