Memorial Day

It is good to remember and honor all those who have fought to keep us free. I think we need long week ends, too, for some who work such long days. A three-day week end is a real holiday for many. Here, we have a picnic and hopefully will see all the RSCJs in the area including those in San Francisco and Alameda. 

I have been using Joyce Rupp's Boundless Compassion: Creating a Way of Life again. I think I did not finish it before going back to other favorite books, but now I am finding passages that are very helpful. I will be sharing a few with you this week, unless the Holy Spirit dictates something different. Joyce says, "Some experts refer to compassion as 'the quivering of the heart.' I hesitate to use this definition because the heart does not always 'quiver' in response to suffering. We do not always feel like being compassionate. Sometimes it takes sheer will power to be there for someone with an illness or a difficulty that requires our time and attentive presence."

I think this is true, but I also believe that we have the grace to make the loving commitment. Or, at least we can pray for the grace to be compassionate no matter how difficult the circumstances.