Solidarity, Compassion, and the Greatest Commandment
Mark 12:28-31
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Quotes
“Gospel-based compassion tolerates no outsiders. It embraces and seeks to bring in all who are marginalized, oppressed, and excluded from empowering fellowship. It evokes a double response requiring a reawakened heart that knows it cannot withhold the just action that liberates and empowers. The transformation of the heart, which might also be described as the contemplative gaze, asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless.”
- Diarmuid O’Murchu
Some Compassionate Questions
What are the needs of our community (world)?
Who are we listening to and learning from?
Where are those marginalized globally due to climate change and what are they saying about how the crisis is affecting them?
What might solidarity look like in our life together?
Is our eco-spirituality cultivating patience, curiosity, wonder, and resiliency in our lives?
What questions does eco-spirituality present to you?
How has your understanding changed or grown during this Environmental Awareness Month?
