Scripture Reflection, January 10, 2010: The Baptism of the Lord

Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 42, 1-4, 6-7
Psalm 29
Acts 10: 34-38
Luke 3: 15-16; 21-22

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I usually do not have a chance to see many movies, but during the Christmas holidays, I got to see two films, one of them being “The Blind Side.” The true story behind this movie is well-known by now, since the lives of Michael Oher, the All-American football player and rookie with the Baltimore Ravens, and the Touhy family, who took Michael into their home as a high school student, have been featured on television talk shows. Though I have some concerns about the way in which African-Americans who are poor are presented in this movie, I found the story to be compelling overall. One theme that stood out for me was that of identity-in-relationship.

The character of Michael Oher is lost and alone in life, distanced from the public housing where he grew up with no real father and a mother who was unable to care for him because of her drug addictions. He is physically and spiritually homeless. He begins to find himself as he is slowly welcomed into the Touhy family, especially by the mother (played masterfully in the movie by Sandra Bullock). Early on in their relationship, the mother asks “Big Mike” whether he would like to stay with the family on a more permanent basis. He answers, “Well, I don’t want to stay anywhere else.” He realizes that he has found a home where he can begin to thrive as a person. But this discovery of identity is not just a one-way street. It becomes clear in the movie that Michael’s presence with the Touhy family leads them to a deeper understanding of who they are and what is most important in life. A telling scene is their Thanksgiving meal together. As the family members gather up their food buffet-style and move immediately to the couches to watch football, Michael sits alone at the dining room table. Recognizing this as an opportunity, the mother shuts down the TVs, gathers the family around the table, says a prayer of thanksgiving, and initiates an authentic experience of a shared meal. This unusual relationship between an African American teenager from “the other side of town” and a wealthy, white Southern family leads both sides to a discovery of their own identity as individuals and as a family.

This Sunday is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is all about identity-in-relationship. The ministry of John the Baptist prepares the way for a new beginning, as he calls the people of Israel to repentance and to expectation of “the mightier one.” Jesus’ appearance on the scene marks a new beginning in the story of salvation. As he is at prayer after submitting to John’s baptism, his true identity is revealed. He is God’s beloved Son, the one filled with the Holy Spirit who makes the reign of God present through his words and deeds. The identity of Jesus is all about relationship – his unique relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit. His identity will also be made manifest in the relationships he establishes with his followers and those to whom he ministers. He will embody what the prophet Isaiah proclaimed about the true “servant of God.” He will proclaim his message not by crying out or shouting. He will not crush the bruised reeds of this world – people who are vulnerable and easily overwhelmed by life. He will not snuff out the flickering lights of hope which people carry around in their hearts. This Jesus, sent by the Father and driven by the Spirit, does not crush or overwhelm but offers new life to us. This is who he really is and what he is really about.

On this feast, each of us is invited to reflect on our own baptism. In that sacrament we received and affirmed our own identity in relationship. Each one of us is, in Christ, a beloved daughter or son of God. We have been filled with the Spirit of God – that same Spirit who descended upon Jesus and impelled him to take up his mission of proclaiming the reign of God. Like Jesus, our identity as children of God is meant to be expressed in what we do, in the very character of our lives. We discover our deepest identity by nurturing our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. We are called to develop a vital relationship with God through personal prayer and participation the life of the Christian community. We are also summoned to share our lives with our sisters and brothers in the church. Like Michael Oher and the Touhy family, it is in that life together that we help one another come to a deeper realization of our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. And we are sent forth to continue the mission of Jesus by offering God’s life to others – “to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” It is through strengthening our relationships with God, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and with the people we are sent to serve, that we become who we really are.

Fr. Robin Ryan, cp