Resurrecting Compassion
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Chris Johnson, RScP, with Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM
Video Chapter Index
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| 18:51 | Guided Meditation | |
| 48:00 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Chris – Call to Awareness 3 Bells
Rev. Diana – Opening Prayer
Chris – Good morning… In case anybody doesn’t know, my name is Chris Johnson and I’m a Prayer Practitioner here at Mystic Heart, and it is an honor to welcome you to our Gathering. We begin our Taizé this morning by joining our voices in musical prayer.
Rev. Diana & Chris – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- The Hands of Grace, written by Jack Fowler
Chris – We are indeed held by the hands of Grace, in this and every moment…forever safe in the arms of Love…feeling Love’s Presence as we settle into the stillness…acknowledging the Grace moving through our lives…bringing our awareness to our breath, allowing it to ground us…to connect us with all of Life.
Grace unites us…it is an invisible Power for Good…a force of Connection…all of Life, connected by Love, lifted and carried by Grace. Every person and other-than-human creature is an expression of Spirit’s perfect Love…an Emanation of Divine Intelligence…radiating the Light of Spirit. Every plant, rock, and grain of sand…the earth beneath our feet, and all that lives within that soil…expressions of Spirit’s unending Grace…earth, air, fire and water…Sacred Elements, fundamental expressions of the One Source. Taking our inner Vision beyond this beautiful planet, up into the heavens…the sun, moon, stars, and planets, all expressions of God’s Infinite Intelligence and Creativity…bringing awareness downward to the core of the earth…and then inward to the core of your being…one Life, one Radiant Light, forever shining…connected at the very deepest level. Take a moment to breathe that in…
As self-reflective beings, we are given a unique opportunity…and a responsibility…to use our conscious choice wisely…to consciously choose Love over fear in every situation…to ask, “What would Love do right now?” By truthfully answering this question, and acting in Love, we leave the world a more beautiful place…we show reverence to the Creator…to ourselves and one another…and to all of Creation.
This year we are contemplating Life Through the Lens of Story, and this month, we have focused on the stories of The Mystic Jesus. Today we will address one of the primary subjects of his teaching, as we explore how to go about Resurrecting Compassion.
The Latin roots of the word Compassion literally mean to suffer with. Merriam-Webster fleshes it out a little more: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.[i] Our awareness of another’s suffering stirs within us a desire to comfort them. Compassion is an attribute of our Creator. We are born with it… it’s factory equipment. When we see two babies together and one starts to cry, the other immediately moves closer to help. All normal infants respond in this way.
But do we always respond to suffering with compassion? Is that our default setting? We would certainly like to think so. We get offended if someone criticizes us for not having enough compassion, because we identify being compassionate with being human. We feel as if our very humanity is being attacked.
Compassion probably was our default response when we were infants. But our domestication – our socialization – has put several layers of psychospiritual conditioning over our personalities since then. We have been taught to seek after comfort… to avoid pain and suffering at all costs… Because of this, when we are confronted with another person’s despair, we meet with a deep-seated resistance to entering into their misery with them. Instead of willingly sharing in their vulnerability and distress, we erect shields designed to protect ourselves from getting sucked into their suffering. But it never works.
That is because, when we give in to that resistance and turn our gaze away in avoidance, that innate urge to comfort our sibling does not go away. And the friction between that compassionate impulse and our resistance to it causes us to feel guilt. Our conscience accuses us of not being compassionate enough… not being loving enough… something within our very being calls our own humanity into question.
And yet, our compassion does not die… it is merely pushed down from our conscious awareness into the tomb where our other repressed and suppressed feelings are interred. Emotions that we have buried in a futile attempt to regain a sense of comfort… ease… peace…
So how do we resurrect our compassion? What tools can we use to roll away the stone and allow our innate impulse to be compassionate arise within us again? Three of the Seven Pillars of Spirituality that we teach here at Mystic Heart are powerful techniques for breaking through our conditioning and healing our unresolved emotions: Prayer, Meditation, and Self-Inquiry.
Prayer is not a plea for God to fix us. Rather, through prayer we are transformed … made pliable and receptive, so that whatever rigidity is holding us back can be revealed and healed… Prayer doesn’t change God… it changes us.
In meditation we quiet our hearts and minds to listen for Spirit’s Voice… our intuition… our inner guidance… With an open and receptive heart, we dive deep within ourselves, gently exploring our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs…
And this leads us to self-inquiry, where we examine – without judgment – what we have discovered in our deep dive… the treasures and junk we have collected from the seabed of our consciousness… and we choose what to keep and discard what no longer serves us.
