There was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders you will not believe." The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, "The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon." The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he and his whole household came to believe.

The movie "The Blind Side" is based on the remarkable true story of the University of Mississippi's and NFL's offensive left tackle Michael Oher and his legal parents, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Michael grew up with his mother in a inner city housing project in Memphis, Tennessee aptly named "Hurt Village." His life was surrounded by violence, drugs, and problems that came with no father-figure in his home. Because of his circumstances, Family Services took control of his life as he was growing up, and he was moved from one foster home to another. He finally made a decision that affected the rest of his life--he decided that being homeless was better than what he had as a foster home teenager. His athletic ability led him to be accepted in a private Christian high school where he met his future legal parents, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Although Michael may never have been able to say it at that time in his life, more than anything in his world he needed the help that the Tuohy family would give him. In particular, he needed the care that Leigh Ann gave him.            

Being a teenager, with the circumstances that were part of his life, Michael Oher was not able to help himself. But he knew enough to know that he had to do something. For him, that was enough. After he had made his decision to leave, thanks to the generosity of others, and in particular of Leigh Anne Tuohy, he could become the successful human being that he became.

There are thousands of human beings who have the initial realization that they absolutely need help and the only thing they can do is open themselves to the possibility that help will come. The Gospel of John contains one such example. The father had a son who was dying--that is the only information the Gospel gives, but it is more than enough to know that the father was in deep pain. He needed the help of someone else--all he could do was present himself to the man he had heard about, Jesus, and let him decide what could happen. Jesus' word saved his son.

There are two lessons here. One is the lesson that the father in the Gospel and Michael Oher give us. The common thread in their action was that they needed help, and they knew that they had to do something. Their situation constitutes an attitude of living. Everyone of us must have the help of others in one way or another and when we realize it, we will look for it. It is the beginning of living well.

The second lesson is supplied by Jesus and Leigh Anne Tuohy, namely, we must respond to a need. Leigh Anne Tuohy could easily have let Michael Oher alone; Jesus could have ignored the royal official. But they did not. They saw the need, and they responded.

Those who need help and those who can help are two sides of the same coin. If we understand that we are part of both, our lives will improve. 

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we know that we often need help from you and others. We also know that if we are your followers, we must care about those who need our help. Give us the grace to ask for help when we need it, and the courage to help others if we can. Be with us, we pray. 

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America