Reflection for December 3
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been three days with nothing to eat.”
With these words, Jesus invites us to “see more clearly,” not so much with our eyes but with our hearts, the true source of mercy and compassion.
To see more clearly is to open our hearts and minds to those suffering around us, not just the hungry, but all people who live on the margins and are rejected because of race, status as a refugee or migrant, physical and mental disability, sexual orientation, and those living in poverty.
Fr. Terry’s monthly visit to ImmaCare, Inc. to feed men who are homeless and hungry is an excellent example of seeing with the heart.
On a grander scale, I believe that the World Central Kitchen, founded by Jose Andres, is a living embodiment of Christ’s mercy. Seeing the starving children in Gaza is profoundly heart-breaking. Although non-religious and apolitical, the World Central Kitchen courageously provides hundreds of thousands of meals to starving children, with the hope of reaching one million people a day.
The essence of a truly Christian life is one in which compassion is both the means and the end to a fulfilled humanity.
Jim Malley