# The Ministry of Being With Others
*2016-12-03*

> Bill Young reflects on the Advent theme of being present with those in need, especially child soldiers, and shares insights from Father Henry J. M. Newman on the true meaning of Christian ministry.

## A Prayer for Child Soldiers

Before we begin, I want to draw our attention to a prayer Pope Francis has asked us to keep this December: pray for child soldiers. It is hard to imagine children holding guns and being forced into battle; the Pope calls this a new form of slavery that affects children worldwide. Let us lift them up in prayer, asking God to bring them peace, to put down their weapons, and to give them the chance to go to school and know the love of Christ.

## Scripture Reading: Psalm 91:15

Our meditation today is rooted in Psalm 91:15: “When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.” This verse reminds us that God’s promise is to be present with those who are suffering.

## The Ministry of Being With Others

Father Henry J. M. Newman explains that Jesus did not conduct a ministry of diagnoses and prescriptions; He simply shared what was already in His heart. Anyone who touched Him was healed. The incarnation—Emmanuel, “God with us”—means that the very first act of God’s love is to be present with people.

Compassion, from the Latin *compati*, means “to suffer with.” It calls us to enter the vulnerable places of others, not to fix them, but to be with them. This is the priesthood of Jesus, who, having experienced every aspect of humanity, became the ultimate High Priest of compassion.

Jesus spent thirty years living a humble life in a small village before His public ministry began. Even then, His ministry was not limited to three years of preaching; it was a lifelong sharing of life with the sick, the dying, and all who are in need. When we dare to be present in others’ weakness, we encounter a profound joy—the mystery of the mystery.

## Who Needs Our Presence Today?

Father Henry invites us to ask ourselves: Who most needs me to simply be with them today? Perhaps a sick friend, a lonely elderly neighbor, or a young person feeling unwanted. Let us pray for those specific people and also for the children forced into soldiering, that they may be freed from this slavery and find a path toward God.

*True Christian ministry is less about solving problems and more about being present with those who suffer.*