Clothe Yourselves with Compassion

Explore the biblical witness for the core teaching on God’s mercy and compassion. Saint Paul rightly grasped that compassion was at the core of everything Jesus taught and did when he directed the Colossians to “clothe yourselves with compassion” (Col 3:12). In recent decades, mercy has been a central theme in papal teaching from Pope Saint John Paul II to Pope Leo XIV, consistently echoing the insistence of their respective predecessors on the urgent need for compassion, truth-telling, encounter, dialogue, justice, and respect for the dignity of all. In this book, renowned biblical scholars Leslie Hoppe, OFM, and Barbara Reid, OP, explore the biblical witness for this core teaching on compassion—the prime virtue we must “put on” to bring peace and wellbeing to our communities and to our planet. Clothe Yourselves with Compassion expands on select passages from both Testaments that unveil compassion in many diverse aspects. By reflecting on these texts, readers not only come to understand that the whole story of God’s relationship with humankind and all creation is driven by compassion but also learn how to accept and live with mercy as the guiding force for their lives.