The tomb is open… the air is fresh… and the corpses of the emotions that we suppressed out of fear are gone. Our natural predisposition to respond compassionately is restored. And we are empowered to be the voice and arms of comfort… to be heart, hands, and feet of Spirit in the world… Ready to inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven… our Love-Soaked World…
Rev. Diana – Guided Meditation
We are each on a journey of awakening to the true essence of who we are…Love. Love is not merely an emotion limited to specific relationships, but a Universal Energy that flows through all of creation. We are opening ourselves to a deeper understanding of Love as the foundation of our being…and learning to cultivate a Loving Presence in every aspect of our lives. Compassion is an essential and transformative component of Love.
Resurrecting Compassion means learning to extend compassion to ourselves and others. As we do, we begin to recognize the shared humanity in all beings…to transcend judgments and grievances…to seek true understanding, and offer forgiveness, kindness, and caring. True Compassion recognizes that there is no other…in the face of suffering, Compassion asks with sincerity, “What’s it like to be you?” As we extend True Compassion, we open ourselves to the healing power of Love, and our perception shifts towards Unity and Oneness, and we begin to feel our shared humanity.
Forgiveness plays a profound role in the act of Resurrecting Compassion…Forgiveness is an act of Love and Compassion. It enables us to release the past, let go of judgements and grievances, and heal our perception of separation so that we can move forward untethered…
Forgiveness frees us…it offers a path to inner peace, liberation, and the restoration of our true nature as Loving beings.
The human brain is built to perceive duality…comparison…it has a tendency to judge ourselves and others. True Compassion invites us to embrace non-judgment as a way of being. As we Practice and learn to transform the habit of judgment, we create space for Love and Compassion to flow freely, nurturing our relationships and fostering a sense of Unity and Connection with all beings.
In our three minutes of shared silence, I invite you to call to mind and heart a person that challenges your Compassion…someone who is difficult for you to be around…someone who brings up your tendency to judge, or simply avoid. It may be someone specific, or someone you don’t really know…like the unhoused person on the street, or the one who has to have the last word. As this person comes to mind, ask with real curiosity and sincerity, “What’s it like to be you? What has brought you to this place?” Listen for what Spirit brings forward.
Silence – 3:00
O Holy One, thank you for bringing forth my heart of True Compassion… for the inspiration, courage, and willingness to practice Forgiveness and non-judgement… for this opportunity to gather with Beloved Community…Spiritual Family. Help us to remember that it is by your Grace that we are transformed daily…it is Your Love that moves through our hearts and minds, that makes True Compassion a lived experience.
As Chris continues his Taizé meditation, we allow his inspired message to penetrate our hearts, to spark a transformation within our soul…to awaken and Resurrect Compassion at the very deepest level
Chris – Prayer has opened us… meditation has inspired us… and self-inquiry has empowered us to risk sharing our compassion. So what’s next? That brings us to a fourth Pillar of Spirituality – Sacred Service. We engage our compassion with others… those in our Beloved Community… and those in our greater community. We move outside these doors and actively seek those who need our compassion… those who have been left behind by society… who need our help…
The Mystic Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is a participatory project. We cannot wait for God to supernaturally intervene in the world and fix everything for us. God is waiting for us. Spirit can do nothing for us… She can only work through us. It turns out that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Robert Byrne said that “the purpose of life is a life of purpose.” The meaning of Life, then, is to live a meaningful life. To live in a way that brings more goodness, truth, beauty, and joy into our world. And, as Rabbi Yeshua taught, we cannot know when “heaven and earth shall pass away”[ii] for us personally – we simply don’t know how much time we have to bring more meaning and purpose into our life.
Musical Meditation – Last Song, by Daniel Nahmod
Chris – Closing Prayer
Divine Creator, thank you for this life that you have given me… Thank you for birthing me into this world of Beauty and Love, and for surrounding me this morning with these beautiful saints who share this Beloved Community with me and support me in my quest to create a life of meaning and purpose. Thank you for the seed of compassion that you have planted within us… may we always remember to nurture it so that it grows and blossoms within us and bears fruit in our world.
