09-05-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 5, 2024
At the conferences I am attending in Washington, D.C., a speaker used the phrase: Empathy fatigue. Come to find out, there are those who feel the deep hurt around us, but they do not know how or where to begin helping. They often feel overwhelmed and powerless by the suffering. I think we’ve all been there in one time or another, and there are plenty of situations, both locally and globally, that leave us overwhelmed. Yet I am reminded of Jesus, who talked about the power of a tiny mustard seed or the capacity of a little bit of yeast to do great things. When empathy fatigue begins to gain power, the suffering goes unchallenged. We must believe that even a little empathy, alongside the empathy of others, will begin to make the necessary difference.

Help us, O God of Compassion, to never feel overwhelmed by the suffering or pain in the world around us. Guide us to that mustard seed act that can grow into something powerful and transformative. Amen.