7 July, Tuesday — The compassion of Jesus

Tuesday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

Hos 8:4-7,11-13
Mt 9:32-37

…he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

I am so comforted knowing how compassionate Jesus is. This means he will never leave us to suffer alone or be left “without a shepherd”. He is our eternal shepherd who will do his utter best to keep us safe in his fold, and he will surely answer to our cries if we seek him. Recall the time Jesus wept when Martha came to tell him that her brother Lazarus had died (John 11:35) and even while dying on the cross, he pleaded on the behalf of his persecutors to his Father in heaven to “forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

I know that sometimes we may feel so alone in our problems, worse if we are unable to vocalise them to anyone. We stress and we worry about them alone because we don’t think that anybody will be able to understand what we are going through. Take heart, for Jesus hears us and he knows what’s troubling our hearts. The beautiful part about God is that he loves us so much that he sent his only son Jesus to know and be with us, to experience what we experience – even our sufferings. This is why Jesus has great compassion and is always waiting to help us, if only we know how to ask.

Recall how the leper asked Jesus to heal him, “if you want to, you can cure me” and Jesus’ reply was “Of course I want to!” (Matthew 8:1-4). In fact, he already knows our every pain, hurt and suffering without us having to tell him. But this doesn’t mean that we don’t need to pray or cry out to him. We just need to know how to ask him nicely and humbly. Many of us have been brought up to be self-reliant, to take pride in our own achievements, and the independent self is very much celebrated – so much so that God is often out of the picture. When the problem is deemed small enough or ‘doable’ on our part, we automatically just solve it without thinking twice. But I’ve since learnt to put God first in everything I do. So before I start the day or when I have to make a decision, I often consult Jesus and will ask the Holy Spirit to be my guide and counsel. He is always waiting for us to come to him, to give us a spiritual hug and make us feel better again.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cynthia Chew)

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, please have pity on us and forgive us for the many times we forget to turn to you for help, for fear of asking and even relying on the help of others instead. Your love and compassion knows no limits, may our eyes and hearts be open to be able to see at least a little of that.   

Thanksgiving: Thank you Jesus, for your compassion, patience and tender love, for surely you have heard all our pleas, our sufferings, our worries and have taken pity on us.