In the New Testament, Jesus is often moved to mercy through compassion. Jesus' compassion prompts Him to act and He mercifully loves, heals and rescues. Jesus' very presence in the world is the ultimate act of compassion. Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Jesus says, “Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

As Christians, we believe that God stands with the suffering, the marginalized, and the lost. God mourns with every life lost, every tragedy experienced, every human rights violation or injustice or crime. Pope Francis, in the Joy of the Gospel, tells us, “Every human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives. Jesus is our model for tenderness and compassion.

Compassion Lesson. Invite students to reflect and respond to the following questions. Do not collect papers or require students to show their answers, but allow them to share if they feel comfortable. Do this activity yourself, and share your answers if it seems helpful.

• Think about your family. Does anyone in your family need your sympathy right now? Who needs your understanding? How do you show compassion in your family? How do people in your family show compassion to you?
• When is compassion needed on the playground? What does compassion look like on the playground? Have you ever felt special understanding from some person on the playground?
• In your school class, who needs to be compassionate and when?

Empathy vs. Compassion. Sometimes we use the words compassion and empathy as synonyms, but there are several important differences between the two words. Empathy is feeling another person’s pain, whereas compassion is taking action to relieve the suffering of others.

In the Family Life program, students learn how to recognize hurtful or selfish behaviors and build healthy friendships and family relationships. When we act with compassion, we are acting like Jesus—the goal of every Christian life.

Solidarity Activity. The concept of “solidarity” is a part of Catholic Social Teaching that guides us to have empathy for people experiencing injustice and take compassionate action.

Classroom Activity: Discuss the immigrant experience of the Holy Family as they fled Bethlehem for Egypt to live among strangers until it was safe to return to their homeland. Compare their experience with that of a refugee family from another country fleeing to the United States to seek asylum. Have students role-play the two experiences, or share their reflections through a poem or in a drawing.

Professional Development for Compassion. When we know more about the impact of stressful experiences – like the Pandemic -- we can grow in tenderness. Understand more about the impact of trauma on your students (and on ourselves) in the webinar recording, Ready to Learn: Trauma - Informed Strategies for Navigating Behavior by Amy Kronberg, M.S.Ed, contributing writer of Stories of God’s Love Early Childhood program.

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Family Life Second Edition

Family Life Second Edition is the newly updated edition of RCL Benziger's leading K-8 supplemental program that addresses key concerns of today's Catholic families. Family Life includes child safety education in every grade level, promotes virtuous living, and strengthens Catholic identity.

The Family Life program reinforces the Catholic virtues and values that your students attain with their education. Family Life is essential to your school-based religious education program and meets Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards and benchmarks.

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