And he preached saying, 'After me comes the one who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. A sense of belonging to the universe is the hallmark of this experience. For me what I have learned from the Bible and what I have learned in my Psychology texts complement each other. There is no distinction.
Psychologists talk of self-esteem, defenses, true and false selves, transitional space, projections.
Jesus speaks of all the same things using the metaphors of lamps under bushels, mustard seeds, wedding feasts, splinters in the eye and treasures in the ground. In therapy, I feel incredibly honored to share the struggle of those who are groping towards an authentic and spirit-filled engagement with the world and I recognize the labyrinthian twists and turns in their paths because I have been there myself. This brings me to my own story. I found for me that my emotional experience of baptism came in two parts. The lectionary reading for today helped me to recognize that distinction.