The Spread of Compassion

This article of Rev Thierry de Roucy was pub­lished in “D’un Point-Coeur à l’autre” #38, the French magazine of Heart’s home in September 2002.

When I founded Heart’s Home twelve years ago, I was aware that suf­fering was a widespread reality. I was also aware that it affects each person in a very dif­ferent way, that it can take diverse forms. Twelve years later, I get the feeling that suf­fering is more and more pre­sent, appearing sud­denly and fright­en­ingly. I realize that none of us, none of our lives will escape the Cross, and I often see humanity in the shape of a big cru­ci­fied body.

To face this omnipres­ence of suf­fering, there is a pressing need for more and more com­pas­sionate hearts. So many chil­dren and elderly, rich and poor, sick and rejected need to be com­forted, sup­ported and loved! We can’t stop dreaming that com­pas­sion can be at work every­where, where people suffer, have pain, in every place where the Cross stands. We can’t stop dreaming, and, above all, praying for com­pas­sion to fill every heart.

We are often requested to settle new Heart’s Homes. If we could find enough mis­sion­aries, if we were able to train and guide them cor­rectly, a new com­mu­nity could be founded every month, but we would still be unable to answer all the needs. This may not be the core of our mis­sion any more, even if we always see the foun­da­tion of a Heart’s Home as a blessing of God. The main thrust now is that our charism may spread here and there, that it may gain ground, and that many people may long for living it, where they live, work or rest. That is to say that the feel­ings of the Virgin Mary standing at the foot of the Cross may fill each of our hearts.

In this con­text, I was so com­forted during my latest stay in Manila to notice the growth of the Fraternity of Maximilian Kolbe, thanks to Father Vincent Lelievre. This fra­ter­nity was founded in 1997 in France, to enable the former mis­sion­aries to keep on living the charism of Heart’s Home in their daily lives, and to help all our friend­s―who will never be able to actu­ally join one of our com­mu­ni­ties―to be instru­ments of the Virgin Mary’s spirit of com­pas­sion. The mem­bers of the Fraternity spend time together, training or friend­ship week­ends, a rec­ol­lec­tion and a week of hol­iday. They commit them­selves for three years to live the spirit of Heart’s Home in their daily lives and their activ­i­ties, to pray the rosary everyday, to give a hand to the Association or to have a reg­ular time of apos­to­late, helping those suf­fering the most, to sup­port finan­cially the Association, and to attend a yearly three-day rec­ol­lec­tion, along with all other mem­bers.

In the Philippines, around 15 mem­bers are com­mitted in the Fraternity. All of them have, in some way, been moved by the charism of Heart’s Home, and want to live it in their daily life. I spent a whole Sunday with this small team, whose joy and enthu­siasm make me rejoice. I also vis­ited some mem­bers in their homes, and I imme­di­ately rec­og­nized in their homes the spirit that I feel in all the Heart’s Home com­mu­ni­ties I visit. I mean, a real spirit of prayer, but also a great ded­i­ca­tion and open­ness to the poor and the most suf­fering, a full con­sid­er­a­tion for every­body, a true con­fi­dence in divine Providence.

I hope that such homes and hearts could be pre­sent all over the world!