Compassion has been the central teaching of many great Spiritual Leaders and the foundation of most of the world’s religions. I have no doubt that our Creator intends for us to show compassion to one another, and that obeying His will makes our lives freer, lighter, and less burdened. But this raises a deeper question: what exactly is compassion?

Some would say that compassion is simply love, taken one step further. A warm, fuzzy feeling toward all of humanity, especially those who are difficult to be around. While that may hold a grain of truth, I would argue compassion isn’t really love at all. It is something more demanding, more revealing. Compassion is a necessary step toward understanding oneself and one’s relationship to the rest of Creation.

Those who sit on satin cushions or stand behind ornamented podiums, surrounded by freshly cut flowers, may speak eloquently of compassion as the path to salvation or enlightenment. But in my mind, they don’t know what they’re speaking of. Compassion cannot be explained in flowery expressions. It must be felt in each individual’s heart.

Compassion requires hard work and discipline. It is not love dipped in honey. It results from self‑denial and sacrifice. Compassion sometimes stinks like sweat and sewage. It can leave the taste of blood in your mouth. It drags you through mud and garbage until you begin to smell like the very suffering you are trying to alleviate.

Compassion is the price one pays for Imagining. It is the legacy of those who dared to Dream. It is the Cross borne as a sacrifice for mankind. Compassion is not Love at all…  it is God in action. It is the sword that cuts through greed and corruption, and the shield that prevents evil from taking over. For as long as compassion exists in this world, there will be hope for a better tomorrow.

Love involves give and take. Compassion requires emptying yourself completely. It asks for everything — your comfort, your certainty, your safety — and gives back only the quiet knowledge that you have aligned yourself with something Holy.

We were created not merely to believe, but to become; not merely to receive, but to give; not merely to love, but to embody compassion. That fierce, unrelenting, world‑changing force that flows from the heart of God into the hands of those willing to serve.

Your comments, questions, or reflections are welcome on the Discussion Page