Christ The Servant
Catholic Church
Cold Springs, Ontario
Homily Selections
Baptism of Jesus
January 10, 2010
Is. 42:1-4, 6-7; Ps. 29; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22Last week Jesus was a mere babe being visited by the Magi and this week he is around 30 years old on the cusp of his public ministry. What gives? Well, both the visit of the Magi and the baptism of Jesus are stories of birth. In the first instance there is the literal birth of a child. Jesus is born to Mary and Joseph and is visited by both shepherds and the Magi. But what of Jesus and his Baptism? This is a metaphorical birth… the AHA moment that Germaine spoke of last week where thought and action are integrated.
The readings today prepare us for a slightly different perspective when thinking about Jesus and his Baptism. Isaiah tells us that a non- violent person has been chosen who will bring about social justice. In the book of Acts, as the writer looks back on the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, we are reminded that Jesus had a relationship with God and that it is out of this relationship that Jesus healed and connected with all people.
So often we read our bible, we think that it was so easy for this prophet or that leader imagining that God provides super human powers to biblical heroes and heroines. Being a leader often calls people to walk a lonely journey. Leaders may be surrounded by people but their vision and vocation of service results in distance from those people whom they love the most. As we pause today and reflect on the Baptism of Jesus, we see the importance of a public ritual that witnesses the beginning of a public journey grounded in relationship with God, deep compassion for the community and finally the struggle of letting go of how family, culture and religion call each of us to respond. What symbol comes to mind when we image these forces or tensions? It is that of the cross. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest in New Mexico puts it this way: the horizontal arms of the cross are the two sides of every dilemma; the vertical line is the third way, and the way through. We are called to hold these three directions in tension.
As I reflected this week on what Jesus was being called to, I started to wonder about the 21st century and the models for social justice that portray the real difficulty for leaders today. If we examine the context of our modern and postmodern world in light of Jesus’ call to ministry, we begin to squirm. Squirming is a good activity; it indicates that our conscience is connecting to the struggle of social justice and can be a precursor to action.
So this morning I want to introduce you briefly to three stories that I encountered over the holidays that have increased my awareness of the human condition, the struggle for justice and how ordinary people make a difference in the world. Each of these stories is true and reflects the struggle or journey of individuals as they look at and respond to events in the world. What one is struck by is how each of these people has an alternate vision of their community, their country or politics and how each person responds to what they see and how their responses cause change. Their awareness and actions cause each of them to let go, to begin a journey that is at times lonely but ultimately each person will change the lives of others and be changed in the process.
Invictus is a movie that portrays the struggle of Nelson Mandela as he assumes power as President of South Africa. As Mandela attempts to deal with crime and unemployment following the abolition of apartheid, he watches a rugby game and sees clearly how divided his country has become. The rugby team is mostly white with the exception of one black player. For South Africans, the national rugby team represents apartheid. The Springbok rugby team has no support among black citizens. After watching a national rugby match, Mandela envisions how rugby can unite the people of South Africa. Mandela gets no support from his family, from his political allies or from his supporters. In fact everyone thinks that he is crazy. He, as a black man, begins a lonely journey to bring about change that involves meeting the white captain of the rugby team which begins the process that will bring about some unity in the country. The rugby team captain faces jeering and derision as he leads his team to go out to poor black communities and teach children rugby skills. The media speaks out against the efforts of Mandela and the efforts of the captain of the rugby team depicting the difficulty in making change.
Another film that depicts the importance of leaders is the film The Blind Side. As I viewed this movie, the words of the first reading of Isaiah this morning that challenges each of “to open the eyes of the blind” resonated in my brain. The Blind Side for those who have yet to see it is the story of an impoverished black teen named Mike Oher. Mike, or Big Mike as he is known due to his size, is teased by his peers and is ignored by the teachers in his school community. Mike becomes homeless and a white woman named Leanne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock) sees this homeless youth walking in the rain and brings him into her home. Leigh Anne becomes an advocate for Mike. Leigh Anne’s support for Mike cause her family to initially shake their heads at her, friends to criticize her and the teachers at the Christian school that Mike attends to view her as a pain in the ass.
Leigh Anne sees what other people are unwilling or unable to see. She sees a young man with strengths, with abilities and with possibility. Our heroine marshals her environment to provide opportunities and support for Mike and in so doing changes her own family. Leigh Anne challenges gender roles, racism and poverty to bring about change in her southern world. Her efforts in social justice help her to grow. As I reflect on the ministry of Jesus, I am left wondering how his encounters with the Holy Spirit at his Baptism and the many encounters with both Jews and Gentiles challenged him to grow in his ministry. How was Jesus changed by his life work?
Finally I want to talk a little about two books written by Greg Mortenson. He is the author of Three Cups of Tea, a book that has been featured on the best seller shelves of book stores and his latest book Stones into Schools. Greg’s training is in nursing, his hobby was mountain climbing and his passion was to help people. Greg’s work has been primarily in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. If you are unfamiliar with this author, Greg builds schools for children with a special focus on educating girls. His work is based on the African proverb, “If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; if you teach a girl, you educate a community”. In light of the war in Afghanistan, Greg’s work and philosophy really spoke to me. In reading Mortenson’s latest book Stones into Schools, Greg’s message is that “the conflict in Afghanistan will ultimately not be won with war and air strikes but with books, notebooks and pencils, the tools of socio economic well- being”. Greg has had to struggle against political policies, tradition, gender, religion and corruption. Like Jesus, Greg has built relationships with individuals, families, politicians and communities to bring about change. His work is changing the lives of girls and women and in so doing affecting all life within Afghanistan. Greg’s philosophy is about empowerment. Schools are built as far from civilization as possible at what Greg calls the “end of the road”. He gets help and education to those who need it the most, through support encourages these projects and people to become self sustaining and stands back allowing NGO’s and governments to move toward these isolated schools and projects. This echoes Gary’s approach to St. Bonaventure. This is a radical approach.
It is so easy to read Scripture and allow our Trinitarian God to remain within the pages of our Bible. The Bible is a living book that challenges us to look at our world with the eyes of humility, mercy and justice. Our God understands the challenges that are fraught in bringing about and responding to injustice. Mandela, Leigh Anne Tuohy and Greg Mortenson are all individuals who have struggled to bring abut peace, equality and justice in the world. It seems as though they have struggled with the tension of how to bring about change in the world and have chosen what Rohr refers to as the third way. Whether it is faith, religion or connection with the Other, they have cultivated their ability to see and capacity to act. Today I wanted to share their stories with you as a way of extending our own baptismal call to bring light to all corners of the world.
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