Ask God to give thee skill
In comfort's art:
That thou may'st consecrated be
And set apart
Unto a life of sympathy.
For heavy is the weight of ill
In every heart;
And comforters are needed much
Of Christlike touch.
—
A careful study of the life of Jesus of Nazareth shows it to have been characterized by great compassion. This quality of compassion stands out vividly in the Gospel narratives of his ministry. Christ Jesus' spirituality was a clear transparency for the light of Truth, which expressed itself in kindness and tenderness in his daily human relations. As we follow him in his journeys through the towns and villages of Palestine, along the hot and dusty roads, and into the bleak hill country, we see clearly that this Christly compassion accompanied all his healing work. When the multitude had continued with him for days, seeing his wonderful healings and listening to his inspiring message, and had grown weary and hungry, he met the human need through his spiritual understanding of God, divine Truth. And never perhaps was Jesus' exalted compassion more clearly exemplified than in his words on the cross (Luke 23:34), "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
