Each weekday, Father James Lyons (Wellington) will be helping us reflect on God’s Word while we are in lockdown. What is God saying to us as we globally unite to defeat Covid-19?
TENDERNESS
SETTING: drape the Cross with a white cloth; flowers/greenery with candle
Prayer:
God, tender and merciful,
my life is often ragged and disorganised
and my temper frays so easily.
This time of isolation, of living so unnaturally,
confined to home most of the time,
is not helping, and puts more strain
on nerves and relationships.
I need your tenderness to flood my life
and your mercy to guide me,
that I might be better able to see
the good in myself
and be calm and loving towards all others.
In April 2017, Pope Francis spoke on the TED Talk programme on “The Revolution of Tenderness”. It is easy to find on Google and very worthwhile listening to as part of your prayer.
He uses the Good Samaritan parable to illustrate his understanding of how we must be conscious of those hurting, afraid, abandoned, in difficulty, and reach to where they are. Read: Luke 10:25-37
TENDERNESS, Pope Francis tells us, is using our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, our hands and our hearts to comfort and to tend the needs of others. “Tenderness is the language of children” and develops through the touch, gaze, voice and love of parents. When you watch parents with their child, notice how they place themselves on the same level as the child, matching their talk, trying to see with their eyes… Pope Francis says that’s precisely what God did – coming to us through Jesus, coming to our level…
TENDERNESS grows when you recognise the other as a “you”, and you as a part of “us”.
- Can you find examples to illustrate your own understanding of tenderness?
- How might you show tenderness today, tomorrow?
- How might the present social crisis nurture seeds to grow a “revolution of tenderness”?
Pope Francis shares an Argentine saying: Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach! It causes dizziness, nausea, a false sense of security; you can lose balance and fall. You end up hurting yourself and others. Tenderness is a virtue of the strong.
Christ says: ‘Learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ [Mt 11:29]. If we are constantly upset and impatient with others, we will end up drained and weary. But if we regard the faults and limitations of others with tenderness and meekness, without an air of superiority, we can actually help them and stop wasting our energy on useless complaining. [Pope Francis, Rejoice and Exult, 2018, n.72]
Show affection and concern for the other person. Love surmounts even the worst barriers. If we love someone, or when if we feel loved by them, we can better understand what they are trying to communicate.
[Pope Francis, The Joy of Love, 2016, n.140]
FOR MEDITATION – the tenderness of our God
Hosea 11:1-4
When Israel was a child I loved him
and I called my children out of Egypt.
But the more I called to them, the further they went from me…
I myself taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in my arms.
Yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after them.
I led them with reins of kindness,
with leading strings of love.
When have you experienced tenderness in your own life?
How might you show tenderness in your present situation?
Among the many Gospel passages reflecting tenderness:
Luke 7:11-17 – the widow of Nain
Luke 7:36-50 – the woman anointing Jesus
Luke 13:10-17 – crippled woman healed
John 8:1-11 – the adulterous woman
TENDERNESS PRAYER
He will not break a bruised reed
Or quench a smoldering wick.
[see Isaiah 42;1-4; Matthew 12:18-20]
Tenderness, tolerance, tireless mercy –
these are your marks, O God, and
the qualities brought to life in Jesus.
Such beauty, birthing great hope.
Thank you
for the forgiveness you hold out to me and to everyone;
for the love you have for me and for everyone;
for the time you have for all of us, and
for the time you give us…
May my forgiving and loving
be as yours –
making my time a gift to you,
to serve with
tenderness, tolerance and endless mercy.
Compassionate Companion
you are the parent who cannot forget
the child of her womb
you are the mother hen whose wings
shelter and protect her little ones
you are the eagle that hovers,
keeping safe the fledgling
I entrust myself to you
Compassionate Companion
protector and guide
needful yet hopeful
I am yours
