Introduction

MANY PEOPLE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO LOVE THEMSELVES, TO BE SELF-COMPASSIONATE. Self-compassion can be defined as being touched by and open to your own suffering, not avoiding or disconnecting from it, generating the desire to alleviate your suffering and to treat yourself with kindness… Self-compassion also involves offering nonjudgmental understanding to your pain, inadequacies and failures, so that your experience is seen as part of the larger human experience.

You know that you are growing in self-compassion if you are:

• being kind and understanding towards yourself in instances of pain or failure rather than being harshly self-critical,
• seeing your fallibility as part of the larger human condition rather than as something that isolates you, and
• holding your painful thoughts and feelings in mindful awareness rather than avoiding them or, conversely, over-identifying with them.

Gospel  (Mark 12:28-31)

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

What I desire

I ask God for the grace to be increasingly self-compassionate.

The Loving-Kindness Meditation

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your back upright. Close your eyes and bring your attention toward your breath. Remind yourself that every living being wishes to live in peace and happiness. Connect yourself deeply to this desire: “Just as all beings desire to be happy and free from suffering, I am entitled to the same happiness and freedom from suffering”. If you wish, you may take a moment to feel what kind of emotions this intention stirs up within you.

• Repeat the following phrases in silence and serenity:

In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, may I be peaceful

In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, may I be healthy

In the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, may I be happy

Take a moment to truly comprehend the meaning of each phrase. If necessary, repeat a certain phrase more than once to create more clarity. You may also choose a single word and repeat this to yourself. It is important that you devote yourself to the desiring part of the exercise: that you truly desire these things for yourself. In other words, it is about the intention, not about the results. If you notice your mind starts wandering, simply return your attention to the phrases. Don’t be harsh on yourself, it is normal to get distracted.