Those who mourn and try to keep God’s commandments will eventually be comforted; their sorrow shall be turned into joy (John 16:20).
One sign of a true Saint is that he or she is “willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:9).
Jesus’ ministry perfectly illustrates this godly quality of character; we often read that he was “moved with compassion” (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; Mark 1:41; 6:34; compare Matthew 15:32; 20:34; Mark 5:19; Luke 7:13). The English word compassion derives from the Latin com (“with”) plus pati (“to bear, to suffer”). Thus having compassion means “to bear or suffer with.” A synonym that derives from the Greek is sympathy (sym, “with,” plus pati, from which we get pathos). Other related terms are commiseration (“to lament with, to have pity for”) and condolence (“to feel pain with”).
When the scriptures speak of Jesus’ compassion, therefore, we can visualize him understanding someone’s misery or suffering, experiencing deep feeling for that person’s pain, and desiring to relieve it. Being moved with compassion is a spiritual consciousness of someone’s personal tragedy and a feeling of selfless tenderness toward it.
In the Beatitudes, in this great sermon at the temple, and in his whole life, we learn of Jesus’ character, the way he lived. He said, “I am the way,” and this is the way he wants us to live—to be willing to feel for others’ burdens and be willing to help carry them.