“To understand a person, you must first walk a mile in their moccasin.” – Native American Proverb
This year the Season of Lent comes “early” on the secular calendar. It seems as if there is little time between the joyous coming of the Messiah at Christmas, his revelation to the world in Epiphany and his passion, suffering and death recalled in Lent through Holy Week.
While we know the outcome of the “story” is ultimately a happy one, there is still a great deal of sorrow and pain yet to be experienced. Each year the church relives the life and ministry of Jesus through the liturgical year. We revisit the highs and the lows of Christ’s earthly ministry, endeavoring to re-experience what it must have been like to have Emanuel, the very presence of God, walk among humankind. Why does the church spend so much time, effort and energy each year remembering the events of over two thousand years ago? How do those distant events affect us today? What is the purpose in remembering stories of strange happenings and miraculous occurrences?
There an old Native American proverb, “To understand a person, you must first walk a mile in their moccasin.” This old wisdom acknowledges that while we may see the trials and tribulations of another human being we cannot truly know and understand until we experience them for ourselves.
When I was in a pastoral care class at the School for Deacons decades ago I remember a discussion we had with the professor. While practicing some reflective counseling, where the counselor repeats back to the counselee what he or she said, the student counselor said to the professor acting as the counselee, “I know how you feel.” The professor, as counselee, began crying and shaking his head said, “Do you? Do you really KNOW how I feel? Can you feel my pain? Do you really know the depth of my sorrow and despair? Have you ever been in my shoes?” The class was speechless. It was obvious the student counselor, by making what seemed to be a benign sympathetic comment, had struck a raw nerve in the psyche of the professor acting as the counselee. Coming out of character, the professor pointed out how dangerous it was to presume to know something as personal and private as someone’s feelings, reminding us of the wisdom of the Native American proverb quoted above.
What does this example have to do with us in the 21st Century as we approach yet another season of Lent? To some extent, I believe God sent his Son to be Emmanuel, “God with us”, so that God might be able to understand better how his children “feel.” To have compassion for creation, God first had to know and feel the experiences of the created. In other words, God needed to walk the Way of the Cross…also known as the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows…a mile in humankind’s moccasin.
Compassion can be defined as “sympathetic concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” God had compassion for humankind and in doing so sent His only begotten Son to both experience and relieve our sufferings. Lent is a time when we reflect upon God’s compassion for us.
Last year, the vestry signed the Charter for Compassion, a declaration and call to action for all people of faith to express compassion for our sisters and brother throughout the world. While we in the United States are often oblivious to the sufferings and misfortunes of others in remote parts of the world, it is our duty as Christians to be compassionate to those less fortunate that we. I am proud of the parish’s leadership in recognizing the need for compassion and understanding not only within the tri-cities area but also in our own parish. I encourage you to learn more about the Charter for Compassion by either visiting the Charter’s website, www.charterforcompassion.org, or reading Karen Armstrong’s book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life. Faith Formation is planning a book study group for this book in the Spring of this year. I invite you to participate and help you and your community to grow in compassion and understanding for all God’s children.
~The Rev. Kenneth W. Parris, CMC