Pray with the Pope: May Jesus Teach Us Compassion

Intention: Let us pray that each one of us might find consolation in a personal relationship with Jesus, and from his Heart, learn to have compassion on the world.

The spiritual advice, “Move towards the consolation”, is often attributed to St Ignatius of Loyola. While it sounds like wise counsel, we might hesitate if we are aware of our own tendency towards self-centredness. Seeking consolation purely for its own sake can become a temptation.

However, there are two reassuring responses to this concern. The first is that because God is love, we should not be surprised that as committed Christians we should regularly experience consolation, joy and peace in the Lord. And when God deigns to bless us thus, we should graciously accept it, indeed, move towards it and embrace it as the gift that it is.

Secondly, as the pope’s intention makes clear, the gift of consolation is meant to be shared. If we fail to do so, then our fear of egocentricity has indeed been justified!

Sharing the joy

Spiritual consolation is normally a powerful and energising force, inspiring the recipient to reach out and share their joy with others. A person who has cultivated a deep, heartfelt relationship with Jesus is thus empowered to love consistently, joyfully, and even tirelessly.

We have all met such individuals. We might ask: What keeps him going? Where does she get the energy? How do they manage to get so much mileage?

A metaphor drawn from ordinary life might help. Consider parents who have waited a long time for their first child. The sense of gratitude for this gift, when it finally arrives, fills them with an overflowing consolation which is expressed in a seemingly boundless energy of love and compassion for the child, their family and others.

But the geopolitical realities are not exactly overflowing with compassion these days — indeed, in some quarters, the Gospel qualities of compassion and empathy are now “dirty” words.

Hardness of heart

I was recently asked how we can cope with a world where the global superpower can callously impose huge export tariffs on us. The questioner could also have added other heartless actions of the United States administration, such as cutting off aid to compassionate projects such as HIV/Aids alleviation. How indeed? We feel so helpless in the face of such hardness of heart.

Those ruling the US at the moment like to speak of their tactic of “flooding the zone”. What they mean is that they think they can sweep us away with an overwhelming and implacable torrent of disruption, destruction and lies. Not only do they not care about what they do; they even appear to relish the cruelty of this series of merciless actions across the globe which many millions now have to face — if they actually survive these.

Christians will have to draw deeply from the wells of empathy which are available to the followers of Christ in order to witness to another way — the Gospel way of compassion.

In response to those who would “flood the zone” with falsehood, hatred, division and the ugliness of disorder, we are called to flood it with truth, compassion, reconciliation and the beauty of order.

Given the magnitude of the contemporary challenge, we know that we can do this only by coming ever closer to the heart of Christ, day by day.