Are you moved with compassion?
As we open our hearts to God’s limitless love for all His children, we’re naturally empowered to help others in meaningful ways.
Compassion moves us in a lot of different ways, perhaps especially during the holidays. People volunteer at food banks, donate toys, serve meals in shelters, or carry out other, unseen kindnesses. Acts of kindness bless the giver and the receiver and open the door to the possibility of seeing each other as the Bible indicates Christ Jesus saw people – as whole and well.
More than all else, a compassionate heart longs to heal the woes of others. The Gospel of Mark describes how Jesus responded compassionately when a man suffering from leprosy came to him. The man said, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Then the account tells us, “Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean” (1:40, 41).
It’s fair to ask, “Does my compassion reach far enough to heal?” Compassion that depends on the ups and downs of personal goodness isn’t up to the task. The Bible, however, helps us feel the compassion that moved Jesus, by connecting it to divine Love, the source of love that never runs dry. This tells us about the unity of God, our Father-Mother, and His child, our true spiritual selfhood.
The Gospels show that Jesus saw each individual not as broken or harmed by tough human circumstances, but as beloved, cared for, valued, and embraced by God. It’s the “I will not forget you” kind of compassion, which sees no separation between Father-Mother and child, that brings the transformation of human consciousness needed to cure ills. The Savior healed through his understanding that everyone’s unique spiritual individuality is the perfect likeness of God, our creator. Then the mental chains of sin and disease dropped off from the receptive hearts who came to him for help.
We have the opportunity to practice the Christly compassion Jesus epitomized that leads to healing. We may feel that we have little to give, but we can make a start. Feeling God’s love for us makes us want to share it, just as taking the time to love others teaches us about God’s unbounded love for all. Wanting to help by letting our deepest affection for Love’s children guide us becomes the norm, not the exception, in our days. This is the work of Christ in us, the real man that reflects God’s nature as Truth, Life, and Love.
Mary Baker Eddy followed Christ Jesus closely. She experienced sorrow and want many times in her life and yearned to help anyone who was suffering. But her strength was more than a tender heart. Her inner protest against all that was unlike Love, God, led her to discover Christian Science and its power to regenerate human lives. While healing scores of people of mental, emotional, and physical illnesses, she discovered the rules for Christian compassion and healing.
Mrs. Eddy described one rule this way: “The human affections need to be changed from self to benevolence and love for God and man; changed to having but one God and loving Him supremely, and helping our brother man” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 50).
We, too, must be moved with compassion, because mercy, kindness, justice are always at work in Love’s reflection. It can be hard not to focus on what we think needs fixing. But compassion impels us to pray to see more of the divine nature that Jesus saw in people. Compassion that rises up from meekness, patience, and spiritual intuition always helps us see possibilities for healing. These qualities are alive with love for God, and with the consciousness of achievable good that Christ, the spirit of Truth, gives us.
As we accept man’s oneness with God, we find that our daily experiences turn into a practice ground for hope, gratitude, and healing. To be safe, supplied, and well is what we want for ourselves and others. This promise is fulfilled through the compassion that moved Jesus. Christ lifts our thoughts to the reality of our spiritual sonship with God that expresses the wisdom of Mind, the vitality of Life, and the healing power of Love.
With Christ as our model, we can recognize opportunities to see healing. And with Christly compassion as our guide, we can answer the question “Am I moved with compassion?” with a heartfelt “Yes!”
Adapted from an editorial published in the November 2023 issue of The Christian Science Journal.