Holy Week-Tuesday

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which
He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
~ St. Theresa of Ávila
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Being a word-geek, I often look for the etymology of a word to help me understand it more thoroughly. This is how I approached today's reflection: by looking up the word "compassion." The prefix "com-" means "with, together" in Latin. And "passion" means "suffering." (Think of Christ's Passion, the Passion plays performed at this time of year or the passion flower which is said to resemble Christ's crown of thorns.) Therefore "compassion" means "suffering together."

What an amazing way to think of how we are charged to look at the world. Theresa says "Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world." But how often do my eyes look at others, not with compassion, but judgement, anger or pity? Compassion insists we join with our fellow humans in their suffering, to look at others with the eyes of Jesus and to offer our love to those in pain.

How can I look with compassion upon others today?