What compassion does

At times the suffering in the world may seem so overwhelming that it’s tempting to just try to completely disengage from it, to callous ourselves to the sound of the outcry – like when the author of one of the psalms observed, “My loved ones and friends stand back from my affliction, and my relatives stand at a distance” (Psalms 38:11, Christian Standard Bible).

But even when events and circumstances – either individually or collectively – seem too much to take in, there is another path than giving in to apathy and indifference.

The psalmist also knew that even in the midst of affliction, God’s constant, loving care is always available: “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion” (Psalms 111:4). Prayerfully seeking a deeper, spiritual view of compassion and how to express it can reveal God’s healing grace and tender presence right at hand. And when we’re expressing compassion, it’s impossible to express indifference.

On a number of occasions the Bible records Jesus being “moved with compassion” when people sought his aid. This impelling sprang from his spiritual understanding, his absolute trust in God’s supreme, all-encompassing love for everyone. Suffering has no foothold in God’s creation, which includes all of us in our true nature as His spiritual offspring. Jesus’ fearless, healing compassion stemmed from his recognition that even right where trouble seemed to be, there was God’s – infinite Love’s – pure goodness.

The Christ – the message of divine Love’s infinite goodness – permeated Jesus’ consciousness so fully that he consistently touched others’ lives with healing and transformation. And this same Christ is still here today to inspire in us the compassion and joy that empower us to help and heal – to prove something of the powerlessness and illegitimacy of despondency and suffering.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, was no stranger to suffering. Her deep love for God and humanity, and her desire to alleviate the woes of others, led her to a greater understanding of the universal truths of the Bible, including Jesus’ teachings. There she found solutions stemming from the divine reality of God’s allness as Spirit, and of man – a term that includes each one of us as the child of God – made entirely good and spiritual, in Spirit’s likeness.

Nurturing these spiritual facts in thought, and living this view of man in a spirit of kindness and charitableness, is fundamental in putting into practice the teachings of Christian Science and experiencing its healing efficacy. Next to the marginal heading “Compassion requisite,” Mrs. Eddy poses this question in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures”: “... if the unselfish affections be lacking, and common sense and common humanity are disregarded, what mental quality remains, with which to evoke healing from the outstretched arm of righteousness?” (p. 365).

I’ve found that the study and practice of Christian Science continually awakens me to the tender nature of God, which is expressed in everyone and inspires compassion toward others. Many years ago, when I was caring for someone who was also a student of Christian Science, I learned something more about true compassion through this individual’s expression of it toward me.

One particular day I was having difficulty silencing a sense of agitation and restlessness about things in my own life. Suddenly this person observed, “You love what you are doing, don’t you?”

My heart melted with that warmth of compassion. I did love it, and that gentle, loving remark of a few words broke through my distress. The source of it was a misconception about myself. In reality, everyone is created by God to love and care, and to feel loved, cared for, and at peace. This immediately lifted my thought, and quieted the agitation.

When we let the love of God engage our heart, compassionate thoughts, acts, and words follow. Such compassion can comfort and lighten our own experience and that of others.