Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Compassion ( compati, to suffer with) is a quality that is inherent to us human beings. It is a quality that we possess because we are souled (hearted) beings. Compassion not only calls me to suffer with the other, but also raises in me a desire to alleviate his/her suffering. It is a quality that shows our interconnectedness and interdependence. However, when espoused as a Christian value, compassion takes on a new meaning. It becomes a virtue. To a Christian, compassion ceases to be a matter of choice. A Christian cannot afford not to be compassionate for compassion is the Christian face. The criteria for the final judgment that we find in Matthew (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) revolves around compassion. Compassion can even be said to be what the Christian call and identity is about. In other words, for a Christian, compassion ceases to be an internal feeling one gets when in the face of someone who is suffering. Rather, compassion becomes a Christian way of life.
Even though compassion is part of our being human, Jesus knows that the inclination we have towards ourselves (selfishness) might prevent us from being fully compassionate. The effects of original sin make it almost impossible for us to act selflessly towards the other. We need an objective standard upon which to gauge our efforts. This is why Jesus qualifies our requirement to be compassionate by adding as your heavenly Father is compassionate. The compassion of God is seen in how God deals with us. As the response to the Psalm puts it, God never deals with us according to our sins. Instead of condemning us as deserving our actions, God pardons us and affords us another shot at life. God is always ready to forgive our faults whenever we run to him for forgiveness. As our Christian way of life and in imitation of our heavenly Father, we show compassion in our willingness to forgive, not condemning, and not judging (cf. Luke 6:37-38a).