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Bishop Héctor A.Burgos Núñez’s Advent Message
December 2, 2025 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following Advent message was shared with United Methodists in Susquehanna and Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A.Burgos Núñez.
Greetings in the name and with the love of our Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ.
I am Héctor Burgos Núñez, resident bishop for United Methodists in the Susquehanna and Upper New York Conferences.
Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year and centers the church on hope—remembering Christ’s birth, awaiting his return, and recognizing Christ’s presence in our lives today.
Advent is not a mere countdown to Christmas.
Advent is about God entering the world’s brokenness with empathy and compassion.
Lately, many have asked whether empathy is a Christian value.
The Advent season answers clearly: YES.
Sympathy says, “I see your pain.”
Empathy says, “I share in your pain.”
Sympathy acknowledges suffering and can open the door to care.
But when sympathy is distorted, it becomes an excuse—“That’s your journey, not mine”—and betrays the gospel, reversing our Advent hope.
Empathy is the door to compassion – and hope.
Compassion says, “I see your pain, I feel it with you, and I must do something about it.”
That is what God did in Christ. “The Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14)—that is, incarnation; that is, empathy made flesh.
Jesus listened, touched, wept, crossed boundaries to affirm dignity, and gave himself up so we might know liberation, healing, and wholeness.
Empathy shapes our discipleship.
It enables us to live into God’s command to love our neighbors as Jesus loves us in concrete ways, and makes our congregations places where people feel seen, heard, welcomed, and valued.
Empathy helps us cross social, cultural, and generational boundaries in pursuit of wholeness.
Without empathy, leadership becomes technical and manipulative rather than transformative.
There are realities in our communities that demand empathy, compassion, and action:
Gun violence that devastates families;
racial injustice that wounds and divides;
immigration struggles that leave children and parents in fear;
prejudice that excludes and dehumanizes;
economic inequality that traps full‑time workers in poverty;
a climate crisis that makes creation groan;
mental health struggles where isolation cries out for presence.
These are not problems for sympathy alone. They require feeling with and acting alongside those who suffer.
Also, many in our communities carry a deeper burden: a sense of hopelessness that drains the spirit and narrows the future.
That hopelessness cannot be solved by policy alone or by good intentions. It is a spiritual and communal wound that only the hope of Christ can begin to heal.
Advent proclaims that God enters our despair, brings light into our darkness, and restores the possibility of life renewed through Jesus Christ.
Scripture calls us to this life.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
“Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”
And Paul reminds us to “bear one another’s burdens”— because that is how we fulfill the law of Christ.
This Advent, and every day, be ambassadors of Emmanuel—God with us.
Pray for God’s empathy to shape your heart and your congregation.
Let your church be a place that not only acknowledges pain but enters into it, stands with the suffering, and works for justice and healing.
May the hurts of our neighbors move us—not to despair, but to faithful action that proclaims and embodies God’s liberating love.
May the blessing of God—our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer—be upon you and remain with you this day and always.
Share this message with someone who needs hope and encouragement, and thanks for the many ways you make the love of Jesus Christ visible and tangible in your community.
Have a blessed Advent, a joy‑filled Christmas, and a hopeful New Year.
Peace of God be with you. Paz de Dios.