Colossians on Compassion

Colossians 3:
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Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
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bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
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And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.
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And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.
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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.


These verses are so rich, and they encompass exactly what I think I’ve been trying to depict for so long that bothered me about being a part of the evangelical movement.
Heartfelt compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE that the Roman Catholic Church does not contain the fullness of the truth of the gospel, that it is not the church founded by Christ and that the idea of searching for the “true church” is frivolous, then how do you plan on embodying these things towards Catholics? How can you show them these things… and still maintain your “holy and beloved” status?

Likewise, Catholics, if you really and truly believe that the Catholic Church is the church founded by Christ, that it is the sole source of true authority, and that it’s teachings are correct… then how can you demonstrate these things to protestants and still maintain your “holy and beloved” status?

The scripture itself lays it out:

bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

And again:

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.

These things seem easy, but in the face of such highly charged conversations as the ones we have been having, I have to say that I have failed MISERABLY at doing just this! I stand convicted in the face of God’s Word at having been totally (and deliberately) striving against my protestant brothers and sisters by having forgotten to forgive (I admit, it has given me so much pain to lose friendships over these things!) and having forgotten to be a bringer of PEACE and thankfulness.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

May we all do these things over and over again:

As I suggested yesterday, let us all spend time in the Word of God, getting to know Him intimately.

Let us teach and admonish each other IN ALL WISDOM.

Let us sing psalms (by the way, Catholics do this literally five times a day… in the liturgy of the hours. We chant the psalms. J)

Hymns…. And spiritual songs. With gratitude in our hearts to God!

By doing all of this, and by following the further advice to the Colossians to :

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Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;
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at the same time, pray for us, too, that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak of the mystery of Christ (…)
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Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each one.
May we always find ourselves in perfect unity of the Holy Spirit. And may we always be content to grow in godliness and persevere in our walks.
May we form our consciences on the Word of God as time goes by, so that we become more and more like Christ!