In this sacred moment I choose to be an instrument of Divine Compassion in the world. I release the fears that have discouraged me from giving my siblings comfort in their hour of need, and I embrace my calling to serve Spirit’s Creation in any and every way I can. I choose to keep my heart open and vulnerable so that I may discern where I may best serve others. And I allow Divine Intuition to reveal to me my unique role in creating a new heaven and a new earth.[iii]
Grateful for the Infinite Power of Creation that responds to my every thought and word, I release my intention. I lay it on the altar of Spirit, knowing that the Divine Creative Process is compelled to receive it and respond by bringing it into form and experience in my life. I interpret everything from this moment on as a part of this prayer’s answer, and so I give thanks for the blessings it brings to me and to those in my world. Amen
I invite you to bring your awareness back to your body… to this time and place… and to our Community. As you feel ready, gently open your eyes and look around… really see the Love that surrounds you here this morning.
Chris – Love Offering
As we close our Taizé Meditation, we offer the opportunity for you to share your financial good in support of the work we do in the world. If you’re joining us online, you can find a Donate Button and our mailing address at mysticheart.org. We are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather.
As we engage in the Sacred Practice of Circulation, please enjoy this offertory video from Andrew Witt, who reminds us that, even though we can’t Change the World, we can change it for one person at a time.
Offertory Music – Compassion (Change The World), by Andrew Witt
Chris – Blessing for the Offering
Feel free to grab a cup of something hot and join us at 10:30 for a Conscious Conversation. Remember, when you hear Eddie Watkins singing, “We come together,” it’s time that We Come Together!
Conscious Conversation
Rev. Diana – Opening Prayer
Chris – Welcome or welcome back, and thank you for being here. If you’re new with us here this morning…my name is Chris Johnson, and I am one of your Professional Prayer Practitioners here at Mystical Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. We’re not here to give you all the answers; our goal is to help lead you back to the Wisdom and Guidance of your own Mystic Heart.
Let’s get our Conversation started by joining our voices in song and making our Oneness a lived experience.
Rev. Diana & Chris – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Song – One God, by Linda Webb-Khakaba
Chris – Let’s take a moment to consciously engage the body in the Sacred Practice of Visioning for a Love-Soaked World. Take a deep breath…feeling the Presence of Love moving through…and let it go. One more time…feel the Grace fill you…and release.
Feel and know with me a world in which all humans are living from their deepest Wisdom, their most generous and Loving nature…thoughtful of the impact their thoughts, words, and actions have on one another, on the community, and on the planet…remembering that every thought, word, and action leaves an imprint…
We are living in Peace, in our homes, our neighborhoods, and as a global community. We have outgrown war, violence, and all appearances of separation.
All needs are met gracefully…all beings have plenty of nourishing food…warm, comfortable, and affordable housing…a sense of safety and belonging…mental and physical wholeness, education, and healthy relationships are ensured by social systems grounded in Integrity and Wholeness…honesty and transparency rule the day…
We are creating a world where each person is valued as a unique individual …where authenticity and vulnerability are celebrated…loving relationships are the norm, and each person is free to love as they choose…a world where there are no walls or boundaries to divide us, where all are welcome…
Sense and know with me a world where the Peace we cultivate within ourselves shows up as a world free of hatred or violence…Feel the loving connection to each other and to Mother Earth. Our ways of living support her and she supports us. You can step outside and smell pure fresh air – no matter where you are…the food and water are safe and healthy, offering nourishment, no matter where you live.
The world is undergoing a profound transformation…as it does, this Community stands strong as an open and welcoming place for all who seek support, belonging, and a sense of Family…it redefines Church as a place of Self-Discovery, Authenticity, Kindness, Friendship, and Love.
It is in the realm of Infinite Possibility that our prayers and visions take form…we spend time in that realm now, as we bring forth a new story, a new way of being human, and of living peacefully on our planet.
I offer gratitude and thanksgiving to Great Spirit, trusting in Its Creative Power and Divine Process to bring our shared Vision to Life. In humility, I call it done… And so it is. Amen.
Let’s take a moment to bask in that creative and powerful energy…how does it feel?
Welcome to our Kool April Mornings SuperSoul Show and Shine! Take a quick look around and say good morning to your Spiritual Family.
If you were with us for Taizé this morning, you’ll know that this year we are looking at life Through the Lens of Story, and our topic for reflection and conversation this month is The Mystic Jesus. This morning we explore how to go about Resurrecting Compassion.
We began with the fact that, since we are made in God’s image, and since compassion is one of Spirit’s attributes, it must be one of our innate qualities as well. Compassion is factory equipment. Infants instinctively move toward a crying sibling in an attempt to comfort them. We are all born with compassion. Which prompts the question, “Then why does it seem in such short supply out in the world?”
