Reverend Gail today uses the story of Jesus in the Garden when he asked his apostles to 'stay awake with me' while he went through the hell of suffering about his upcoming betrayal, arrest and execution. And yet the disciples feel asleep three times, being of no help to their distraught teacher.
Gail then applies this to our daily lives in that we need to stay awake or present when anyone we encounter is going through such hell. We tend to 'fall asleep' in various ways to the other's plight: Trying to fix the problem; offering advice on what to do; setting them straight on what's right; running away to avoid it etc. The moral of the story is that sometimes we just need to stay present with the sufferer, to open and listen, to just offer our empathy, kindness and acceptance.
Gail of course goes into more detail in the homily and connects far more to our hearts than the short introduction above. I encourage the small investment of time to watch it below.
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