His Compassion and mine

John 8, 1-11 (Passion Sunday)

Early in the morning Jesus came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

Catherine Doherty on "Compassion" in "Poustinia"

In my mind and heart compassion is spelled com-passion. The word leads me to Mary.

Com-passion means to share a passion, to share a pain, to be part of the pain, part of the passion. It means Mary.

In our Lord passion holds hands with love. The roots of passion are love, its fruit is love. Christ loved us passionately, and some of us love him back passionately.

Passion usually means pain. There is no love without pain. Love without pain is inconceivable.
Mary entered into this marriage of love and passion which the Lord accepted and through which he redeemed us. She followed her son right to the foot of the cross, and beyond the grave. Hers was a com-passion. She shared his passion not only in a physical way but also in a spiritual, emotional, and deeply tragic way.

Mary, who experienced the passion of her son as no one else experienced it, was herself com-passion. She truly com-passionated: she shared the passion of her son. She shared his passionate love for humanity, and she shared his pain.

Because Mary accepted this, she became the mother of men, and men understood that they could not walk through life without her. Men need other human beings, and they need above all a gentle one. They need one who can teach them forgiveness, a forgiveness that can really heal them.

P.S. from Petros

In today's gospel our Lord exercises his compassion and forgiveness. The woman caught in adultery knew she was forgiven and healed. Mary was united with her Son in his compassion.
May grace be given me to imitate them and be united with them in this compassion too.