Chapter 175525–526

527 – Human pity is born of ignorance and weakness; it is the slave of emotional impressions. Divine compassion understands, discerns and saves.

528 – Pity is sometimes a good substitute for love; but it is always no more than a substitute.

To understand the divine intention and to work for its fulfilment — isn’t this the surest way to help humanity?

28 May 1970 529 – Self-pity is always born of self-love; but pity for others is not always born of love for its object. It is sometimes a self-regarding shrinking from the sight of pain; sometimes the rich man’s contemptuous dole to the pauper. Develop rather God’s divine compassion than human pity.

530 – Not pity that bites the heart and weakens the inner members, but a divine masterful and untroubled compassion and helpfulness is the virtue that we should encourage.

Can there be any greater misfortune than to live without knowing the Supreme Lord? And yet this almost universal ill rarely excites any pity. Because one who knows that he is suffering from it also knows that the cure depends on him alone — for the Lord’s compassion is infinite.

1 June 1970 531 – Love and serve men, but beware lest thou desire their approbation. Obey rather God within thee.