What is luxury?
Being compassionate is the genuine outcome for any Christian who follows Jesus and so tries to model their life on him.
I still remember the generosity of my parents back home in India. Whenever my dad brought the salary home he would hand it to my mum. My mum will say a prayer and she takes 500 rupees out of the 5000 rupees, and this goes straight into the offering box. This offering was then used for any poor who knock on the
door for food – we got about a dozen everyday.
My parents who never had any holidays or had much fun or luxury in their lives were compassionate towards their children by offering as much as they can, even if it meant giving up on their own comforts. My parents have imparted a great example to me, which we have all inherited through the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus was moved with compassion supporting the people of all backgrounds in their various needs and spending time with them, eating with them, crying with them and also bear the pain of them and even to the extent severe suffering and death for us. Being a Christian we are called to be compassionate towards our fellow members with our family, around us and around the world.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive” (Dalai Lama XIV)
Does our concept of what ‘luxury’ is affect our practice of compassion?
Image from www.christart.com
