by M. Doretta Cornell, RDC
Recent news reports give us ample exercise in compassion: the Afghani community mourning the loss of 16 people shot by a U.S. soldier; stunned French families weeping where the five men and three children were shot.
Our hearts easily reach out to these people who suffer such terrible loss.
But a commitment to living compassionately demands something more of us: How can we extend compassion to those who cause such tragedy? What does it mean to have compassion for someone who has committed an act of violence?
Where does compassion end?
First of all, compassion, like forgiveness, is not founded on denying reality, especially the reality of violence. Sister Helen Prejean, best known as the author of Dead Man Walking, tells of a moment in her ministry to a man on death row. As the date for his execution approached, the man grew more and more despairing and self-hating, recognizing the horror of what he had done and identifying himself solely with that one action.
A turning point came when Sr. Helen reminded him that he was a child of God, regardless of what he had done.
The man was transfixed – he had never imagined such compassion.
The challenge for us, of course, is to find in our own hearts compassion for those who have caused the harm – not dismissing the wrong they have done or ignoring the suffering they have brought on others, but recognizing within the offending person a deeper identity: human person, created in the image of God.
Perhaps even more difficult: to recognize this person as a human being, like me.
In my first years of teaching, in the early 1970s, our high school launched a drug prevention program. To introduce the new program, we brought a panel of speakers to a parents' meeting: an expert from a new rehab program, the Sister on the faculty who would coordinate the program, and a young woman in a gray blazer and maroon skirt like those of the school uniform.
When the young woman introduced herself as the sister of one of our students and as a drug addict, the parents reacted explosively. This girl looked like their daughters! She couldn't be a drug addict! How could we deceive them so cruelly!
Of course, that was the point: drug addicts began as children or teenagers just like their own. They were not some other species or from some horribly depraved society. They came from among us. The same is true for those who commit acts of violence.
Perhaps our denial of our own capacity for violence and evil keeps us from wanting to recognize the humanity of persons who act in violent ways. To acknowledge this capacity in ourselves is not wallowing in artificial guilt—but recognizing the multiple layers of our own motivations and responses, the choices we make based on our beliefs and our desire to be a certain kind of person.
My own desire is to live compassionately, to imitate our compassionate God by responding to everyone with compassion, to undermine violence rather than reinforcing it by my own violent actions.
Compassion, then, is a choice: we can steep ourselves in the compassion of God for us and, in turn, allow that to color our responses to others.
This is not alway a naive or easy choice.
We have often seen the shock and grief of families when one of their members commits an act of violence. The person they knew is suddenly revealed as having a capacity hitherto unguessed. What pain this loss must be! How deep, too, must be the sorrow of God for the beloved child who has rejected his or her identity as an image of the divine to choose violence!
Can we open our hearts to share the sorrow God must feel for the victims of violence, as well as for God's children who have caused that violence?
in France: 3 innocent children executed point blank, one innocent Rabbi, executed point blank, 3 innocent Soldiers executed point blank. That makes 3 kids and 4 men. The butcher was no man, nor are his accomplices - making a moral equivalency? I would shy away from that one. There is no opening of any heart for "human" butchers, nor should there be any. JMHO.
I AM SHOCKED! YOU PEOPLE (you said WE) are making excuses for a murdering butcher slime subhuman. amazing. I guess this is why the human race is in trouble - YOU PEOPLE have muddied the waters - Thou Shalt NOT Kill? Remember that one? how convenient to forget - whitewashing and brainwashing. YOU'D stand by, watch and allow this to happen: YOU'D say: "Oh, WE have to understand him/her - let them shoot point blank into a child's head while holding them by their hair and filming it - WE understand!!". I do not and never will. YOU PEOPLE disgust me. Welcome to the New America - have a nice safe day.
the Muslim jihadi was openly known for his jihadi training, racism, Islamic fanaticism and willingness to murder - he was followed for over 2 years - he was supported by "outside" money training and arms - his mother and brothers are "Proud of him" and supported him - what's with the "suddenly" : "The person they knew is suddenly revealed as having a capacity hitherto unguessed." The Pakistani Taliban trained him and French Intel and others knew it. Are you insane?
True compassion comes from understanding and acceptance of the values of other cultures, lifestyles and morals.
As to those who want to execute the killers, I might remind you that the commandment says Thou shalt not kill, not thou shalt not kill unless society says it's OK.
Oh Sisters: read about your "unexpected actions" of the Muslim Butcher of Toulouse: riots across France IN SUPPORT - the proud family - you have company!! Smile: even Hitler loved dogs!
There are somewhere between 1.5 and 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. A tiny number of those are murderers, terrorists or miscreants. Condemming an entire religion as a "death cult" based on little if any evidence is just abhorant. I'm sure we could make the same argument against Christians if we wanted and we could support our theory by citing isolated incidents of terrorism, murder and mayhem comitted in the name of Christ. Yes the Koran has violence and advocates violence in some passages but so does the Bible, yet most normal people understand that when it says something like an eye for an eye, it doesn't mean that you should gouge out someone's eye. Compassion is not weakness. In fact it takes more strength to be compassionate than it does to be vengeful. Excercise that strength and do not teach your children to hate. There is no future in that. I would venture a guess that you meet Muslims everyday in your work and travels and that you have no idea of their religion because they're just like us. Truth is, there are evil people everywher. I suspect there are even evil Antheists but they don't have meetings, so it would be rather hard to say.
PPS: the Muslim men with the zabiba will not shake hands with me - no touch an infidel!! - you get that reaction too, all the time, right? I have and do - contact makes one very very aware. I save my compassion for those I think deserve it - somethings ARE without shades of morality - there is right and wrong.
Forgiveness and divine compassion are virtues that have their source in the Infinite and perhaps are found as tiny sparks in the finiteness of any human. One can only hope. I value these virtues of courage and try to practice them in my life. Thank you Doretta for these words and reflections. Terry
COMPASSION is the answer...to live this requires love...love of God and love of our neighbor ....YES!!!!