“Man is not there to make himself but to respond to demands made upon him”
“A man ought not, therefore, just figure out what he would like but to ask what he can do and how he can help”
– from the meditations of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Hello everyone! I am currently on Day 2 ( actually 1 and 1/2) of my Philippine trip 🙂
On my trip, I noticed that there was always a huge contrast in what I was seeing. For instance, while riding inside my aunt’s car, I would look outside the window and see a really rich area; five seconds later, the area would transform from extremely rich to extremely poor and so on. Seeing such contrast made the harsh living situation of some of these people so much more apparent. In seeing this, I felt extremely sorry for them. However, I began to gravitate these thoughts towards myself:
“I hope I never end up in this kind of living area.”
“I’m so scared that I might end up in a place like this one day. Who knows?”
I could have easily kept those people in my thoughts and my prayers. However, I chose to skew what I had witnessed and made it about myself.
I find that it is always so easy to fall under the trap of selfishness and self absorption. For myself, I’ve always thought that I was being empathetic whenever I tried to place myself in the shoes of another. However, I realized that I was always missing the most crucial step. True empathy and compassion is not only about simply placing one’s self in the shoes of another and understanding their situation; it is about taking it one step further and thinking about what we can do for the sake of those presented to us by God. As difficult as it may be, I pray that I can follow the path of true selflessness.
Dear Lord, I hope that, in my own journey of discernment, I can find the purpose of my own vocation and discover where I can be of true service to you and your people.