“When a man is drowning, if we are in the vicinity of a life preserver, we are told to throw it to save his life. It is not always available. They say a drowning man will ‘grab at a straw’ to save his life. Every human being has the power to be a ‘life preserver’ in a less dramatic way. Instead of the act of reaching for a life preserver, all man has to do is to be ‘sincerely compassionate’ when another man is in need, feels like he’s drowning from fear, from worry.
In the so-called sophisticated, modern way of life we have all succumbed to, in so many ways we have lost the beauty of sound, sincere compassion for each other. It is seen in all walks of life. People have become harder, colder, less caring, indifferent, insensitive, to the real needs of other people.
There are rehabilitation centers for those who are having very deep problems, but of course, there are not enough of these places. There are benefits called ‘welfare’, there are institutions that say they’re there to help man, but in many ways, the ‘life preserver’ that man has to use daily, momentarily, is his or her sound, sincere compassion to and for another person. Many times sincere, helpful compassion takes the agony of physical passion out of a disturbed, hurtful time.
We speak of the Passion of Our Lord. We connect suffering, agony, hurt, pain, fear, trauma, to Him because of the horror of the Crucifixion. No man had compassion for Him to the point where he was willing to lose his own life for Him. Our compassion for each other is not this dramatic. It is something we should work with and work at, so that we can truly be Christian in our thinking.
His Crucifixion, the Passion He suffered was because of His Compassion for us, His Love for us, His Consideration for us. It is time we imitate Him in sincere compassion for each other in this virtue of Christianity that He was the Perfect Example of.
Now remember, compassion should not be pity. It is a ‘life preserver’ of strength, of hope, of help, of concern. It is to say the right things at the right time, to do the right things at the right time. It is to help give hope when someone feels fear, despair. It means an act of strength, not indifference. It means an action of gentleness, kindness at a moment when it is needed.
Remember, your compassion at a particular moment, could be the ‘life preserver’ a man needs to get his feet back on the ground, and/or to feel stability in the dignity of being a man. Your respecting his need with your compassion, in a dignified way, will be returned to you by God in His Way.”
