Inclusivity: a divine call

People want more connection, community, and dialogue within the Church, and with those outside it. Our youth want more involvement and leadership in Church activities, and more formation.

Participants at the November 18 assembly expressed a strong desire for more inclusivity, openness, and spirit of greater welcome in our Church community. How do we foster greater inclusivity, especially of our young in parish and Archdiocese? All this is a matter for discernment for the whole Christian community.

The document Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church states:

…The faithful have an instinct for the truth of the Gospel, which enables them to recognise and endorse authentic Christian doctrine and practice, and to reject what is false. That supernatural instinct, intrinsically linked to the gift of faith received in the communion of the Church, is called the sensus fidei, 2.

The faithful that had the conversation on inclusivity at the November 18 gathering sensed the deep desire of the People of God to building a more inclusive, loving, and spiritually enriching Christian community. Yet they also discerned that many feel hurt, rejected, and excluded at times.

This is, at its core, a spiritual problem that can only be fixed if we choose to deepen our spiritual practice and recognise the need for more humility, self-reflection, and a willingness to change on an individual, group, and community level.

The work begins with each of us recognising his or her flaws and need for growth. It requires that we open our hearts and minds to God, and to others who are different.

Our assembly discerned that community is destroyed by classification, disconnection and feeding of the ego. These are the bad spirits we need to learn to recognise and exorcise.

First principles

Christianity is rooted in the principle that we were created in the Image and likeness of God—Imago Dei (Gen 1:27). This means that every human has immense value and worth, regardless of the choices or the circumstances of his or her life. Our value comes from the fact of being a human.

This is why acceptance, compassion, and love for others are critical, even when their lives/beliefs differ from ours. Seeking to understand and meet people where they are is crucial.

Inclusivity involves appreciating diversity and making sure everyone feels welcome and has opportunities to contribute. It applies within and outside the church walls.

To accept that we are all created in the image and likeness of God allows us to experience ourselves as loved by God. In accepting God’s love for us, in our weakness and fragility, we will then be able to extend that mercy to those on the outside, amidst their struggles, even if their state is in opposition to the Church. But this is not enough. We must also hear Jesus’ new commandment.

A New Commandment

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (Jn 13:34–35).

This is a call to sacrificial love, a radical giving of self for the sake of the other. This is the cross, the ultimate gift. To love is to will the good of the other; it is also to sacrifice for that good.

St Paul reminds us that each of us is a member in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12–27). We are interconnected in ways that we have not understood. We are literally entwined with and in each other in Christ.

We cannot make ourselves humble or change our attitude without God. The Word of God, the Scripture is “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps 119:105).

Conversion is a grace from God that leads to contrition, gratitude, and compassion. This is at the core of the Christian mystery. We do not change ourselves; our encounter with God transforms us. Prayer is, therefore, essential since it is where we encounter God and are able to change.

The Holy Spirit is the protagonist in building community, inclusivity, and dialogue. We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit in our hearts and interactions. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to hear and experience the interior movement when we are listening (active, attentive, non-judgmental listening) to the Holy Spirit, to each other, to youth, migrants, the elderly, and those who feel marginalised. Attentiveness to these movements allows the person to feel listened to, allowing for reconciliation and the other person experiencing compassion and, thus, inclusivity.

What we need most is a well-worked-out understanding of the Holy Spirit, not just as a spirituality or as is needed for mission, but as what the Church calls ‘pneumatology’: how the Holy Spirit is the protagonist of the entire Church and all its parts.

A way forward

As God gives grace, we need to examine ourselves as individuals and as a Church about our judgmentalism, the ways in which we have excluded and hurt others, and our racism and classism.

We need to see the ways we can be rigid and exclude people who are different; to become more conscious of the deaf community, LGBT+ and others discriminated against.

But we also need to understand what inclusivity means. Can we be inclusive and keep the core doctrine of the Church? YES.

Some people may never be included in the reception of the Eucharist, but they ought to be included in many other dimensions of Church. Let us be mindful too of those we need to bring back in, among them the young and the migrant.

Others feel excluded because of moral decisions. We need to accompany them, discerning how they might participate in Church.

Conclusion

This is a comprehensive reflection on the essence of inclusivity, arising from the November 18 gathering. Its focus is on the themes of love, inclusivity, listening, humility, and the role of the Holy Spirit within the context of the Church community.

It emphasised the need for genuine love and acceptance, urging Christians to embrace diversity and foster a sense of belonging for everyone, especially those who feel excluded or marginalised.

The reflection echoes a call for active listening, understanding, and a willingness to change within the Church to create a more inclusive environment. It also addresses the importance of individual introspection, to recognise one’s flaws, and the need for personal growth to enhance the communal experience of faith.

As we deepen our synodal process, there is hope it will foster understanding, bring people together, and help achieve a more welcoming and inclusive Church.

The Holy Spirit’s guidance is essential.

Key Message:

Inclusivity is a fruit of the Holy Spirit which requires ongoing conversion and openness to God and each other.

Action Step:

Promote daily practices of discernment, including the Examen (to develop discernment skills and further integrate our ministry and worship as community into family and daily life) and daily Lectio Divina.

Scripture Reading:

Jn 13:34–35