20210607 EMPATHY AND COMPASSION
First reading |
2 Corinthians 1:1-7 © |
God comforts us so that we can console others
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, one of the brothers, to the church of God at Corinth and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow. When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 33(34):2-9 © |
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
The humble shall hear and be glad.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
The angel of the Lord is encamped
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:12a |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad:
your reward will be great in heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 5:1-12 © |
How happy are the poor in spirit
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle:
they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:
they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers:
they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.’
EMPATHY AND COMPASSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 CoR 1:1-7; Ps 34:2-9; Mt 5:1-12]
Why is there so much evil, injustices, war, persecution and selfishness in the world? The root cause is man’s lack of empathy and therefore compassion for his fellowmen. In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord reiterated the Golden Rule in His own way when He said, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Mt 7:12) Confucius had put it negatively when he taught, “Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you.” But both have the same principle, which is to begin with ourselves. If we are in touch with our humanity, we will conduct ourselves accordingly. This is because as human beings we have the same desires, the same aspirations and the same needs. We all desire peace, unity, love, joy, comfort and security. We seek meaning, purpose and God who can fulfill our hearts.
So what is preventing us from being in touch with our own humanity, our desires, struggles and pains? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that only the poor in spirit can enter the kingdom of heaven. Being poor in spirit simply means that we are conscious of our inadequacies and our poverty. We are humble and know that whatever we have comes from the grace of God. Those who are poor tend to feel with those who are poor. When they become rich, they are more generous with their abundance. Many become philanthropists when they do well in life and seek to uplift the lives of their fellowmen. Whereas those who have plenty in their life will find it difficult to identify with the suffering, the struggles and the anxieties of the ordinary man and woman who live each day from hand to mouth. This also explains why poor people tend to have greater faith in God, and religion is important to them, for without God, they would have lost all hope in life. In an affluent country, people who are self-sufficient do not really need God because they believe they can look after themselves and supply all their needs, until the day they begin to experience the meaninglessness and emptiness of life notwithstanding their wealth, power and fame.
Secondly, what hinders us from identifying with our fellowmen is our pride. “Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.” Many of us lack gentleness in dealing with others, especially those who are suffering or those who have failed in life or sinned against us and God. We tend to be judgmental in our minds, harsh with our words, and merciless in our actions. When we overreact to situations, get angry easily at injuries done to us, it is because of our selfishness. We are thinking about ourselves and not feeling with those who fail in life. This explains why when a man lacks self-control, he tends to say what he feels or thinks without being sensitive to the feelings of others. Gentleness, therefore, is the by-product of humility. When we are humble, we are conscious of our own ignorance, weakness and needs. When we become sensitive to the feelings of others, we are gentle with our words and actions. This is because we care for them and take their feelings and their pains seriously, as if they are our own.
Thirdly, what hinders us from exercising compassion is our inability to mourn for our sins and the sins of others. When one is in mourning, one goes through a period of grieving that brings much heartache and sorrow to the heart. Only those of us who grief can feel with those who are grieving. If we have not had a failed relationship, a betrayal, a bereavement of someone we love dearly, we cannot feel with them. To mourn means that we are capable of entering into the sorrows of our fellowmen, their pains and struggles, even those who are sinners and offenders. Many of us are so absorbed by our ambition, attached to the pleasures of life, that like the rich man, we are oblivious to those who are hungry, who are suffering and marginalized.
This explains why the more intensely we are able to identify with those who suffer, the more our hearts will be broken, and the more compassionate we become. But this mourning has to begin with ourselves, being sorry for our sins, negligence and hard-heartedness for others. Unless we are sorry for our sins and seek forgiveness, we will not be able to experience the joy of being forgiven, the joy of being understood and the joy of being loved. When we see God’s love for us in Christ, we will feel forgiven and in turn we will be able to share the same love and forgiveness we have received from Him. This was how St Paul felt when the Lord forgave Him for His sins. In today’s first reading, he himself understood how gentle God was towards him and how He felt for him and for the Christians who were persecuted by him. Jesus appeared to Paul and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) Jesus grieved for him and His church. That was what changed the heart of Saul, from one of persecution to sorrow and compassion because he realized he was not just killing the Christians but hurting the Lord.
Indeed, as the Lord said, “Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.” When we feel with the sufferings of others, we go through what they are going through. This is also why the Lord in the same vein also said, “Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.” When we identify with another person, feel and think with him, then we can embrace his pain as our own. This will make us less judgmental because we will be able to understand the inner struggles of the person, the circumstances why the person acted in that manner. When we do not know the person, we tend to judge from facts. But God judges not just by what we do, but why we do what we do, and what made us do it.
We could be ignorant like Paul when he persecuted the Christians. With gratitude, Paul said, “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 1:12-15) We could be under some kind of addiction, whether sexual, gambling, smoking, drinking due to circumstances. This is why when we visit prisoners and those who have offended others in life, hearing their stories, we will feel for the oppressors as much as we feel for the victims because like Christ, we will say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34)
Truly, St Paul in the first reading understood why he was called to share in the suffering of Christ. “Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.” He was conscious that the Lord chose him to be the instrument for the salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 9:15) but not without suffering for and with Him. (Acts 9:16) St Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves.” Indeed, he made it clear that “when we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations.” St Paul knew that the comfort he received from God was not for himself but for the sake of others. The comfort we receive from God is not for ourselves but to equip us for the service of others. Suffering and consolation are meant to give us encouragement so that we can minister to others who are suffering for the sake of the gospel. God does not deliver us from our suffering but He promised us His help and assistance. For through our suffering with Christ, we learn to identify with Him and our brothers and sisters and so bring comfort and healing to them. What we need is not deliverance from suffering but encouragement! For only through suffering, can we learn kindness, compassion and faith.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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