Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy is sharing a series of reflections based on Compassion, Feeding and Calming. This first reflection looks at Matthew 14, and focuses on the theme of Compassion.

Matthew's Gospel provides us with a deep and rich picture of the ministry of Jesus Christ. For centuries, biblical scholarship maintained that the Gospel was written by the tax collector, friend and Apostle, Matthew. In the gospel, this perceived public sinner was called to ministry late into Jesus' ministry:

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him.

The gospel-writer presents an urgency in the call of Jesus. Matthew is working as a tax collector and, as such, would be seen as an enemy of the hardworking Jewish population. In this band of apostles, we see the variety of the Jewish community. There is no suggestion that one size should fit all! Matthew would have been disliked as he was working for the Roman army of occupation that ruled Israel at this time. More than ever, the Chosen People recognised the need for a Messiah—one who would free them from the yoke of oppression. In the first chapter of the Gospel, we are reminded of the unique and world-shattering prophecy from Isaiah:

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

This child born of 'young woman', or 'a virgin' was to go on to change the world. He is given the Hebrew name 'Yahoshua' or 'Jesus' to show that he will be the one who brings salvation to Israel. Matthew would have been seen as one working against that mission, thwarting the plan of God. However, he is called to help make the reign of God a reality. Before Matthew's dramatic invitation to become a disciple, Jesus had warned about the dangers of babbling and using too many words in prayer. Thus, our great family prayer is given—it is a prayer of honour and praise to God, our Father. It is a prayer with a strong sense of reality, as we look for forgiveness, while being aware of the strong need to forgive others. The mission that these early apostles were to support was quite simple:

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The full list of the apostles in Matthew's gospel can be found in the tenth chapter, after the call of the tax collector. There is a danger in thinking that it was this Matthew who wrote everything down, as if he were a journalist reporting on the life of Jesus from Nazareth, and then presented it in his Gospel. Most modern scholars see that the author of Matthew is anonymous: it is clear that the teaching of Jesus is intended to be presented to the Chosen People. However, it is the rejection of the High Priests, Leaders and Pharisees that led to the execution of Jesus in the tragedy of Good Friday. In a post-resurrection turning more to the gentile (non-Jewish) world, the author makes it clear that the Jewish nature of the ministry of Jesus must never be lost.

Despite the order of the Gospels in the canon of scripture, it is believed that Mark's Gospel was written first, with Matthew and Luke using it as a base for their own works. There is no suggestion of plagiarism, as each writer has their own theology and view of the Christ to put forward. Experts tell us that the style of Matthew reflects a good use of educated Greek—the author having an excellent knowledge of the technicalities of the Jewish law. While we could say that this Gospel presents a Jewish bias, one would argue that it is Matthew who helps us to understand the difficulties that Jesus had with the Jewish leadership of his day—difficulties that would lead to the cross. It is these unique differences that make the Four Gospels so special. There is no need to harmonise them into just one Gospel, as Titian did in the Second Century in his great work the 'Diatessaron'. Each Gospel has a particular emphasis and wants to present the teaching, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ from a particular standpoint. This is why it is good that the Church allows us to read and reflect on the Synoptic Gospels over a three-year cycle, while the Gospel of John is referenced in liturgy every year. Each Gospel writer has a particular story to tell and certain theological themes to emphasise. Merging them together into a single story risks missing each Gospel's unique perspective.

In looking at the uniqueness of Matthew, the fourteenth chapter gives us a good overview of the ministry of Jesus: we see him feeding 'five thousand men' despite his own inner turmoil—we see him healing despite his pain of loss, and we see him showing deep and lasting compassion in the middle of grief. In my opinion, it helps us to have a deeper appreciation of the compassion of Jesus in meeting the needs of those hungry not just for food, but for the word of God; hungry for companionship and real friendship; hungry for respect and appreciation. In feeding them, Jesus calms their fears and reaches out to those who are not counted, especially the women and children. In calming, Jesus shows that divine quality of being the peacemaker. In our world today, we need that same compassion, feeding and calming. This chapter offers us an important tool for assessing ministry in the Church today. How can we be compassionate? Do we effectively feed? Are we prepared to bring the calming peace of Jesus into our world?

This crucial chapter begins with the brutal death of John the Baptist. In his grief, Jesus moves to a place of reflection where he can process his grief, but the huge crowd have other ideas:

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

The Hebrew word for 'compassion' is 'racham' and it indicates a deep and tender love for another person. With 'racham' you truly feel the pain on the other and you want to carry it yourself. That is the importance of this biblical incident: we see empathy in the love that Jesus shows to the crowd. It is a 'racham' that reaches its fulfilment in the sacrifice of Calvary, as the prophet Isaiah could write:

Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

As we look across the world from Westminster and Dáil Éireann to Congress in the United States, from Gaza to Ukraine, and from Russia to Israel, we see horrible examples of a lack of compassion. Language used by our leaders and so called 'betters' leaves a lot to be desired. It seems that the only way forward in the political and military forum is to belittle and demean your opposition. It seems that people are quite happy with the notion of 'free speech' until it impacts them: I can say whatever I want, but you had better watch what you say in case it offends me! In the fractured political language that is displayed in the greatest parliamentary democracies of the world, we witness, on a daily basis, a lack of respect and tolerance. Notice how immigrants, illegal or otherwise, are treated: they are vilified for all the problems of society. They are described in language that would not be out of place in the Nazi playbook of the 1930's. Remember this lack of compassion is not being hurled by some back street racists, rather it is being used by politicians who aspire to the highest office in their respective nations. Of course, the back street racists can then justify their brutality because they are simply following the lead given.

In the whole debate surrounding the 'incident' as the US Capitol on Epiphany Day 2021, we have come to see an Orwellian dream come true. In 'Animal Farm', the pigs decide to rewrite their own history, effectively denying the bravery of 'Snowball' in the crucial 'Battle of the Cowshed'. Despite watching proceedings live on television, in the minds of many politicians and supporters of a certain presidential candidate, this riot and mayhem was merely a group of 'tourists' walking through the halls of state. In one sense it is laughable, but in laughing at stupidity and wilful ignorance, we ignore those who were killed and maimed on that fateful day. In allowing their 'free speech', we become blind to the intent of so many of those protesters: they wanted to overthrow democracy. With a growing global refugee problem, a failure to effectively sort out the Israel/Palestine situation, and the prospect of fractured general elections coming, never has there been a time when we need to hear the voice of compassion in politics. Will 2024 be the year when someone can step up to the plate to inspire and unite? Can world leaders use a language of care, especially for the most disadvantaged? How am I, how are you, going to use that democratic right and honour to help create a better society? Can we have the courage to be truly compassionate in the political discourse today?

Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate.

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash