JourneyOnline
Mosaic Press, 2009
RRP: $23.95
Reviewed by Wendy Scott.
People of Compassion is one book you will not take lightly.
If you want to be inspired, encouraged, and have a light shone in those dark unloving places in your heart, take courage and read this very slowly.
Then read it again in a month's time.
This book starts with pithy modern examples of the beatitudes and goes on to say the best way to learn from the forty compassionate people featured is not by elevating them to sainthood, but by appreciating what they have done as imperfect people in a difficult world and learning from them.
The bibliography allows for further research into these remarkable people.
The book gradually leads readers from Telemachus (the monk who caused the cessation of gladiatorial blood sport for entertainment in Romans time), through to Caroline Chisholm, Charles Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoffer, Desmond Tutu, and Gladys Staines, to name a few.
Dave Andrews is right, we should all follow these examples of courage and compassion regardless of our religion, background, riches or lack, abilities or disabilities.
This collection of wisdom would be excellent for a long haul flight, a time out weekend, or even for group study. My copy will travel far and wide but I hope will return before the year is out so I can revisit the wisdom within its covers.
