Day 3

Compassion

Protecting the Vulnerable

Opening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God my provider and wellspring of compassion, you alone know my every need.

I empty myself before you. I sacrifice my pride, abandon my stubbornness, and surrender my resistance to your ways not to put myself down, but so that you may build me up.

Lord, there are times that I struggle to see you; when loss and grief cloud my vision.

Grant me the grace to encounter you even in the midst of sorrow and the fortitude to be a rock of strength for others who are vulnerable.

I thank you for the opportunity to serve in imitation of your Son, Jesus.

Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Thanksgiving and Praise Exercise

Folks often express a moment of profound change in how they experience the Christmas holiday. When we were kids, there was a great focus and anticipation in what toys we were going to get. Every generation of kids has their own crown jewels of toys that reached legendary status. Whether your era was G.I. Joe and Barbie, Hot Wheels and Etch-a-Sketch or Cabbage Patch Kids and the Nintendo Entertainment System, that’s what the secular side of Christmas was all about.

Just for fun. Take a moment and remember some of your favorite childhood toys.

Bet you had a big grin on your face.

But then something happened. Something pivoted in our lives and changed the way we approach the holiday. All of the sudden the smiles on our faces didn’t have so much to do with the presents that we unwrapped – it became much more about the smiles on the faces of the kids. Picture the kids among your family and friends when they unwrap their presents. We connect our joy with bringing joy to others.

It’s a beautiful moment and it offers us a glimpse of the joy God must experience in giving us good things.

Think back on a time when you were able to bring great joy to someone else. Pause and take some time to thank God for that experience.

What is the giftedness that God has given you?  We assume that when a gift is given that it is unwrapped and used, but that may not always be the case. God may have given you something that you really haven’t explored in a meaningful way. There may be many hidden gifts that God has given us that could truly be a blessing for the most vulnerable – particularly the young.

Let’s consider two:

Do you have compassion born from suffering? There are some experiences in life that can only be understood by those who have lived through them. Is that a gift you have to give?

Do you have the ability to see the potential in others? Through wisdom, experience, and God-given ability, some of us are able to see the beauty and potential in others far before they could recognize it in themselves. A person with this gift could coach others, encourage them, and help keep them from quitting on themselves. Is this a gift you have to give?

Pause now, and praise God for the ability to protect the vulnerable.

Pathway Light

“Compassion”

One of the most beautiful parts of the kids receiving their Christmas gifts is knowing that there is nothing material that they could offer back to the giver. The giver is simply moved by their needs and desires. They have a great love for them. They want to see them happy and to be a meaningful part of their lives. This is the definition of compassion.

For you, how could this upcoming year be a year of compassion? The idea of making every day like Christmas can be a little bit clichéd but when we look at it as extending compassion, it can lift our hearts. It makes us more Christlike and fills us with joy.

Scripture Encounter

1 John 1:5—7

Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.

Matthew 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

Spiritual Reflection

There are many circumstances in this life that can make a person vulnerable. Shortly after birth, the infant Jesus was in great physical danger born out of the king’s jealousy and insecurity. We might experience vulnerability connected to our experiences, too – experiences of trauma, disappointment, loss, illness, or financial stress. It just stands to reason that if this is true for ourselves then it holds true to varying degrees for those around us. For some, the burden of vulnerability is clear to see, for others it remains hidden, bubbling under the surface.

Our reading from 1 John reminds us that, “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.“ Although bad things can happen to good people, it’s an important spiritual practice to acknowledge that God does not delight in seeing us struggle. God does not meter out pain so that we can pass some sort of cosmic test to walk alongside of him.

To ‘walk in the light’ does not mean having a perfectly comfortable life. It doesn’t mean being strong in the eyes of the world, financially secure, or physically capable. Those things come and go. Renewing our faithfulness to God, reordering our lives to live more justly, and loving God and neighbor are the paths of light.

When we walk in the light we find the collective strength of those who are on the same path. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. You are a shelter for others on the path, a shield for their vulnerability, just as they are a shelter for you. We are woven together.

Wellness Practice

We live in a world of unintended consequences. In our Gospel reading, the magi did nothing wrong. In fact, all their actions were righteous. From traversing many miles to see Jesus, to conferring with the governing authority upon their arrival, to bestowing precious gifts on Jesus and worshipping him, to listening to the voice of God and avoiding Herod on their way home, they did everything right. Still, fueled by his anger, Herod used the information he got from the magi to sin against the innocent.

What role does compassion play here? Undoubtedly in the coming year, there will be times when your actions are wrapped up in unintended consequences. Clearly, when we sin, we seek reconciliation with God and the community, but what about those times when we never intended to hurt anybody? What happens when we do everything right but things turn out very wrong?

These are the times that we become both the giver and the receiver of compassion. God’s grace is a free gift. We can always rely on that. What is less reliable is the gift of compassion that we give to ourselves.

Pause and reflect on giving the gift of compassion to yourself.

Do not try to earn it, deserve it, or refuse it out of a sense of unworthiness. Simply accept it.

This year, when things spin off in unexpected ways, receive compassion from God. Give compassion to yourself.

Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

Reflection Questions

What is the most compassionate thing someone has done for you? What made it so impactful?

How could you bring more compassion into your difficult relationships?

What vulnerabilities in the world speak to your heart?

Review and Prayer

In this session we reflected on compassion as a pathway to protecting the vulnerable and acknowledged grief, loss, and human vulnerability.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Loving God, the source of my life.

Help me to accept your compassion and grace in times of hardship and unintended consequences. Lord, sometimes my world is a dark place. I can feel like I am alone in my struggles like a boat navigating dark waters. Be my lighthouse in the midst of stormy seas. Help me keep my eyes focused on you and help me reflect your great love so that I can become a source of light and shelter for others. Thank you for this time that we have shared together.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.