Slideshow image

Reflection

“First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” – Atticus Finch, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.' (Author, Harper Lee)

To enter into the feelings of another person, to see things from their point of view, to respond with compassion to the needs of others - these are deeply Christian values, ones which stem from the Scriptural injunctions to love others, to care for the excluded and oppressed, and to respond with grace to those who are vulnerable and in need. 

Jesus never told his followers to 'suck it up', or to respond with hardness to those who came in need. When people were brought to him who were sick, he healed them, when the crowds were hungry, he fed them. His parables taught of children welcomed home, lost sheep sought out, and 'outsiders' who broke convention to care for the stranger who had been assaulted. Jesus harshes words were for those who used religion to create a world of 'ins and outs' and those who were more concerned about the niceties of religious observance than the care of others. He told us to love our neighbours and pray for those who persecute us - and his message was taken and amplified by his followers, and the writers that came after him. 

We, too, are called to be people of empathy, compassion and grace, and be courageous in willing to reach out to others, even when it might be risky. 

Scripture

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.   Romans 12.14-18

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artwork - Latimore, Kelly. Dorothy Day with Homeless Christ, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57122 [retrieved April 7, 2025]. Original source: Kelly Latimore Icons, https://kellylatimoreicons.com/.