Clothed in Compassion September 17th, 2012

Clothed in Compassion

The first garment of clothing that we will focus on this school year is the garment of compassion. Compassion is readily equated to feeling pity for another but there is so much more. Compassion stirs in us a deep distress for the suffering and brokenness we see around us. It is usually accompanied by a desire to restore or alleviate that suffering and brokenness. If we use the examples from the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Christ takes it one step further. At least three times it is mentioned that Jesus encountered the suffering that accompanies the brokenness in our world and he was moved to have compassion on them. In this reference compassion is a verb, not a noun. Jesus’compassion did not end with the emotions and desires that were stirred within him; it was not a hollow pity. In each of the circumstances he was moved to action; to bring about a measure of restoration in each situation. He saw the crowds and had compassion on them, seeing they were sheep without a shepherd and he taught them (Mark 6). In another instance there had been a crowd that had followed him for days. He saw that they were hungry and had compassion on them and he fed them (Mark 8). Also, as crowds gathered to hear him he was moved to act on his compassion again and he healed them (Matt.14). The blind came and experienced Christ’s compassion and they received their sight (Matt. 20). In each of these situations compassion became something that was carried out rather an unfulfilled feeling. It is important, especially in the school setting, that our students are moved by the suffering of others and that they are able to identify with them, it shows sensitivity to the Spirit. It is also equally important that our students are not just moved to pity others but to actively work at restoring those situations and alleviating the hurt around them. If we are living out compassion then we are agents of reconciliation on the playground, in the hallways, in the classroom and in the communities in which we live. May the Spirit continually convict us to live out compassion in a very tangible way. ~Mr. Bouwers