Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based on notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered partially rational in nature. Compassion involves "feeling for another" and is a precursor to empathy, the "feeling as another" capacity (as opposed to sympathy, the "feeling towards another"). In common parlance, active compassion is the desire to alleviate another's suffering.[1] Compassion involves allowing ourselves to be moved by suffering to help alleviate and prevent it. An act of compassion is one that is intended to be helpful. Other virtues that harmonize with compassion include patience, wisdom, kindness, perseverance, warmth, and resolve. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in altruism. The difference between sympathy and compassion is that the former responds to others' suffering with sorrow and concern whereas the latter responds with warmth and care.[2] An article in Clinical Psychology Review suggests that "compassion consists of three facets: noticing, feeling, and responding".

1. z
Prayer

2. OPENING PRAYER
Lord, open our eyes that we may see You in our
brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears that
we may hear the cries of the hungry, the
frightened, and the oppressed. Lord, open our
hearts that we may love each other as You love
us. Renew in Your spirit. Lord, free us and
make us one. Amen.

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4. z

5. z
COMPASSION

6. z Objective:
Define compassion as a
commitment to respond
to the suffering of
others.

7. z
Compassion
 It has a unique quality, a quality so different
that often it is associated with being
spiritual. It is cited in spiritual/religious texts
as a virtue to be sought and developed.
Thus compassion is a way of life.
 Latin: Cum (with) and pati (to suffer) –
means “to suffer with”. The Latin meaning,
thus, is “co-suffering”.

8. z
 It takes more active desire to alleviate the suffering of
others.
 A compassionate person is moved and affected by the
suffering and misfortunes he/she sees that she/he
wants to do something to resolve this.
 Being present to someone no matter the
circumstances of his/her life because he/she sees the
other person just as he/she sees himself/herself,
equally gifted with so much potential in life.

9. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.
 Compassion begins as empathy
 It leads a person to further take an active role to
find ways and means to help the other overcome
the situation.
 Compassion does not make judgment and takes
each situation equally – each as an opportunity to
experience life’s fullness.
 Compassion expressed as a commitment is really
justice in action.

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11. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.

12. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.

13. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.
 GROUP ACTIVITY
 Read Activity A on page 89 and do the
Hippocratic Compassion Oath on page
90.

14. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.
 GENERALIZATION

15. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.
Write True if the statement is correct and False if it is not.
1.Compassion is a commitment that eventually defines a
lifestyle, thus, compassion is a way of life.
2.The etymological root for compassion is Latin: cum (with),
pati (to suffer) or when it is translated means “ co-suffering”.
3.While often associated with empathy, compassion is different
because it is taking a more active desire to lessen the
suffering of others.
4.There is another understanding of compassion, one does not
limit itself to merely a response to suffering but can also
mean striving for the best.
5.Compassion believes that every person can live life in the
fullness but needs to suffer first in life.

16. z
Objective: Define compassion as a commitment to respond to the suffering of others.
Complete the statement.
6. Compassion is an essential virtue because_____________.
7. An excellent example of a compassionate person is
_____________.
8-10. Sources of sufferings of people.
11-12. Give reasons why do we need to be compassionate to
the less fortunate.
13-15. How do you show compassion to the people around
you?