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Divinity for Advanced Secondary Schools

and compassion among humans and Exercise 6.2
nonhuman communities.
1. How do the teachings of the Prophet
Hosea help modern societies to live
In other words, forgiveness has a wide a good community life?
range of positive effects (benefits); it
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benefits the forgiver, the receiver of 2. What will you do when annoyed
the forgiveness and society. Equally, with your loved ones, like parents,
repentance has many positive effects; it relatives, friends, or teachers at
benefits the repentant, the receiver of the school?
repentance and the society at large. From Compassion in the book of Hosea
the New Testament, we can refer to the The divine nature of compassion is
story of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:11- observable in Hosea 11:8-9 which reads,
32). From that story, we see the forgiver “How can I give you up…How can I

(father) is happy; the one forgiven (the treat you like Admah...I will not carry
out my fierce anger against Ephraim…”
prodigal son) is happy; and those around Here, God reconsiders what to do to
(the servants) are also happy – ‘invited the Israelites, who at that time were
to celebrate’. To quote the father’s suffering as the consequence of their sin.
words: “But we had to celebrate and be Compassion is divine by nature and
happy, because your brother was dead, originates from God. It is born of love.
but now he is alive; he was lost, but now It is hardwired into the human brain.
he has been found” (verse 32). Thus, ‘if Compassion begins with recognising
that each of us is unique and part of
you don’t want to forgive for your own the whole. Compassion is a sense of
benefits or happiness, forgive for others’ the sacredness of life, even in times of
benefits or happiness’.
despair. The book of Hosea accounts
for how God became compassionate
On the contrary, we see the elder son to the Israelites through the calling of
who does not want to forgive; he is Abraham, which culminates at Mount
angry – not happy – has no peace within Sinai through Moses. Compassion is the
him and with others. The words of the ability to recognize the pain of others.
text are “But he was angry and refused
to go in” (Lk. 15:28). Compassion is the condition of joining
with someone who is in trouble for
Activity 6.2 the sake of helping them. Hosea 11:8-
9 shows that compassion is a positive
Recall an encounter with an angry emotion that ascends when you meet
person who was not ready to forgive, as someone in a difficult situation and
well as the consequences. feel motivated to support humanity
for healing. It is a strong feeling of

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