Compassion
A Reflection on the Christian Life
In this provocative essay on that least understood virtue, compassion, the authors challenge themselves and us with these questions: Where do we place compassion in our lives? Is it enough to live a life in which we hurt one another as little as possible? Is our guiding ideal a life of maximum pleasure and minimum pain? Compassion answers no.
Compassion is a book that says no to a compassion of guilt and failure and yes to a compassionate love that pervades our spirit and moves us to action. Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, and Douglas Morrison have written a timeless document on what it means to be a Christian in a difficult time.
More About this Book
This challenging book is an answer to the question: How do we live compassionately in our world? The subject is examined in three parts. The first part is about God and God’s compassion. The second part, on discipleship, reflects on the question: How can we creatively respond to Jesus’ call to “be compassionate as your father is compassionate?” The third part, The Compassionate Way, aims to answer the question: “Is there a specific compassionate way that can be practiced day in and day out?” This part looks at the practice of patience, the discipline of prayer and the response of action. Great attention is given to Jesus as an example of the compassionate life.
Themes: Compassion, Ministry, Pastoral Care, Prayer, Service, God-with-us, Jesus, Identity, Powerlessness, Downward Mobility, Servanthood, Christian Community, Voluntary Displacement, Vocation, Patience, Holy Spirit, Intimacy, Enemies, Activism, Confrontation, Gratitude, Christian Vision, Competition
Doubleday, 1982
Praise for "Compassion"
"Nouwen paints for us a depiction of God-with-us, the One who desires to embrace and love us through our pain and chaos." -Katy
"This book is truly amazing. It's beautiful and deep. Speaks of living in our world with a rich awareness of the needs around us, how to enter in deeply with others who are hurting." -Colleen
"This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I will be turning back to it continually to guide me through the messiness, heartbreak, long-windedness, grief — beauty — of compassion." -Brad