EMPATHY

I especially remember one night, when I was a child, that my mother served us the table, after a hard day's work. That night, she put a plate of cold cuts and some toast burned in front of my father. I remember waiting a little, to see if dad noticed that fact. All my father did was take his toast, smile and ask me what my day at school had been like. I do not remember what I answered, but I remember watching him smearing the toast with butter and jelly and savoring each bite. When I got up from the table that night, I heard Mama apologizing for burning the toast.

Source

I never forgot Dad's answer "dinner was delicious".

Later, when I went to kiss Dad goodnight, I asked him if he really liked those toasts.

He took me in his arms and said: "Son, your mother had a very heavy day of work and she was really tired ... Besides that, a burnt toast does not hurt anyone. Nor am I the best husband, the best cook, not even the best father, even if I try to be every day. "

I have learned over the years that knowing how to accept others' faults and minimize differences is one of the most important keys to creating healthy and lasting relationships. People will forget what you do to them or what you tell them, but they will never forget the way in which you made them feel.

Empathy is feeling the same as the other, getting into the other and letting the other get into us. Timoteo says: "in recent times there will be no empathy," there will be more narcissistic and more psychopathic people (they reify the other).

Empathy sets the stage for God's miracle. Jesus one day said to his disciples: "Give them you to eat", he had empathy, he felt the hunger of those people. When the widow was going to bury her son, Jesus saw her and stopped the coffin and ordered the young man to get up. He saw that woman's heart, felt her pain and felt her sadness.

What is not empathy:

"I suffer more than you": that is not empathy is manipulation (he says: "I can not stand that you suffer more than me).

"I help you more than what you help": he cares more about the subject of the other, about what the other has to take care of, that is demand. Try to control that by doing more things.

"I feel you do not understand me": they do not have self-criticism, that I am expressing myself badly that I would have to change.

"I do not care about others": the narcissist does not have empathy "because there is only him". They make a catharsis, externalize their emotions "are discharged with others". Invasion: they tell you things that do not interest you.

What is empathy?

Feel what the other feels and act intelligently. The Samaritan who helped the one who had been robbed and beaten "was moved to mercy": that is empathy.

Jesus was telling this story to a Pharisee and when Jesus asked him: "Who do you think was the neighbor of the one who fell into the hands of robbers?" The Pharisee could not even name him (because he was a Samaritan) only said: " who used mercy. "

The man who had been mistreated came from Jerusalem and descended to Jericho which is 30 kilometers below. He came to worship and then meet the difficulty.

Never go to battle if you did not first start looking for the Lord, praying and reading the Word of God.

The man sought God first and the Samaritan helped him. The devil is going to come to steal the promises that are what give you the blessings; If your car is stolen, the promises will return it to you again, that will happen, as long as the devil does not steal your promises.

Never respond to the scenario of bad people, they prepare it to hurt you. You have to change the scenario: "we'll talk soon" even if they say: "not tomorrow" because bad people prepare the stage for tomorrow. Those who insult by email is because they do not dare to do it face to face.

The man's clothes were stolen and he was beaten. When they rob you first they hit you, here it was the other way around. Because your clothes are your consecration to God, you do not have to let the devil steal your consecration to God.

Psalm 15 says: who will enter your sanctuary? the one with clean hands and a pure heart. Theft brings death, stealing is lack of faith because you do not believe that God can really prosper you.

It is better to not be allowed to enter a place, (you can lie and enter) but to be able to enter the sanctuary of God.

They left him "half dead": the devil always makes a mistake, he does not have the power to kill you, that is if you are still "half alive", that God will use to heal the half dead.

The priests and Levites: they represent those who are full of words and knowledge, but who do not act. "Let us not love in word or language but in fact and in truth."

The Samaritan bandaged the wounds of man: we are called to alleviate the pain of our neighbor, with words of validation and with actions of love. He put it on the horse: never put people on top of you, if he carried it on his men they would both die. Do not stand on anyone's shoulders, cast yourself on the Holy Spirit. He took him to the inn, to the hotel: as if you were taking him to church, we are to finish helping the one who is destroyed. There are always going to be people who are hurt, and there is always going to be someone who embraces and caresses him.