Cultivating compassion for oneself and for others is a practice at the heart of most religious traditions, including Christianity. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus instructs his followers to “be compassionate as your heavenly father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36) How does one actually DO this? The Compassion Practice is a process of spiritual growth by which participants learn ways to live instruction to love one’s neighbor and one’s self.
In the Christian tradition, the way of Jesus is the way of radical compassion, extending even to one’s enemies. How is it possible to develop deep compassion for oneself and for other people? Compassion Practice incorporates story telling, teaching, conversation and guided meditation to deepen our capacity to develop compassion for ourselves, compassion for other people and learning how to discern compassionate action.
At least once a year, Dr. Julie Roberts-Fronk, one of our pastors, leads the 12 session Compassion Practice. She is a certified facilitator through the Center for Engaged Compassion. The first half of the course includes a 6 hour retreat day, 3 evening sessions and online gatherings for meditation; this pattern is repeated for the second half of the course. It is recommended participants read “Practicing Compassion” or “Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus” by Frank Rogers of The Center of Engaged Compassion. See the calendar for current offerings.