Gentleness and tenderness
We speak today about an attribute of God to which He has called us: the attribute of gentleness and compassion…
The spiritual person is always gentle, far from harshness, while the people of the world are dominated by harshness and violence. And when the Apostle Paul spoke about love, he said that it “suffers long and is kind” (1 Cor 13). And likewise the Apostle James said about the wisdom that descends from above that it is “gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy” (James 3).
So what, then, is the virtue of gentleness and compassion?
Gentleness and tenderness¹
The spiritual person is always gentle—in his judgments, in his dealings. He shows gentleness to all: to sinners, to the young, to animals… to everyone.
When Job the righteous was wearied by his friends, he said to them in a touching phrase: “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of the Almighty has struck me”… He said this because they had come down on him harshly, with difficult and unjust judgments.
Paul the Apostle said in (Heb 13): “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also.”
Among the signs of God’s compassion toward us is that He gives us commandments within the limits of our ability to bear.
The Apostle said: “I fed you with milk and not with solid food, for until now you were not able to receive it.” And in the Council of the Apostles in Jerusalem, they said to the Gentiles: “We will not place on you any greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality” (Acts 15). And from the Lord’s compassion He reproached the scribes and Pharisees because “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear” (Matt 23).
As for the weak who cannot endure the commandment, either God does not give them the commandment, or He gives them with it grace and strength to fulfill it.
Gentleness includes all, even animals. And I want to begin with gentleness toward animals. For if a person is gentle toward animals, how much more toward his fellow human.
Gentleness toward animals and toward nature:
The Jews greatly sanctified the Sabbath, not doing any work on it; yet the Lord says: “If your donkey falls on the Sabbath day, will you not lift it out?!” And the commandment of Sabbath rest was applied by the Lord to the animal as well. He said about the Sabbath day: “You shall do no work—you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle” (Ex 20:10).
Thus God commanded that the animal rest, for it grows weary like the human. God also had compassion on the land, commanding that it rest: six years the land may be sown, and in the seventh year it is to rest. And so that the human would not feel loss, the Lord blessed the produce of the sixth year so that it would suffice for two years.
Blessed is the Lord who had compassion on the earth and commanded rest for it…
And among God’s compassion for the animal is His saying: “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.”
And even now the ox is not muzzled while threshing, and it eats from the grain as it wishes while it works.
And from God’s compassion for the animal, He commanded that one should not plow with an ox and a donkey together, for the ox is stronger than the donkey, and if it works with it, it would exhaust it.
Thus God had compassion on the poor donkey which cannot work with the strength of the ox. And He had compassion also on the donkey during the journey to Jerusalem.
He rode on a donkey and a colt, the foal of a donkey. At times He used one, and at times the other, so that one might rest while the other was used during the journey, so that neither would be exhausted…
And from God’s compassion for the animal, it is said of Him in the Psalm:
“He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.”
All are His creatures; He has compassion on them and gives them their food—even the young ravens: between them and Him there is a connection, for they call upon Him. Likewise He commanded not to boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
God had compassion on Balaam’s donkey when Balaam struck her unjustly; then the Angel appeared to him and rebuked him. God also showed His compassion for the little sparrows… He said: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father.” And He said that these sparrows “neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” God feeds even the worm in the depths of the earth or in the depth of the sea…
And in the Parable of the Lost Sheep, He showed His compassion for it, for He left the ninety-nine and went seeking the one.
And when He found it, He carried it on His shoulders rejoicing, and called His friends to rejoice with Him.
A beautiful training: to contemplate the Lord’s compassion for animals, whether in the Holy Scriptures or in the lives of the saints. Among the examples in the saints’ lives:
The story of Androcles, who had compassion on a lion groaning from a thorn in its paw. He removed it and brought it relief, and a friendship grew between him and the lion. Likewise the friendship that was between Anba Roweis and his camel, and between Barsoum El-Arian and the serpent.
And from the wondrous compassion toward animals was the healing of the blind bear cub by Saint Macarius of Alexandria, whose mother brought it to him weeping for its blindness…
The heart of the saint was filled with tenderness for the little bear, so he healed it… Another example is Noah in the Ark, who had compassion on all the animals of every kind, caring for them all and giving them their food…
God gives food to every creature with a body, as we say in the prayers—even to the insignificant worm, and even to the insect that appears harmful… He cares for all.
