Christ is risen. I'm Mother Natalia a Byzantine Catholic nun from Christ to the bridegir

monastery and this is Pines with Aquinas. Today I'd like to do a follow-up episode

on two other episodes that I've done so far, the episode on compassion and the

episode on gentleness. And you might get annoyed with hearing about this

because I think I'll probably talk about these topics a lot, but I think they're really, really important and

we're in such need in our society these days for compassion and for gentleness that I really

think we need to just keep coming back to it. So the follow-up that I really think we need to just keep coming back to it. So the follow-up that I want to do about

compassion is because I found these two quotes just this morning as I was praying,

these two quotes by St. Maximus, the confessor, who you've heard me quote before,

and I'd like to share them with you.

I guess this is also a little bit touching on the topic that I did on on neediness on being

needy and and our very human need for for friendships and support so St. Maximus the confessor says a true friend is one who in

times of trial calmly suffers with his neighbor the ensuing afflictions, privations, and

disasters as if they were his own. So this is going back to the etymology of the word compassion, compazzio, which is to suffer with.

A true friend suffers with his neighbor as if the afflictions, privations, and disasters

were his own. And then he also says, quoting Ecclesiasties, a faithful friend is beyond price.

He then continues, since he regards his friend's misfortunes as his own and suffers with him, sharing his trials until death.

A faithful friend is beyond price, since he regards his friend's misfortunes as his own and suffers with him, sharing his trials until death.

I had a really kind of firsthand experience of this the other day so this week I had a couple

ribs that went out of place and I went to see just a really beautiful Catholic man who lives nearby a chiropractor who sees all of us nuns for free when we need it.

And while I was with him, I just, I've never, I don't think I've ever been in so much pain in my life as having these ribs out.

And this poor man trying to adjust me and get the ribs back in place.

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