Daily Catholic Lectio. Tue, 6 January ‘26. Lesson through Compassion

Daily Catholic Lectio

Tue, 6 January ‘26

Tuesday after Epiphany

1 Jn 4:7-10. Mk 6:34-44

Lesson through Compassion

Mark presents Jesus, from the very beginning of his ministry, as a deeply compassionate person. Jesus does not only preach compassion; he lives it. When he steps ashore and sees the large crowd, he is moved with compassion, because they are like sheep without a shepherd. He teaches them patiently, and when the day grows late, he feeds them. Word and action flow together. Teaching without care would be incomplete; care without truth would be shallow. In Jesus, both meet.

The disciples stand in sharp contrast. Their questions reveal a different mindset: “Send them away.” “Are we to buy bread for two hundred denarii?” They calculate, measure, and distance themselves from the problem. Jesus, instead, stays with the people. He does not ask what is convenient, but what is necessary.

Here lies the difference between business and compassion. Business asks: “What will I get if I do this?” Compassion asks: “What will happen to him or her if I do not do this?”

The disciples think in terms of cost. Jesus thinks in terms of consequence—for the hungry, the tired, the lost.

Often we say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The Gospel reverses this logic: with great responsibility comes great power. Jesus’ authority over the crowd does not come from position or force, but from his willingness to take responsibility for their hunger, their confusion, their need. His patience and sense of responsibility become the source of his power.

This is why compassion finally prevails. Where impatience reacts, compassion responds. Where fear pushes away, compassion draws near. Life’s negative situations—conflicts, failures, burdens—cannot be solved by panic or calculation alone. They need patience, responsibility, and a heart that refuses to walk away.

The first reading gives us the deepest foundation for this way of living: “God is love.” God’s love is not an idea; it is self-giving. God empties himself, takes the first step, and loves us before we can love in return. Compassion is born from this love. To love is to give oneself; to give oneself is to be compassionate.

Love, self-giving, and compassion belong together. When they shape our lives, we become capable of responding—not reacting—to the needs around us. Then we can feed the hungry, stand with the abandoned, and bring hope where there seems to be none.

May we learn this lesson from Jesus: not to ask first what it will cost us, but to see first what it will mean for others. For in compassion, love becomes visible, and God’s power is quietly at work among us.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy