Friday, November 23, 2018

The Stirring of Compassion


I’ve started seeing posts of a new kitten on my brother Greg’s Facebook page. Once again when Greg was leaving work late at night, a mewling waif melted his heart and now has a new home, with one canine and four feline siblings.

We never know what is going to stir our compassion—a stray cat, a tender scene in a movie, an encounter with a homeless person, an elder struggling with diminished eyesight. Such moments connect us directly with God, whose compassion is boundless. Unlike God, we tend to guard our hearts to avoid the sorrow of seeing other beings suffer, which is understandable, given our human limitations. However, although we can’t ease the hardships of every being we encounter, we can acknowledge their dignity as God’s beloved and steer them toward people who can help them when we can’t. God bless those who build no-kill animal shelters and tiny houses for homeless veterans, who make films that stir our empathy and who read to persons with failing eyesight!

We are called to be compassionate as our God is compassionate. That’s a tall order, but the smallest effort on our part leads us to the heart of God, that mysterious place where nothing is impossible and all are welcome.

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