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Compassion
Opening Prayer: As we gather in the presence of Holy Mystery, we open our hearts to be further inspired by last week’s Upper Room reflections on the gifts of oneness, joy, and peace. These are difficult times when inhumanity surrounds us. May we hear the voice of Divine Wisdom to acquire a better understanding on how to create a more compassionate and loving world that values dignity and justice. May we also find strength and courage in the support we give to each other. Amen.
Opening Song: Come, Be In Our Hearts – Sara Thomsen
Readings: From the Center for Action and Contemplation, citing Ilia Delio’s book: Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis.
Reading 1: Compassion stems from knowing that that we belong to one another:
“I think our greatest fear is our deepest desire: to love and to be loved. We long to be for another and to give ourselves nobly to another, but we fear the cost of love. Deep within we yearn for wholeness in love. But to become more whole in love, we must accept our weaknesses and transcend our limits of separation in order to unite in love. We long for oneness of heart, mind and soul, but we fear the demands of unity. Sometimes I think we choose to be alone because it is safe. To be comfortable in our isolation is our greatest poverty.
Compassion transcends isolation because the choice ‘to be’ for another is the rejection of being alone. The compassionate person recognizes the other as part of oneself in a way that is mystical and ineffable. It is not a rational caring for another but a deep identification with the other as brother and sister.” [1]
(pause)
Reading 2: Compassion nourishes our interconnectedness with each other and the earth:
“We must seek to unite—in all aspects of our lives—with one another and with the creatures of the earth. Such union calls us out of isolated existences into community. We must slow down, discover our essential relatedness, be patient and compassionate toward all living creatures, and realize that it is a shared planet with finite resources. We are called to see and love in solidarity with all creation. Only in this way can the earth enjoy justice and peace which means right, loving relations with the natural world of God’s good creation.
Compassion requires a depth of soul, a connectedness of soul to earth, an earthiness of person to person, and a flow of love from heart to heart.” [2]
(pause)
Reading 3: Recognizing our relatedness creates space within us that we wouldn’t otherwise find and opens a deeper capacity to love:
“Compassion is realized when we know ourselves related to one another, a deep relatedness of our humanity despite our limitations. It goes beyond the differences that separate us and enters the shared space of created being. To enter this space is to have space within ourselves, to welcome into our lives the stranger, the outcast, and the poor.
Love is stronger than death and the heart that no longer fears death is truly free. Compassion flourishes when we have nothing to protect and everything to share. It is the gravity of all living beings that binds together all that is weak and limited into a single ocean of love.
We have the capacity to heal this earth of its divisions, its wars, its violence, and its hatreds. This capacity is the love within us to suffer with another and to love the other without reward. Love that transcends the ego is love that heals. When we lose ourselves for the sake of love, we shall find ourselves capable of real love.” [3]
Pause for Silent Reflection
Prayers of Petition
Compassionate Creator, teach us to embody empathy and compassion as St. Francis did. Hear our prayer.
Compassionate Creator, may we find joy in serving with a simple and loving spirit. Hear our prayer.
Compassionate Creator, help us to see the beauty in oneness that unites every soul so that we may respond with kindness and understanding. Hear our prayer.
Please feel free to offer an intention that you may have on this day.
Closing Song: Coming Together by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/N9HDjzi-Q5c?si=xQhHj84UezInyPc9
References:
Compassion Through Connection – Center for Action and Contemplation (Sep 21, 2023). https://cac.org/daily-meditations/compassion-through-connection-2023-09-21/
Reading Excerpts are from:
[1] Delio. I. (2011). Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press; xvi.
[2] Ibid, 113
[3] Ibid, 126
Image – taken from a retreat proceeding by Ilia Delio
Prayers of Petition: adapted from Paul Lipowski, Jan 27, 2025. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/pausepray/compassion-and-empathy/
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