Compassion: a gateway to inclusion

By Judy Joseph McSween

Time Out Specialist – Emotional Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence Coach

Let’s pause and become fully present to this moment. Become aware of your breathing… take a deep breath in and out. Repeat three times. Have your Bible within reach.

As you become fully present, consider what happens in your body when you open The Catholic News and see the headline ‘Inclusion … widen your tent’, or when you engage in discussion on inclusion in the Catholic Church with friends, family or strangers?

Does your heart rate increase? Does your breathing become shallower? Do you relax? Do you become tense? Are you open to what comes next?

What about your emotions? What do you experience? Do you feel relief, anxiety, anger, fear, indifference, joy?

You may recall that as we began our synodal journey, the priorities identified for our Archdiocese were Building Community, Inclusivity and Dialogue. From the last synodal gathering held in Rome in October 2024, I draw two quotations:

“Synodality is the walking together of Christians with Christ and towards God’s Kingdom, in union with all humanity.”

And “… synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the Church to be more participatory and missionary so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ.”

Over the last few months, as I have engaged individuals and ministry groups across the Archdiocese in Self-Awareness and Self-Management for Effective Ministry workshops, the term ‘Inclusion’ has generated much discussion, heightened emotions and the enhancement of self-knowledge and self-management competencies.

We have noted the impact of our emotions on how we think and how we act.  When emotions are high, listening declines. Our emotions are messengers.

In the context of the Catholic Church, what is the message contained in our emotional responses to the word ‘inclusion’?

Joy — may be that we look forward to expanding our community to the marginalised. Perhaps we are looking forward to embracing persons who are not currently ‘on our radar.’ This emotion is enabling inclusion.

Anxiety — may be that we are uncomfortable with the implications of inclusion, since it necessitates acknowledging our biases and pushing past them to engage with persons we currently avoid. We may be uncomfortable with— or resistant to— behavioural change. This emotion is impeding inclusion.

Fear — may be that we are uncomfortable with the tension between current understandings of Church teachings and what we perceive inclusion to suggest. We may feel a need for clarity before making the shift. Our reaction may be a desire to protect the status quo, as demonstrated in vigorous, highly emotional discussions, or in a withdrawal from such discussions or Church settings where the inclusion agenda is present. This emotion is impeding inclusion.

Fortunately, Scripture reveals to us how Jesus and others managed encounters with those whom cultural norms suggested should be treated as outcasts. We see compassion. These people are countercultural. I encourage you to reflect on the following passages:

• Luke 10:25–27: The Parable of the Good Samaritan
• Luke 19:1–10: Jesus and Zacchaeus, the tax collector
• John 8:1–11: Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.

Previously, I shared the quote from St Dorotheus of Gaza: “Imagine that the world is a circle, that God is the center, and that the radii are the different ways human beings live. When those who wish to come closer to God walk towards the center of the circle, they come closer to one another at the same time as to God. The closer they come to God, the closer they come to one another. And the closer they come to one another, the closer they come to God.”

Participants in the Self-Awareness and Self-Management workshops experienced the impact of this movement, noting that in becoming more inclusive, they listened to the other, felt less stressed and encountered God in the other through the blessings they received in interactions with the marginalised, as well as what they were able to give to the other.  This is what our synodal journey entails.

From contemplation to action

Select someone from a marginalised group. Choose to demonstrate compassion. What’s the impact— on self and on the other?

Contact Judy Joseph Mc Sween to schedule a personal or a group Time Out session judy@timeoutspecialist.com or call (1-868) 684-9827.

Visit www.timeoutspecialist.com