Compassion

As Christians focus on humility during Lent, they are drawn to emulate Jesus whose humility is perhaps most striking in the manger and on the cross. Both the Incarnation and the Crucifixion of our Lord stand as supreme examples of humility. Both inspire us to stoop lower, to give more and to not grasp what we think we are entitled to hold. Underlying both of the above manifestations of utter Divine humility is unreserved Divine compassion. Jesus became human because He loved us enough to want to share in our pain. He trampled death by death and gave us life that we desired but could not obtain. As we emulate His humility we must emulate His compassion. Here is what Nouwen says about compassion in today's reading:

"Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human..."