Compassion, the human feeling that allows us to see and feel the pain of others, motivates us to reach out to the other and help. If we call ourselves Christian, and have no compassion or love for the other, then we really don’t understand what Christianity is all about. But here is where it get tricky. Just because we feel for the other, doesn’t mean that we will try to help.
This morning’s ‘Globe and Mail’ had this to say about Dr. Morgentaler’s Award from the Order of Canada:
Religion is a bad word in certain quarters of our society, and the world at large. Some people say: “Religion causes too much pain and tragedy. I’ll have nothing to do with it. It should be eradicated.” Here’s a response from a religious sister to this very question. I think it proves helpful in forming our own personal response to those that write religion off. How do you respond to those that believe that religion is a bad thing for the world?
In a powerful little booklet (pastoral letter) entitled, The Need for Conversion, the ‘Social Affairs Commission of the ‘Canadian confidence of Catholic Bishop’s’ challenged Canadians this March 2008 to take a hard realistic look at the way that we, as Canadians, are treating our planet. “Are we not like the prodigal son”, they ponder, “who asked his father for his inheritance and then left home and proceeded to waste it (Luke 15:11-32)?” Commenting on our excessive need for more and more, the Bishops observe that we are mismanaging the Garden of Eden: “In our drive to earn more, to possess more, to consume always more, we have sacrificed a great deal to the economic almighty, which has become like the substance of modern life. We have mismanaged the Garden of Eden entrusted to us.”
Lent Is Not Just About You and Me, or
The fourth commandment tell us that we should honor our father and mother. It is good to be lovingly reminded of what this means, as a parent ages. Here is a little video that is sure to touch your heart: http://parentswish.com/site01/big.html
Posts
