Compassion

In the most recent general conference, Elder Ian S. Ardern spoke of a visit he made to Uganda to see and help deliver the Church’s humanitarian aid in that country. He commented on terrible poverty that plagues the country and so many of the people there: “Ninety-two percent of the youngest children you see on this journey live in food poverty, and your heart groans with anguish.” He commented on how there “is no running water, no electricity, no flush toilets.” He continued, “As heart-wrenching as it was to see malnourished children and the effects of tuberculosis, malaria, and incessant diarrhea, there came to each of us an increase of hope for a better tomorrow for those we met. That hope came, in part, through the kindness of Church members from around the world who donate time and money to the Church humanitarian effort. As I saw the sick and the afflicted being helped and lifted, I bowed my head in gratitude.” His message is a reminder of the need for us to help, especially those living in first world countries—there is so much need around the world. Though we cannot meet the needs of everyone, surely we can do something and do more to give what we have and help those in need, even though we may never see them. If we truly believe the words of Jacob then our focus will not be on acquiring wealth for ourselves but to obtain it in order to help those in need like those the suffering in Uganda: “And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:19).

               As important as it is to give physically to those in need, Elder Ardern also taught that we need to develop the feeling of compassion and love for those in need. He referred to the parable of the Good Samaritan and the Savior’s comment that the Samaritan “had compassion” on the injured man. He then taught, “Compassion is an attribute of Christ. It is born of love for others and knows no boundaries. Jesus, the Saviour of the world, is the epitome of compassion.” He continued, “In a Book of Mormon example of Christ’s compassion, Jesus appeared to a multitude and said: ‘Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, … or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you.… And he did heal them every one’ (3 Nephi 17:7, 9).” The Savior not only performed many great works to bless others, but internally He was filled with compassion for them. That is what we should seek to have—as we learn of the suffering of others, we should feel sorrow for them and a desire to help and bless. This reminds me of the book The Chosen and the final scene in which the father of the brilliant Danny Saunders explained why he had caused his son to suffer growing up by not speaking to him (except when reading the Torah): “When my Daniel was four years old, I saw him reading a story from a book. And I was frightened. He did not read the story, he swallowed it, as one swallows food or water. There was no soul in my four-year-old Daniel, there was only his mind. He was a mind in a body without a soul. It was a story in a Yiddish book about a poor Jew and his struggles to get to Eretz Yisroel before he died. Ah, how that man suffered! And my Daniel enjoyed the story, he enjoyed the last terrible page, because when he finished it he realized for the first time what a memory he had. He looked at me proudly and told me back the story from memory, and I cried inside my heart. I went away and cried to the Master of the Universe, ‘What have you done to me? A mind like this I need for a son? A heart I need for a son, a soul I need for a son, compassion I want from my son, righteousness, mercy, strength, to suffer and carry pain, that I want from my son, not a mind without a soul!’” The condition of our heart, the feelings of our soul, the compassion we have is what matters most, even more than the quantity of physical help we can provide others. The Lord wants us most of all to develop the compassion that the Savior has. And how do we do that? In this book it was the suffering of Danny himself that allowed him to develop it in the end, become a man of the heart and compassion. For us it may take the same, along with following the invitation of Mormon: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love” (Moroni 7:48).