IN THE DIOCESE
tvc.dsj.org | December 11, 2018
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Santa Clara Faith Formation Conference
Envisions a Church of Encounter and Empathy, Joy and Renewal
By Joanna Thurmann
A morning of song, story, and
prayer invited attendees of Santa
Clara Faith Formation Conference at
the Santa Clara Convention Center on
November 30 to encounter the heart of
Pope Francis and the people he holds
dearest; the poor and vulnerable.
That encounter continued in a talk
by Catholic Relief Services entitled
“God Walks With Us: The Catholic
Church’s Response to the Refugee Cri-
sis.” Ken Preston of CRS said, “There
are 65 million refugees around the
world.” This is due in large part to the
violence and confl ict in the Middle
East and Central America.
He stressed the distinction between
migrants, who can choose to leave for
economic reasons but are not com-
pelled to do so, and refugees, who
are forced to fl ee due to wars, drug
violence, famine, climate change, and
dire poverty.
These reasons are heightened by
the pull factors that destine them
for the US. This includes jobs, family
reunifi cation, human rights protec-
tions, and the pursuit of the American
dream. But the toils that await them on
the journey are many, from extortion
and abuse to human traffi cking. And
they face many hardships once they
arrive. Preston emphasized, “If people
make this choice, they are not making
it lightly.”
The CRS response to the crisis in-
volves migrant services, development,
and peacebuilding. And a number of
immersion and educational programs
help Catholics foster a sense of solidar-
ity with migrants and refugees. As
church, we connect through prayer,
learning, giving, and advocacy.
The prerequisite, of course, is a
Photos courtesy of Jen Vazquez
deep sense of empathy for the plight
of the suff ering. “It is obvious that
today’s world is in need of mercy
and compassion, and the capacity for
empathy,” said Pope Francis in a 2015
interview. Anne Kertz Kernion un-
folded exactly what this means in her
session on the spirituality and science
of compassion. She leveraged her back-
ground in engineering, neuroscience,
spirituality, and positive psychology.
“Compassion can be cultivated
through listening, kindness, and
Christian mindfulness. There are
concrete habits of highly empathic
people,” said Kernion. “We don’t have
to be born with it.”
The word compassion comes from
Latin roots meaning “to suff er with.”
Through our willingness to suff er with
another, we become connected.
SAN DAMIANO RETREAT
That is the diff erence between em-
pathy and sympathy. “Empathy is a
choice to connect with something in-
side of myself that knows that feeling,”
explained Kernion. All too often, we
rush to the silver lining because suf-
fering and silence are uncomfortable.
Put another way, “empathy is walk-
ing a hundred miles in someone else’s
shoes. Sympathy is just being sorry
that their feet hurt,” clarifi ed Kernion.
To be compassionate, we need the
capacity for mindful listening, for sit-
ting with their pain and simply saying,
“I am here for you.” Self-compassion
is crucial, as well.
The great news is that this compas-
sionate instinct is benefi cial to both
parties. It has a defi nitive biological
basis and promotes mental health, re-
duces stress, increases longevity, and
improves relationships.
But one thing that compassion
does not require is grumpiness. This
was the theme of a fourth session
called “Becoming a Disciple of Joy
and Mercy,” presented by Rev. Dr.
Thomas A. Kane, CSP. He cited Pope
Francis’s infectious smile, openness,
and elation.
“Encountering Jesus is at the core
of who we are; this is the source of our
joy,” said Kane. “Those who invite him
into their lives deepen their hope and
enthusiasm.”
Thus, t he aut hentic encounter
with the most vulnerable must be
met with the most empathy. And that
must be sourced from the great joy of
our encounter with Jesus. Encounter,
empathy, and joy are our path toward
church renewal.
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