Bible readings: Colossians 3:12-17; Psalm 150; Luke 6:27-38
In the first reading of today, St Paul gives us some very wise and practical counsels. What is often referred to as paraenesis that is “Moral exhortations.” Each of the virtues he encourages us to cultivate expresses themselves in relationships. A significant measure of our Christian life is found simply in how we treat people and the quality of our relationships with them.
Today, let’s look at the virtue of compassion. St Paul says you should be clothed in sincere compassion. In the Gospel also, Jesus says “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.”
Every one of us is called to reflect the compassionate heart of the Father. How?
- By sharing in the suffering of those who suffer.
To be compassionate is allowing oneself to be moved by the suffering of others.
Etymologically, compassion is derived from a conglomerate of two Latin words cum (with) and passio or patior (suffering). Compassion is to suffer with. Something like empathy, to put oneself in the situation of others.
Many times when we hear people suffering or something painful happens to others, we just express a fleeting pity or we are even indifferent as long as it doesn’t affect us directly, we just wish they cope and handle their plight and we move on with our lives. God wants us to be moved by the plights and predicaments of others as if they are out predicaments too.
- By being helpful.
Compassion is not just an emotion but it reaches its completion in concrete action. We don’t just pity or sympathise with people and move on, we need to ask, what can we do to help them. We need to ask ourselves if I am in this situation, what will I expect people to do for me, and then we should do the same for others. Compassion is going out of our comfort to be there for others in difficult situations.
- By being merciful.
To be compassionate is to be merciful to others. To be merciful in our dealings with others. To be merciful implies being kind, forgiving and treating people better than they deserve, it is tempering justice with charity. It is treating people as we want to be treated, loving people as we want to be loved; it is caring about the feelings of others and trying not to hurt people unnecessarily.
As we go about the activities of today, let us remember to put on compassion and allow it to influence what we think of others, say of others and do to others.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on September 9, 2021