Pity -- Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see,and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” 

The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” 

Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” 

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
 
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
-- Matthew 15:29-37

Pity

During Advent, in the Catholic Church, the colour of choice is purple for the priest's vestments, altar cloths, three of the four candles on the Advent wreath, etc. The reason for this is that purple is a liturgical colour that represents healing, repentance, and mercy. It is the colour of the stole that a priest wears when he hears confessions or when he administers the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (which calls us to repent of sin, lean on the mercy of God, and be healed in spirit and body). It is also the colour of Lent for this reason. Advent and Lent are kind of sister seasons inasmuch as both are a preparation for a time of joyous celebration. These two seasons help us prepare our hearts for the two biggest Christian feasts of the year -- Christmas and Easter. A big part of this preparation of our hearts is to do things for others -- to be moved with pity for those in need -- and to do something to meet those needs.