It is compassion that removes the heavy bar, opens the door to freedom, makes the narrow heart as wide as the world. Compassion takes away from the heart the inert weight, the paralyzing heaviness; it gives wings to those who cling to the lowlands of self.
~Nyanaponika Thera
“Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins. “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. “And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
~ from Isaiah 58
Oh beloved, it is true.
There is something about us that makes us want to care about others. We understand that we are all prone to go through problems. And when we see others having a hard time, we instantly begin to feel sympathy for them.
So, it is not that we don’t have the ability to experience feelings for others. The issue is more of learning to allow this beginning of caring to turn into something that can actually make a difference.
Our postmodern world actually removes us from the caring we used to do up close. Now, we are bombarded with the images of destruction and pain and loss that can pour in from around the world. We look at the pictures, and click on “sad,” as though this is our little sacrifice for those in need. Sometimes we even go out to some sort of gofundme campaign and give a few dollars here or there.
But still, we are finding that the more we are aware and even feel feelings towards other’s problems, it is actually less likely that we will enter into the zone where we can make a difference in someone else’s life. (See: Spent for A Friend)
Can we see it?
This is exactly what the passage above speaks about. Oh, we fast and pray and weep trying to break through to G_d. And G_d would be the first Person to say that this is a great beginning. However, what we miss, is that the prayers and painful petitions of others are often answered by G_d in the Loving and compassionate response of:
You, and this fool of a writer.
It is caring that is the launchpad to something that matters. Caring alone is actually nothing but some form of emotional self-comfort. It is a sop for our conscience, and a dangerous sop at that. Because, without caring becoming actual compassion and empathetic response, the feelings we feel actually inoculate us from having actual good effect with our fellow human beings.
So, are you struggling to turn your caring into compassion? You are not alone. However, the issue is much more dire than you not doing anything. The issue of caring without action actually ends up destroying both the victim that prompted our feelings, and ourselves as we waste away in our selfish little life-cocoons.
Tonight is your night. Time to allow your caring to become active compassion.
Compassion and empathy are not skills, they are capacities that we grow in for others. They are impossible tasks if we see them as such. Even with the Holy Spirit, we shy away from other people’s pain. It is too holy. It is too messy. It is too dangerous. But, we can get better at it over time.
~ Makala Barnabas Doulos
