Grounded in Christian spirituality, contemplative practice, and modern science, this lesson reframes compassion as more than a feeling or virtue. Compassion is presented as a strength, a skill, and a way of seeing that can be intentionally cultivated.

Beginning with gentle reflection and guided silence, you are invited to reconnect with the “attentive heart”—the part of you that already knows how to listen, feel, and care. Drawing on the wisdom of figures such as Thupten Jinpa, Henri Nouwen, Father Greg Boyle, Sister Thea Bowman, and the Gospel witness of Jesus himself, this session explores compassion as proximity: the willingness to be present, to be interrupted, and to stand with rather than above or apart.

The session also integrates insights from neuroscience and psychology, showing that compassion is trainable and essential for resilience, emotional well-being, and hope in uncertain times.

If you are longing for a spirituality that is grounded, courageous, and practical—one that helps you meet both your own pain and the pain of the world with tenderness rather than fear—this first session offers a spacious and hopeful beginning. It is an invitation to remember: we belong to one another, and compassion is the path that brings us home.