And from God’s compassion on the animal is that He granted it a nature by which it resists harm…
The polar bear, for example, because it lives in very cold climates, the Lord granted it a beautiful fur to warm it—fur desired by the richest ladies for its luxury… and the opposite we see in the horse, with its smooth body and no fur, since it lives in hot regions.
The poor gazelle, which may be devoured by the lion, God granted it speed of running, by which it can escape if the lion attacks it…
And the fearful rabbit, God granted it the ability to dig so that it may hide… and the small bird that may be swallowed by a beast, the Lord granted it the ability to fly. It stands on the lion’s head, then flies away, so he cannot catch it.
God grants every creature, in its nature, what preserves its existence…
The human, who has neither fangs nor claws, and who has no physical strength against predatory beasts, God granted him in his nature intelligence by which he can capture lions, panthers, and leopards, and confine them in cages, then bring them out of their cages and make them perform before people in circuses, according to his will and direction…!
God is wondrous in His compassion for every nature He created; when the human contemplates all this, his mind wanders and is amazed. We return to the animal.
From God’s compassion for animals, He granted them qualities humans desire and imitate…
Take the ant, for example, in its great diligence and persistence, so that Scripture says: “Go to the ant, O sluggard.”
And like the ant in its activity, we see the bee in its order, ability, and management:
How the bees choose their queens, how they organize their work, how they build their cells, how they collect nectar and turn it into honey, how they clean their dwelling, and how they remove their dead… astonishing things. Wondrous gifts granted by God to this insect!
Ahmed Shawqi, Prince of Poets, marveled at the kingdom of bees, saying:
“A kingdom well-governed, ruled by a commanded woman,
bearing upon the workers and craftsmen the burden of authority.
I marvel at workers who appoint over them a Caesar.”
This commanded Caesar—its followers prepare for it a wondrous food, which nutrition scientists call “royal jelly,” and pharmacists seek to seize it from the queens to feed people. It is now sold under the name Royal Jelly.
Is it not from God’s compassion for the bees that He granted them the ability to produce for their queens a food desired by human kings, and whose method of creation bewilders their scientists?!
And from God’s compassion for the animals is the beauty He granted to many of their species.
Look at the butterfly in its wondrous, beautiful, harmonious colors, and at the many shapes and colors of butterflies and flowers. Look at the peacock in the beauty of its feathers, and the birds in the beauty of their sounds, and the dove in the beauty of its nature… indeed, look at all of nature as a harmonious unity of beauty, complete in attributes, and then speak of God’s compassion in the nature of His creatures…!
God’s compassion also includes the inanimate aspects of nature in many ways…
Contemplate plants in the way they are nourished, and you will see wonders…
The barren desert, where there is no water or food—God has compassion on it with oases, and He grants its animals and plants the quality of wondrous patience and endurance.
Just as the camel has patience and endurance, the palm tree likewise has these same qualities.
Both live in the desert, companions in asceticism and simplicity, like monks. The palm tree can endure thirst, can extract fresh water even from salty ground, can live on little, and still bring forth fruit.
Even the thorn, the Lord’s compassion reached it; with its needle-like structure, it escapes evaporation and withstands little water and survives.
And from God’s compassion, He created dew, by which creatures are refreshed…
And from His compassion, He made nature with differing seasons and times.
If God had compassion on nature and animals, how much more on the human whom He created in His image and likeness—and how much more should we be compassionate.
God’s compassion includes all—even Satan, who still exists!
God did not destroy him, but will give him his final opportunity at the end of days, when he will try to deceive even the elect with great signs and wonders. But out of God’s compassion for the elect, He will shorten those days…
God does not only show compassion to His beloved, but to His enemies also.
Therefore He said: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink,” and He commanded us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us.
On the Cross He forgave His crucifiers. And He had compassion on Judas the traitor, warning him many times, and at the moment of the false kiss He spoke to him gently.
The Lord had compassion on sinners who repented, even though He knew with certainty that their repentance was not firm and that they would return to their sin again…
Blessed is the Lord, the God of all compassion…**
¹ Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Kiraza Magazine – Year Six (Issue 39), 26-9-1975
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