Listen

Many people saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran ahead from all the cities and arrived before them. When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:33-34

Think

You may pass someone on the street or know someone in your friend group who is in need. You feel like helping them and trying to solve the problem they are having. That is compassion. Sometimes we confuse compassion with grief, which is sadness, but compassion makes us united in the search for hope.

The compassionate image of Jesus is always one that moves us. Our scripture for today from Mark reminds us how Jesus looks at us with love, not with pity but seeing us with compassionate love. This love invites us to see our neighbor as Jesus sees us, reminding us that God invites us to act in righteousness and justice all the days of our lives. Let us not forget to see with the eyes of Jesus, even when another person has hurt us at some point, so that our society may recognize us as followers and disciples of Jesus, just as the crowd recognized the disciples in our scripture.

Bryan Vélez Garcia

Question to Ponder:

How can we cultivate compassion in our lives and act with righteousness and justice, following the example of Jesus?

Pray

Merciful God, I ask you to grant me the grace to see others with the compassionate eyes of Jesus, recognizing their needs and sufferings. Inspire me to follow Jesus, teaching with love and sharing your word with those who desperately need it.

Today, help me to see ____ through your eyes.

Amen.

Go

Live like an instrument of God’s compassion.