Is compassion for you a fleeting emotion when you see people suffer? Or do you go out and reach out to those who need help? - Daily Reflections July 5,2016

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS

 

How do you visualize Jesus? Would you like to have dinner with Him? Would you feel comfortable sitting together with Him over coffee or tea?

       Many people carry with them the image of a stern-faced, strict Jesus. Yes, He could be strict, especially when He met conservative Pharisees who did not care for others but only their own salvation by keeping all the laws as faithful as possible. But children flocked to Jesus and they would not have done so if He had looked at them with a stern face. No, Jesus was a man of compassion as today’s Gospel passage shows. He was full of compassion for the poor, the sick, the lost. When the evangelists tell us several times that Jesus was “moved with compassion,” it is not just a passing feeling of pity but a strong inner force that drove Him to reach out and help. He did not sit somewhere, waiting for people in need to come to Him. Today’s Gospel mentions that He moved around, went to where those in need were, to meet them where they lived and suffered.

       What Jesus had done, we, His disciples, are tasked to continue. But do we go out like the Lord and search for those who need our help? There is too much complacency among us. Of course, we know that there are countless people who have no homes, with nothing or not enough to eat. Are we moved with compassion and do we reach out like Jesus did? Do we make some effort to leave our comfort zone to get to know those who are lost or in need?

       We need to beware of becoming isolated from people. Certain technological advances can be a hindrance to getting out and being with

people: our television at home and the many programs we love to watch; the pleasant air conditioning; computers with all their information, games and entertainment.

       Remember, Jesus was often moved by compassion when He was among the “multitudes” and “individuals.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Is compassion for you a fleeting emotion when you see people suffer? Or do you go out and reach out to those who need help?

 

Lord, wake me up and give me the courage to make Your compassion felt by suffering people around me. Amen.