"Compassion isn't just about feeling the pain of others, it's about bringing them in toward yourself. In compassion, margins get erased."

                          ~   Gregory Boyle

Perhaps you've heard of this Jesuit priest and how he helps gang members in LA see dignity in themselves and others. How? He starts by bringing hurting young people close to his heart and demonstrating over and over that he loves them no matter what they do. Eventually, not all, but many of the kids leave gangs and move their lives in a positive direction. 

In Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Fr. Boyle explains:

“You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship. You stand with the belligerent, the surly, and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear.” 

The next time we find ourselves in the company of someone behaving badly, let's respond with love, understanding that bad behavior is the vocabulary of the deeply wounded. 

And, of course, whenever we are hurting and acting "badly," let's give healing love and compassion to ourselves.

Reverence too,

Charlene