October 16, 2013 WBAS Cat Prayers & Reflections, WBAS Topics Virtues & Values, REL Topic- Virtues/Values, REL Asset - Prayer Card
By: Kathy Hendricks
The nuances in the Gospels are a constant source of intrigue to me, making them treasures that keep unfolding. A case in point is the healing miracle in Mark 7:32-37. In addition to being deaf, the man brought to Jesus also had difficulty speaking. Jesus first led him away from the crowd and then healed him. So taken was I with the miraculous restoration of hearing and speech that I have repeatedly missed the first gesture – sparing the man the embarrassment and confusion of a public spectacle.
I love the empathy that Jesus demonstrated in this account. The healing itself was accompanied by a groan and then the word “Ephphatha” – “be opened.” Some translations use the word “sigh.” Whatever it was, Jesus empathized with the man’s plight. As in other healing miracles, something more than physical restoration was taking place. The plight of those who were disabled and ill, those in grief and desperation, and those subjected to the harsh judgments of others moved Jesus deeply. He understood not only their pain, but also their vulnerability. The latter is key to developing a sense of empathy.
Some studies suggest that empathy surfaces early in our lives. As we grow up, however, this capacity seems to wear out or down. Non-stop exposure to violence in the media numbs us, in time, to the realities of pain and human suffering. Top that with staunch resistance to weakness of any sort, and it’s a recipe for antipathy. Author Rachel Remen writes in her book, My Grandfather’s Blessings, about the medical training she received that stressed invulnerability and stoicism. In a striking example, she relates a story of carrying on her hospital rounds despite a serious leg injury. No one offered to help her and she never thought to ask for it. This doesn’t make for good caregiving, however. As she notes, “In attending to our own capacity to suffer, we can uncover a simple and profound connection between our own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others.” Jesus understood this in the deepest way possible. No wonder he was such a masterful healer.
Bright Ideas
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Read the account of the healing of the deaf man and discuss it with your family or class. Talk about the different ways that Jesus displayed empathy in the account.
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Download my Prayer for Empathy and share it in your parish or home.