Clergy from left, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill, Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired; Assistant Rector Lynn Finnegan and Pastor Deb Church. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By The Rev. Mary Ann Hill
Rector
Trinity on the Hill
Anthropologically speaking, the essentials that make us human include bipedalism, language, the tool-making, self-awareness, and the ability to imagine alternative futures. While other species possess some of these traits, it is the combination that makes us uniquely human.
Several years ago, a documentary was produced by the National Geographic Society called The Bones of Turkana*. It is about the discovery of the most complete early hominin skeleton ever found. In 1984, on the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, a team lead by Richard Leakey discovered a skeleton belonging to a 11-year-old who lived about 1.5 million years ago.
In the course of the documentary, Richard Leakey was asked the question “What makes us human?” He gave the usual answers to that question, but then he said, “I would add compassion.”
You see, Turkana Boy’s skeleton had evidence of severe deformities and bone disease. It is fairly certain that he could not have lived to the age he did without considerable help. As a double-amputee, Richard Leakey had a unique perspective on this matter. Leakey felt that compassion was an essential ingredient in the journey of humankind out of the cradle of civilization into the rest of the world. We might think of compassion as the secret ingredient that allowed humankind not just to survive, but to thrive and flourish.
One of the most beloved stories that Jesus ever told is The Good Samaritan. In it, a man is robbed and beaten within an inch of his life, and left broken and bleeding on the side of the road. After being ignored by his own compatriots, a person from another tribe, someone who would normally be a mortal enemy, came to his aid. He bound up the man’s wounds, took him to a safe place, and paid for his care. He showed deep compassion when the others simply ignored the situation and left the man to die.
Jesus told this story as a response to a question asked him by a lawyer “Who is my neighbor?” In telling it, Jesus essentially said that everyone is our neighbor. That means that following the Golden Rule (“Love your neighbor as yourself.”) extends not just to our friends, but to our enemies. Having compassion, recognizing the humanity of our neighbors, means reflecting the love and mercy of God to the world around us.
What would it mean to our broken and divided world if more of us sought to embody compassion? What if we were to sit down with those with whom we disagree and ask them, not to argue or debate, but to tell us their stories and why they feel the way they do?
We don’t have to compromise our own beliefs and values to have compassionate understanding. But even if the outcome is that we still disagree, the divide between us may not be so wide. And we may be better able, not to just survive, but to thrive and flourish.
*The Bones of Turkana is free online by searching the title.
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com); Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (pastornicole@bethluth.com); Assistant Rector Lynn Finnegan, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org); Pastor Deb Church, White Rock Presbyterian Church (pastor@wrpchurch.com) and The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com).
