The ancient philosophy of Stoicism, which was dominant at the time of Christ, was marked by a belief that God was apathetic and incapable of feeling. God could not be moved or influenced by others. Imagine having been influenced by that philosophy and then you hear about a man. A man who claimed to be God while at the same time being a man moved with compassion. That would have been revolutionary. Yet that is precisely who Jesus reveals God to be in today’s Gospel: one who cares deeply and intimately about each and every one of us. One who can be moved with compassion.
The Compassion of Jesus
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