Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome to day four of Towards the Light,
An advent journey.
And today we're going to reflect on empathy as we wait.
Waiting can feel so personal,
Can't it?
It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own longings,
Our own need for answers or peace.
But look closer.
The world around you is filled with others who are also waiting.
Others who are carrying burdens,
Longing for healing and hoping for light.
The Teresa of Avila reminds us,
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
No hands but yours,
No feet but yours,
End quote.
What does it mean to be Christ's hands and feet in this season of advent,
Of waiting?
It means seeing beyond your own story to notice someone else's.
It means being present for someone whose load feels too heavy to bear alone.
Let me share this short passage from the 12th chapter of St Paul's Epistle to the Romans.
Starting in verse nine,
Paul writes the following.
Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil,
Cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honour one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervour serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope,
Patient in affliction,
Faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord's people who are in need,
Practise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
Bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible,
As far as it depends on you,
Live at peace with everyone.
Do not take revenge,
My dear friends,
On the contrary.
If your enemy is hungry,
Feed them.
If they are thirsty,
Give them something to drink.
Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.
End quote.
You see,
Empathy doesn't solve the waiting.
It doesn't erase the ache.
But it holds space for another person in ways that whispers,
You are not alone.
In this shared waiting,
This shared advent,
We reflect the heart of Christ,
A heart that comes alongside us even in the silence,
Even in the stillness.
Paul,
In writing to the Galatian church,
Said,
Carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
I wonder,
Who around you might need their burden lightened today?
It could be a kind word,
A listening ear or a quiet prayer offered on their behalf.
Small gestures,
Yes,
But significant ones.
And here's the beauty of compassion.
In offering it,
We find our own waiting is transformed.
When we hold someone else's story alongside our own,
Our perspective shifts.
Our waiting becomes a place of connection,
Of shared humanity,
Of hope.
So today,
May you see those who wait beside you with eyes of compassion.
May you open your heart to carry a burden that isn't your own.
May you offer a word,
A gesture or a prayer that reminds someone they're not waiting alone.
May you,
In the midst of your own longing,
Reflect the steadfast love of Christ to those around you.
May you find,
In giving,
That your own waiting is filled with deeper meaning and unexpected grace.
And may that grace,
That hope and that love go with you into your Advent.
Today,
As we end this reflection together,
I invite you to have a look at Galatians 6.
2 and Romans 12.
15 again,
And ponder this question.
How can you bring light to someone else's waiting today?
Go in peace,
My friends.
Until tomorrow,
Bye for now.
