The True Value of Compassion

There is so much good will and heart in this land as we struggle perceive and respond to the depth of the devastation in Haiti. But, there are places also where the sad, shallowness of our propensity for myopic self-involvement are only too visible. Perhaps it is because I struggle so against my own "myopic self-involvement" that I am frustrated and must say:

There is a misperception among many, especially those of good fortune and comfortable means, that opportunities for the tangible expression of compassion are for the balm and betterment of the lives of those whose lives are marked by suffering and want. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus, please help me today, and all days, to know the true value off all that you place before me. Amen.