Your Name Is A Clue To Your Calling
By: Bo Sanchez
Find The Meaning Of Your Name—
And You May Find The Meaning Of Your Life.
Grace Princesa walked in through the door.
“I just came from Cairo yesterday,” she greeted me.
I looked at the people around me in the restaurant. I’m sure they had no idea that I was at that moment talking to a real-life, true-blue, big-time Diplomat.
As early as 2002, Grace was already the Charged’affaires and Consul General in Baghdad, Iraq. Her last assignment was as Minister and Consul General at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Today, she is Executive Director of the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations (“UNIO”) for the Department of Foreign Affairs—while she waits for her next foreign assignment. She has already worked in America, UAE, Egypt, and JupiterHer next sentence blew me away.
She said, “Sorry for being late, I had to take the MRT to get here.”
“Wha…?”
The Princess Rides the MRT
I shook my head, “A Diplomat traveling by MRT?”
Honestly, I thought Grace had just stepped out of her black limousine.
She laughed. “Bo, I do take the MRT. Especially now that my car has been breaking down. And I didn’t want to miss our meeting, so I took the fastest route coming here, and that was through the train.”
This was my first exposure of how simple Grace was.
When she’s not flying to some far corner of the world, I see Grace attending the weekly FEAST without fail. [We describe it as “One of the Happiest Places on earth”.
For months, she never introduced herself to me. She was content sitting down as one among many. It was only recently that she finally came up to me and said, “Hi Bo, can I give you Swiss cheese? I just came from Geneva yesterday.” That was when she gave me her business card and I learned who she was.
Grace told me that in her office, she loved mingling with the staff. Eating with them. Talking with them. “Rank and file” others would call them. But to her, they are simply friends.
The food we ordered hadn’t arrived, so I asked my first question.
“Grace, what is your most memorable experience in your work as a Diplomat?”
“War,” she answered.
Her Graciousness Was Tested By Fire
“I was Consul General in Iraq right before the war in 2003 and I took charge of evacuating all the Filipinos out of that country. Those were terrifying days,” she said.
“Watching it on CNN was terrifying already,” I said.
“We were in the middle of it. You could feel the tension in the air. And we were all afraid for lives. Because of my diplomatic status, my house became a refuge for the international staff of CNN, BBC, and UN. But I made it into a house of prayer. Though we came from various faiths and nations, we prayed together as one…”
“That’s beautiful.”
“And because I didn’t want to be a dead Diplomat, I finally flew out of Iraq on March 17. Three days later, March 20, the invasion and bombing took place.”
“Wow.”
“But Brother Bo, do you know how I was rewarded?”
“How?”
“After all my hard work, sacrifice, even risking my life, I came home only to be accused of corruption.”
“Oh no,” I said.
“Some people who didn’t like me spread rumors that I was given 2 million barrels of oil from Saddam Hussein.”
“My gosh. If you did, I don’t think you would have come by MRT today.”
“Some people simply wanted to destroy my reputation.”
I nodded, “I guess this is the story of every hero on the planet. After you give your life, blood, sweat, and tears for others, you’ll be attacked by envious people.”
“It was painful, but God sustained me. The rumors were all proven baseless.”
“God always vindicates us in the end,” I said, “Tell me. I love your name. Who is Grace Princesa?”
Your Name Unlocks Your Calling
“I’m a Princess because I’m a child of the King. I give God’s Grace to others. I’m a servant and a handmaid for the unwanted and unloved. And now, I’m an Ambassador for Christ!”
“Haha! Spoken like a true Diplomat.”
I took her photo and we ended our lunch meeting.
Riding home, I reflected on my name.
Bo is just a nickname. My baptismal name is (I take a deep breath before I say it…) Eugenio Isabelo Tomas Reyes Sanchez Jr.
It’s true, when I was in Grade 1, my classmates were already out in the playground and I was still in the classroom trying to write my full name.
And now you know why I love my two-letter nickname!
Here’s the meaning of my name:
o Eugenio means “Born of nobility”. Man, I’m special!
o Isabelo means “My God is abundance” and believe me, I live a charmed life of blessings.
o Tomas means “Twin” and I want to strive to live my life in the image of Jesus. This name will remind me that I am a twin of every poor person I meet. We all are children of God.
o Reyes means “Kings” and that means the King of all kings is my Father!
o Sanchez probably means Sanctius which means “Holy”. That’s my call!
How about you? What is the meaning of your name?
I Love This Website - http://www.JamesParmis.com
0 Comments