Religion in Daily Life

By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min.

http://www.allsaintstorresdale.org

Marlo Thomas is the wife of talk-show host Phil Donahue and daughter of TV legend Danny Thomas. In an article in Parade Magazine (December 1, 2002), Marlo talked about her struggle to become an actress when she was age 17. People kept comparing her to her famous father. One day her father gave her a present. It was a pair of old horse blinders and a note. The note said, “Run your own race, baby.” Those words turned out to be the right words at the right time. Marlo collected stories of such decisive words from friends. She titled her Parade article “The Words We Carry With Us.”

Al Pacino had an acting coach and friend named Charlie Laughton. Charlie saw Al overwhelmed by his success as an actor. The success led Al Pacino into a downward spiral. He started drinking a lot. Charlie made a careful choice of the words he said to his friend. If he had told Al that he belonged in Alcoholics Anonymous, it would have made Al defensive. Instead, Charlie Laughton said to Al Pacino, “I want you to be aware of what you’re doing.” To quote the title of Marlo Thomas’ book, they were “the right words at the right time.” These are the words Al Pacino carries with him.

Jesus of Nazareth carried words with him that were the right words at the right time. When Jesus was about 30 years of age, he left his brothers and sisters and his mother Mary at their home in Nazareth. He traveled the 90 miles to the suburbs of Jerusalem in the south. Jesus chose to identify himself with the movement his cousin John had started. It was a movement for a renewed Israel. As Jesus stepped out of the baptism waters, he experienced a sense of God’s fatherly care for him. He heard the words, “You are my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with you” (Mark 1:11).

Perhaps you carry negative words with you from unthinking parents or cruel teachers. Such a teacher told Muhammad Ali that he’d never amount to anything. After he won the Olympic gold medal, he brought it back to the teacher and said, “Remember me? You said I’d never amount to anything. Well, now I’m something. I’m the greatest” (Parade Magazine, Dec. 1, 2002). Through the ancient scriptures and through the waters of baptism, God says to you the same words he said to Jesus: “You are my son . . . my daughter, whom I love.” What uplifting words for us to carry with us!