To answer that question we explored how our domestication or socialization conditions us to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, and to seek our own comfort and ease first and foremost. In other words, we learn to suppress our natural compulsion to comfort someone in distress. The resistance caused by the conflict between our desire to comfort our sibling and our discomfort often makes us turn away… but that doesn’t solve the problem.
Our conscience tells us that we didn’t do what we should have… we accuse ourselves of not being compassionate enough… loving enough… for not being human enough… That is because our compassion has not died… it has been suppressed out of our conscious awareness… it has been buried in the tomb with all of our other repressed or suppressed emotions.
We then looked at some of the tools we can use to roll away the stone to resurrect our compassion. Specifically, we mentioned four of the Seven Pillars of Spirituality that we teach here at Mystic Heart. Does anyone remember what those are? (Prayer, Meditation, Self-Inquiry, Sacred Study, Sacred Service, Circulation, and Celebration)
We considered how prayer, meditation, and self-inquiry help us to open our hearts and minds, to listen deeply for Divine Guidance, and to explore the contents of our inner tomb of repressed emotions. These practices help us to see clearly what is still serving us and what needs to be released.
From this place of greater Wholeness, we can engage in a fourth pillar, Sacred Service. With our Emotional baggage out of the way, we are empowered to share in another’s suffering without the fear of getting sucked into their misery. We are free to be the comforting arms, the soothing voice, and the loving presence of God in this world. We are actively engaged in the manifestation of Heaven on Earth.
So, what does the phrase the Kingdom of Heaven or Heaven on Earth mean to you? What do you think Yeshua meant? (the qualities in our Love-Soaked World visioning; compassion, transparency, and vulnerability are valued)
What qualities of a Love-Soaked World do you most fervently desire to see come about? (Elimination of hate, greed, fear, violence; everyone has everything needed to fully express their gifts; etc.)
Earlier I said that The Mystic Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is a participatory project. What does that mean to you? (A Love-Soaked World will not emerge without human involvement; We are the heart, hands, and feet on God on the human plane)
Rabbi Yeshua – the Mystic Jesus – talked a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven. He said that it is within us… it is at hand… that it is “spread upon the Earth, but people do not see it.”[iv] He taught that it is like a mustard seed… like yeast… like a pearl of great price… But did he teach us how to get there? (He taught by example – he showed us how to inhabit the Kingdom; he showed us how to live a loving, compassionate life)
How do we inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven? Do we have to wait until it is finished to move in? (it cannot be finished unless we move in and start behaving as the heavenly citizenry would)
What might it look like to behave as if we lived in a Love-Soaked World starting right now? What might that look like? (we would feed each other, share more freely, stand up for marginalized members of society)
Could that be difficult? …dangerous? (look what happened to Jesus)
I’d like to turn a corner here and do a word comparison. Do the words compassion and pity mean the same thing? Or are they different? (both indicate sorrow for another’s suffering; compassion motivates action to alleviate suffering, while pity is a more detached feeling often tainted by a sense of superiority)
Which is more helpful? Why? (compassion, because it urges us into action)
Is there anything else that needs to be spoken?
I’m going to wrap up with a couple of short readings and close in prayer.
The first is from Howard Thurman’s Meditations of the Heart:
God is making room in my heart for compassion.
There is already a vast abundance of room for pity … [including] self-pity, that sticky substance that ruins everything it touches…. There is pity in me—pity for others. But there is something in it that cannot be trusted; it is mixed with pride, arrogance, cunning. I see this only when I expose myself to the eyes of God in the quiet time. It is now that I see what my pity really is and the sources from which it springs.
God is making room in my heart for compassion: the awareness that where my life begins is where your life begins; the awareness that … your needs cannot be separated from … my needs; the awareness that the joys of my heart are never mine alone—nor are my sorrows. I struggle against the work of God in my heart; I want to be let alone. I want my boundaries to remain fixed, that I may be at rest. But even now, as I turn to [God] in the quietness, [God’s] work in me is ever the same.
God is at work enlarging the boundaries of my heart.
And in this post from her blog, Nadia Bolz-Weber comments on her recent prison visit:
I look those two young men in the eyes and think, I will not pity you. But I will, in this moment, see even just a fraction of your pain, and acknowledge how it is like mine and very much not like mine.
