Hurt, pain, & suffering, these are things that nobody likes to face. We try to avoid them as part of the human condition but also know that they are unavoidable. At any given moment there are people in my life who are experiencing those feelings. So what can I do to help to heal them? Furthermore, how can I help to heal them when I am dealing with my own feelings of hurt, pain, or suffering?
Our second reading this week from Corinthians gives us the answer:
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality
your abundance at the present time should supply their needs,
so that their abundance may also supply your needs,
that there may be equality.
Corinthians 8: 13-14
I read as simply, be there when they need me to. I am often so worried about trying to have the right answers or knowing what to say, that I forget that just being there for someone… offering words of comfort, a warm embrace, and listening ear is often all that person needs. We call that “Ministry of Presence.”
Who in your life needs that Ministry of Presence this week?