When Jesus heard of [John the Baptist's death], he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

On the evening of November 14, 1970, after a loss to East Carolina University, the Marshall University football team, coaches, radio announcer and some alumni were flying home to Huntington, West Virginia. Their plane, shrouded in fog and rain, crashed on final approach, killing everyone on board. Such is the tragedy that was responsible for one of the most difficult rebuilding efforts in the history of modern college football. When Coach Jack Lengyel read of the tragedy, he thought of the pain of the people left behind. He looked at his own children, and eventually told the university president, "When I heard about what had happened, the only thing I could think about was the four of them. I thought about how much they mean to me, and how bad it would hurt if I was to lose them. And I thought, maybe I could help." Jack Lengyel cared about people. As he spoke the words, he had no idea of what the personal cost would be, no idea of the resistance he would receive because of the pain in the town and university, no idea of what it would take to begin again. All he knew was that he cared. And that was enough.

Jesus cared about people. The fact is documented throughout the Gospels. One time in Matthew's Gospel, he had retreated a while to mourn the loss of a friend. But when he saw how the crowds seemed to be searching for something, he left his meditation in order to help them.

The reason for Jesus' involvement with the "vast crowd," and the guiding reason for Jack Lengyel as he accepted the job of football coach of Marshall University, was that of care. Neither Jesus nor Coach Lengyel had any idea of what their care for others might mean: all they knew was that they cared about the people who were hurting, and that was their guide. Their attitude was simply: "Maybe I can do something; maybe I can help ease their pain a little."

Because of Jesus' example, the foundational attitude for a follower of his must be one of caring for others.  We may not know what to do, we may have no idea of the amount of work it will take on our parts, we may not know where to begin, but if we have the attitude of wanting to help others, everything will fall into place. People can accomplish great things if they begin by simply wanting to help others.

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son cared for others. As he did so, he taught us to learn his lesson of caring. Help us to truly care for other human beings, and want to help them in whatever way we can. Be with us, we pray.

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America