In my mind, pity isn’t even analogous to compassion. Pity is just the paternalistic cousin of contempt. It allows us to see others as “those less fortunate than ourselves” (a term I loathe). Pity keeps the other person at a distance and me in a rarified state of satisfaction.… Compassion, on the other hand, draws us close.
So no, I do not pity the men I met…. Like me and like you, they are complex human beings. They have experienced love I do not know about and have really great stories I will never hear…. So to “feel sorry” for them based solely on what little I now know of their stories is reductive….
This world will break your heart. There’s enough sorrow to go around and for everyone to have seconds.
But this world has a thousand forms of medicine too.
I’ve yet to find healing in:
Self-pity, isolation, pretending I am not hurting, comparison, hardening myself, standing in judgment (although it sure feels good).
But I have found it in:
Eye contact with another person who is in a tender place, the rare moments I stop filling in the blanks about another person, compassion toward myself and others, remaining open hearted in moments I want to shut down, … using my pain to see it in others rather than only in myself.
I’d like to close with this Unitarian Universalist prayer from Evening Tide, by Elizabeth Tarbox:
Spirit of Life, I give thanks for the opportunities to love that present themselves in the turmoil of life.
Where the light catches the tears in another’s eyes, where hands are held and there are moments without words, let us be present then, and alive to the possibility of changing. Let us seek to make another’s well-being the object of our concern. Let us seek to be present to another’s pain, to bathe another’s wounds, hear another’s sadness, celebrate another’s success, and allow the other’s story to change our own.
Let us stand in the morning on damp grass, hear the syllables of bird song, and fill up on sweet air that rolls over oceans and continents. Let us look up at the stars and the planets that fill the night sky with majesty. Let us witness the first fresh buds of spring amid the brown sticks of winter. And for all this, let us be grateful.
Let us not defend ourselves against the discomfort of unruly emotion, nor seek to close down our hearts for fear a new love will come to shake our foundations. Let us instead be open to discovering a new way of seeing an old problem, or appreciating the perfection of a seashell, or the possibility of friendship. For in giving ourselves to what we do not understand, we receive life’s blessings, and in taking care of another, we are cared for. Amen
Take a moment to allow your awareness to return to your body, to this space, to this beautiful gathering…welcome back.
Love Offering – I invite you to join in the celebration of the work we are doing in the world by sharing of your financial Good, should you choose to. If you are at home, you can go to mysticheart.org to use our Donate Button or to find our mailing address.
We are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather. We thank you in advance for your generous gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the Infinite Abundance of Spirit moving through you. And as you give, so is it done onto you.
Offertory Music – Compassion, by Jami Lula
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Rev. Diana – Brief Invitations – please hang out to listen for all the new things coming up
The Mystic Heart Book Club meets every Tuesday from 3-5 pm. We are reading Conversations With God, Book 3.
Fast Track to Wellness meets every Thursday from noon to 2 pm. We have begun listening to and discussing a new book, Good Stress by Jeff Krasno.
Metaphysical Bible meets on Thursdays from 2-5 pm, and will begin a new book, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene this week.
New – A Return to Love: A Book Study with Rev. Diana, starting Wednesday, April 16th – May 21st, 11:00am – 1:00pm. This is not a class per se, but rather a time to read ahead and discuss this very powerful set of reflections from A Course in Miracles. A suggested pacing guide and reflection questions will be offered.
New – A Mystic OAKS Adventure: Glowing Wild Lantern Festival at Turtle Bay, Thursday, May 8th (time TBD). Check out the amazing display of beautiful lanterns set up along the 10 acre arburetum trail. At 8:00, join the Spiritual Leaders of Shasta Interfaith in a silent Peace Prayer Walk across the bridge. Additional prayers will be shared inside the park. Feel free to make the rounds another time. The park closes at 10:00. Rev. Diana’s membership can get out tickets for $15/person. RSVP to get your ticket.
There is more information available in the April Bulletin and on our website.
Information Cards only if new people
Prayer Requests: I am available after service for prayer, in our beautiful Prayer Room or fill out a prayer card and I will get your request to our Prayer Team for daily prayer.
Closing Song – Love Be With You
Notes:
[i] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compassion
[ii] Mark 13:31; Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33
[iii] Revelation 21:1
[iv] The Gospel of Thomas, Logion 113
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Permission is granted to duplicate for non-commercial educational use only.
All rights to music performed remain with the copyright owners.
Diana Johnson’s music is © by Barefoot Angel Publishing, ASCAP.
Chris Johnson’s music is © by SeaJay Music & Publishing, ASCAP.