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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me remember to pray for other people's worries as I pray about my own! Amen.

"Father," Jesus prayed, "I'm praying that my followers will be as close to you as I am, that we'll all be one. I wish that they will be in heaven with me, and that they'll love each other as much as you love me."

"Empathy" means understanding what other people are going through. When you're empathetic, you care about kids who are transferring to a new school, even if you don't know them well. Empathy means being gentle with someone when you know he or she is dealing with a lot of emotions, whether that's because final exams are coming, friendships are changing or a favorite stuffed animal got lost.

Jesus, in this week's Gospel (John 17:20-26), is a good example of being empathetic. He's got His own problems -- He's about to be crucified and He knows it -- but He's also concerned about His friends, and He takes the time to pray for them.

It's easy to feel like your own struggles are worse than anyone else's. You can't hear every thought that's going through a friend's mind, but you know every detail of your own worries. It's common to get distracted by that and not be empathetic.

Jesus showed us empathy. He didn't get so wrapped up in His friends' problems that He ignored what He had to do in the world, but He did pray for His friends.

Jesus' prayer also showed what He hoped His friends would do: Pray themselves. Jesus was so close to God the Father that He knew things would turn out OK. He wanted everyone else to feel sure about that, too.

This is a busy time of year. Don't be too busy to be empathetic. While you're praying about your struggles and worries, pray for your friends. If Jesus could find the time for that, so can everyone else![[In-content Ad]]

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