I am late this week submitting this post for your consideration; so just some brief comments.
I’ve been reading a book by David Benner, Ph.D. called Surrender to Love: Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality[1]. He presents the following scripture from Luke 6:36 (NLT), “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.”[2] I was raised on the KJV Bible which substituted “perfect” where compassion is in this verse. That always sounded impossible to me. But can we be perfect in compassion?
Benner asks, “How do we move beyond self-interest as our number 1 priority?”[3] He continues with, “The conversion of the heart that lies at the core of Christian spiritual transformation begins at the cross. It involves meeting God’s love in the cross, not simply encountering some judicial solution for the problem of human sin.”[4] The self-emptying love of Jesus enables us to realize that in suffering we participate “in the mystery of the Incarnate One and the healing of the world.” [5] Compassion as the primary response to suffering is participating in the atonement of the cross. Infinite Love loves us into this moment and every moment. Realizing this begins the path that cures self-interest. This is the way of living a compassionate life.
[1] Benner, D. (2015) Surrender to Love Discovering the Heart of Christian Spirituality (Expanded edition). Westmont, IL: IVP Books.
[2] Ibid, p. 85
[3] Ibid, p. 86
[4] Ibid, p.87
[5] Rohr, R. and Morrell, M. (2016) The Divine Dance: The Trinity and your Transformation. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.
Contemplative Compassion 