Out of compassion
Scripture references
Reflection
Four years ago, preparations began in earnest for the celebration of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress, and finally the day has arrived. Beginning tomorrow, the Church of Canada, and specifically the Archdiocese of Quebec will welcome pilgrims from all points of the globe who have come to participate in this Congress. Throughout the coming week, participants will study, reflect and deepen their understanding of the Eucharist as the gift of God for the life of the world.Even those who cannot physically participate in the Eucharistic Congress can learn from this experience. We too can ask ourselves some important questions in the coming week. What’s so special about the Eucharist? Why did Jesus leave this gift for us? How are we to understand the significance of the Eucharist in the context of our lives today?
The gospel today tells us that Jesus looked out upon the crowds and had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mt 9:36). Jesus knew that the human heart, left to its own devices, with no direction or limits will indeed begin to drift, to wander aimlessly. He has compassion for us when we are lost and comes to find us, offering us the food that will satisfy our every longing.
It is out of compassion for the needs of the lost and forsaken that Jesus called the apostles and sent them to proclaim good news (Mt 10:7-8). Like those first apostles, we now are called to be Christ for one another, to exercise the compassion of our God for those who are sick, for the weak, for those who are lost and need to find their way. We do this in simple gestures of love and caring. We do this when we take time to visit the lonely, the sick or the elderly. We do this when we allow others to tell the story of their struggles with daily life, and demonstrate to them by our words and example that faith in Jesus Christ really makes a difference.
In the course of our lives, if we are truly lucky, we come across a handful of people who truly inspire us. A really good teacher is one who is able to identify the potential in a student and find a way to help the student to discover his or her true potential. A child who has had that kind of experience will never forget it because compassion and care are powerful tools which have the potential to change lives.
Jesus sees the potential in each one of us. The letter the Romans tells us that in our own weakness, when we are least able to appreciate what we are capable of, Jesus is there, giving his life for us (Rom 5:8) because even though we may not recognize it in ourselves, we are precious in the eyes of God (Ex 19:5).
Like any good parent, Jesus continually challenges us to see beyond our weaknesses. He feeds us with the Eucharist, his special gift, so that we in turn can bring life to our world. We do this every time we acknowledge the hungry in our world, those in our own city, those in our own families who hunger for compassion, who are burdened by the challenges of life, who call out to us for help. In various ways, small and significant, each of us receives God’s gift in the Eucharist, and shares it with others so that they too might have life in abundance.
