Manifest great sensitivity to the needs of others,
it is good to listen, to have a heart, to empathize.
Emphaty leads to healing and
Time to heal is of essence.
It is good to be open to people’s groans
and to hear out their complaints.
Humanity makes you feel the pains
and discomforts of other people.
However, know how to discern and discriminate:
when to stop and listen, and when to move on;
where to listen, and where not to listen;
whom to listen to, and whom not to listen to.
Seek one approval:
God’s and not men’s.
When you wake up in the morning,
find a quiet place to spend with God.
As we prepare to meet different persons every day, let us make it a part of our morning prayers to ask for God’s wisdom in all our encounters. Yes, we should have a preferential love for the poor and the needy, but we should also know that the poor and the needy can be manipulative, demanding and unreasonable. Our charity should not create in us and in them a culture of dependency.
Reflection Question:
What practical measures do you use to put limits to your involvement with people’s concern?
Do you maintain a healthy balance between your public and private lives, between your ministry and your need for solitude?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to be sensitive to my own need for solitude and self-care. Help me to find my own nourishment in You because only then will I be able to effectively care for the people You send to me.
Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP
