These passages from the gospel of Mark paint a beautiful picture of the virtue of compassion.

Imagine the scene: Jesus and his disciples have just returned from a challenging mission. They’re exhausted, needing a moment to breathe and reflect. As we say today, they just need to “get away”.  They try to escape over the water, but the crowd of people anticipate where they were going and head them off.  It could also be a little bit of a humorous moment.  Imagine the look on the Apostle’s faces when they see the throng of people ahead of them and realize they haven’t escaped to a quiet place.

Mark 6:34 tells us, “Jesus saw the great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.”   Jesus doesn’t turn them away despite his weariness. He sees their need and responds with compassion, comparing them to lost sheep without a shepherd. He sees their vulnerability and responds.

Jesus’ actions teach us two profound lessons. First, the importance of caring for ourselves.  Jesus tells the Apostles to go to that quiet place, to rest, to eat, to gather themselves and take time for themselves.  In today’s world, we might easily feel overwhelmed by the demands of everyday life as our responsibilities pull us in a million directions. We might have a job, kids, be a caregiver to someone, volunteer at the church, any or all of these. Jesus tells us we need to take that time and recharge our batteries. It is sometimes very difficult to find that time, but it is necessary. But even more importantly, Jesus shows us that Christian love is not found in isolation, but in service and compassion. By tending to the needs of others, by feeding their spiritual hunger, we experience a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment.

I know this is difficult to do.  I am the most irritable when I am overwhelmed and exhausted, and I don’t really look to the needs of others when I am in that condition. We are called to a higher standard though. Jesus reminds us we have a duty to try for a higher level of performance so to speak.

We are often surrounded by people who need our compassion but we don’t realize it.  Think about someone in your life who might be feeling lost or alone. Maybe it’s a neighbor, a coworker, or a family member. How can you reach out to them with a kind word, an act of service, or simply a listening ear? Even the smallest gestures of compassion can make a significant difference to someone.  And remember, it will be the toughest for you to live up to this standard when you are tired and hungry.  Rather than a word of compassion, we often just snarl.  Or , sadly, at least I do. I remind myself I can do better.  And I try. As Catholics, we pick up our Cross every day and are charged with living the Christian life.  Compassion is one thing we are required to do.

So, your homework this week is to try and follow Jesus’ example. Try to practice compassion in our hearts even in the most trying of days. My prayer for you this week you find true rest not in avoiding the needs of others, but in offering our time, talents, and love, as often as difficult as that is. Just as Jesus nourished the physical and spiritual needs of the crowd, let us strive to be a source of strength and comfort for those around us.