01/03/2021 Monday of Lent Week 2
Remember Luke 6:36-38 Reach out
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves;
do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves;
…grant pardon, and you will be pardoned.
…The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.
Reflect God: the supreme empath
A compassionate or empathetic person
has the ability to sense another’s emotions.
They have the ability to imagine
what they might be thinking or feeling.
They can reach out beyond their own needs or suffering.
They take time and energy to reach out and enter into another’s fear, pain, joy, fear or excitement.
They help us carry our daily crosses because they are compassionate and caring of us.
They bring hope to us on our journey in life.
As Jesus did in his day
There was no feeling, no mood, joy or sorrow
too big or small for him to enter.
Close your eyes, turn to Him, call to him, trust him, wait for him –
He will come and often when we least expect.
A Modern day example Nelson Mandela (1918-99AD)
Nelson Mandela 1918-99AD was an anti-apartheid activist, and leader of the African National Congress’s armed wing ‘Umkhonto we Sizwe’. The South African courts convicted Mandela on charges of sabotage. He served 27 years in prison, many of these years on Robben Island. There he realized something very important. He realized that he needed to reach out to his prejudiced enemies from his own inner strength and understanding.
Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990,
He supported reconciliation and negotiation across South Africa, and helped lead that whole country towards a multi-racial democracy. He was a prophet full of empathy and justice for people, of different colours, classes and creeds. He brought and hope to a dark continent – a light in a dark forrest.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
I’m not you nor Nelson Mandela
but I would like to be empathetic to everyone
to go beyond my own needs and prejudice .
I would like to try harder to reach out to others in their need.
Help me to refocus my heart so that I may be more considerate towards others.
Amen
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