The root word is the same as 'passion', something you want so much that you suffer from not doing or having or accomplishing it. The root meaning 'to suffer' is also used of Christ en route to His crucifixion. For a Christian, any compassion we have is shaped by and rooted in Jesus' Passion, where His awareness of our suffering drove Him to do something about it. A sense of solidarity develops; your suffering becomes my suffering. A few people have been said to have empathic gifts, where they can actually enter into part of another's suffering or pain, and bear with them the part of it they can reach. (It probably feels as much like a curse as it does a gift.) But no one needs such a gift to have compassion. You only need enough love in you to want someone's suffering to end or at least become more bearable.

There are some related words. Sympathy is being sad about others' sadness. Commisseration is when that sorrow is expressed to the saddened ones. Pity leads you to want to help them if you could. Compassion is more than a mere desire to help; it creates a determination, a decision to actually help, even if only in some small way. Compassion puts something of yourself on the line :perhaps your power over someone, or your time, or wealth, or effort, or healing skills. When strong, compassion overrides angry or vengeful desires. Compassion differs from mercy in that compassion is about an emotional connection, while mercy is about an action. Compassion can lead to mercy.