“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them.”  Matthew

“Compassion is the virtue from which all other virtues flow.” Buddha

“I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll pray for you.”

“My thoughts and prayers are with you.”

“My heart goes out to you.”

All of those expressions, and others like them, are quite common, especially among those who claim to follow Christ.  It’s quite likely that if you’re reading this you’ve been both on the receiving and the giving end of them.  Perhaps such sayings are sincere expressions of concern for another, but I fear that too often they simply serve to get us off the hook and  make us feel better for not caring or doing enough for another.  They may be expressions of sympathy, but they do not comprise compassion.

What is compassion?  Compassion is love in action.  I would take it a step further in the context of faith and define it as “The love of God in action in the midst of suffering.”

Compassion is different from sympathy.  Sympathy is a sense of being concerned about someone on a surface level.  Sympathy doesn’t demand anything beyond a feeling. For example we see those advertisements about the children who are starving in other countries, and we feel a sense of sorrow for what they are suffering.  But aside from perhaps sending a monetary donation, it probably ends there.  Sympathy is hearing about someone’s misfortune and feeling bad for them.  It stops there.  Sympathy is short-lived and has no teeth.

Compassion is also different from empathy. Empathy is caring for what another person is experiencing.  Empathy means to some extent you join in the suffering of another.  This may be a phone call or text, a written note, a hug, a holding of another’s hand, or perhaps a visit to them in the hospital.    Empathy is taking a step beyond sympathy by approaching another person.  With empathy feelings and words are translated into actions—to a certain extent.

Compassion goes beyond both sympathy and empathy.   Compassion is the entering into the suffering of a person.  Compassion means you put yourself into the situation of another wholeheartedly.  All of those feelings and initial actions that defined sympathy and empathy are now raised to a new level.  You invest yourself body, soul, and mind into the life of another.  Compassion means you have skin in the game.  Compassion means that you are willing to give your life in exchange for another.  Compassion is what Jesus did.

There is a scene in Les Miserable in which Jean Valjean is praying over a young man. He pleads with God to take his life and spare of that of the youth.  That is compassion.

To whom, dear friend, is your compassion leading you?