TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA
( The Statue represents the Virtue of Compassion)
In General Term/Layman's Term:
Compassion is an understanding of the emotional state of another or oneself. Not to be confused with empathy, compassion is often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another or to show special kindness to those who suffer. However, compassion may lead an individual to feel empathy with another person.
Compassion is often characterized through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for. Acts of compassion are generally considered those which take into account the pain of others and attempt to alleviate that pain. In this sense, the various forms of the Golden Rule are in part based on the concept of compassion, if also on the concept of empathy.
Compassion differs from other forms of helpful or humane behavior in that its focus is primarily on the alleviation of pain and suffering. Acts of kindness which seek primarily to confer benefit rather than relieve existing pain and suffering are better classified as acts of altruism, although, in this sense, compassion itself can be seen as a subset of altruism, it being defined as the type of behavior which seeks to benefit others by reducing their suffering.
In Christian Term:
The example of Christ has also inspired Christians throughout history to fund hospitals and other such institutions. It is also Christ's example that challenges Christians to forsake their own desires and act compassionately towards others, especially, but not exclusively, towards those in some type of distress or need. This is typified in Jesus' statement from the sermon on the mount: * "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Compassion can also be kindness towards a stranger that is unexpected in most situations. Compassion can be linked to generosity,
FROM ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE
Compassion is the main ethical principle of one’s relationships with other people and with all living beings, even with non-incarnate ones. This is the main aspect of love on the Earth and the first criterion in the ethical work. Doing of unnecessary harm to people or to other beings can never be justified in the eyes of God. But what harm can be considered “necessary”? For example, to cause pain or other damage to criminals when repelling their criminal deeds or defending other people from them. Another example is to punish children that frolic dangerously for themselves and for others. Also —restricting mentally diseased people. And so on. But revenging oneself cannot be justified: this is an egocentric reaction of the offended lower self that must not be allowed.
The one who realized the true love cannot cause pain to an animal for a meaningless reason. Such a person cannot eat corpses of killed animals: in their dead bodies there is the pain of their death. For example, Jesus expressed discontent, when He was hinted about the possibility to taste a “sacrificial” lamb at Passover: “Do you think that I am going to eat with you meat at Passover?” (Epiphanius, Haer., 22:4). Neither He nor His disciples ate bodies of animals except for fish; this follows from the words of apostle Peter (Acts 10:10-14). However, they did kill and eat fish. This is understandable: Jesus did not suggest to people too hard “upheavals” in the stereotypes of their lives. He could not say to fishermen: do not eat fish — fishermen would not listen anymore to such a preacher. Yet, for modern people it is possible to accept the principle of Love-Compassion as an ethical concept and to follow it as widely and completely as possible within the limits of rationality. For example, it makes no sense to ponder over whether it is allowed or not to kill a rabid dog or a wolf that attacks man, to kill mosquitoes, gadflies, ticks, etc. There is also no point in hesitating whether one has a right to kill plants for food, for building a fire, for construction, or to use milk products and eggs for food — we cannot develop on the Earth without doing this. And one’s food must be adequate, with a complete set of indispensable amino acids. However, killing or maiming plants for no meaningful reason is a different thing: for example, to pick “automatically” a leaf and throw it, to gather a bouquet of flowers, or to buy (to cut) a fir-tree for New Year or Christmas and admire how it dies. This is a meaningless death: people kill these plants not for the reason of survival and development, but out of fancy, because “everybody does this”, or because “I want it!”.
The true compassion originates from awareness that all of us — even vegetal creatures — are God’s children of different age, brothers and sisters of one His family. We all have objectively equal interests in the universe; we all are one. “Do not let each man look upon his own things, but each man also on the things of others. Let in you be the same disposition as was in Christ Jesus” (Philip 2:4-5). Empathy, sympathy, and mercy. The life of Christ reflects for Christians the very essence of the meaning of compassion. It has inspired many Christians throughout the centuries to care for the lame, deformed, broken-hearted, sick, dying and those who are in need. Christian compassion extends to all, even to placing a primacy on loving one's own enemies.
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And thus, Compassion International exists and operates in all passion and dedication, to release children from poverty to help them become what God wants them to be responsible and mature adults. That's "LOVE IN ACTION."
History of Compassion in Philippines:
Compassion's work in the Philippines began in 1972. Currently, more than 41,300 children participate in more than 210 child development centers. Compassion partners with churches to help them provide Filipino children with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become all God has created them to be.
Cornerstone Student Center Program of Mabolo Evangelical Free Church located at Topaz Street, Casals Village, Mabolo, Cebu City is a partner church of Compassion International. We care for and implement programs to develop sponsored children in line with the guiding principles of CI. We are one of the pioneer partners of CI in Cebu Area. We have a number of success stories/alumnae who completed the 4 to 18 development program. They are now contributing leaders of their families, the church and the community. As of this writing we have in our care more than 200 supported children and we have some pending kids aged 4 waiting to be registered, meaning waiting to be sponsored.
Friends who happen to read this blog, I urge you to join this cause of releasing children from poverty and give them a chance to a better life and a future. Be involved in God's commission by selecting one child to support today. You could make a lot of difference in this way. One child at a time.
"Pity sees .... and even feels .... but compassion touches a need."
(Quoted from World Help calendar 2006)
This picture depicts how Compassion International values FAMILY.
