Mercy vs. Compassion.

Today's Sermon in a Nutshell:

Mercy vs. Compassion

In English, we often mistakenly use the words mercy and compassion interchangeably, as synonyms, referring to the concern we have for those in need. Even in the Bible, these words are rarely used or translated precisely. For example, in some biblical translations “Be merciful as God is merciful” is rendered as “Be compassionate as God is compassionate.”

Yet even though the meaning of these words might overlap, they have slightly different connotations. Compassion comes from the two Latin words com (with) and pati (to suffer), meaning “to suffer with.” While mercy, on the other hand, comes from the Latin merces, meaning “price” or “wages,” and refers to someone offering to help “pay the price” to alleviate someone’s suffering, distress, or forgiving their debt.

Thus, mercy and compassion do not always go together. One can show mercy without feeling compassion. Similarly, one can feel compassion but not show mercy. Jesus, however, bridges that gap by “feeling” the suffering of others, but also doing something about it. And He expects us to follow His example and do the same.

Fr. John