Pope asks Jesuits to educate diocesan clergy in practice of discernment

[PTL]

But some people are living against the truths and are not ready for a complete makeover. This is where empathy comes in. Understanding the target’s perspective and feelings, taking things one small step at a time. To bombard somebody with rigid truths, without taking into account the person’s readiness to accept them, is counterproductive. For every Catholic fault that a person has, a pastoral authority should note several positive virtues within the target. Expecting immediate change is unrealistic.

No one has said immediate change is expected. Empathy is NOT to agree with the sinful behavior. An experienced counselor will acknowledge both the person’s emotion and the objective moral truth. Then the counselor will accompany the person to gradually change his route according to God’s truth.

Anyone who truly believes in God and His teaching will never only claim God’s mercy and ignore God’s justice. Anyone who disregard the Scripture’s teaching and indulge himself or others in sin is not following Christ. Jesus told the woman in adultery to “sin no more”.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Let’s talk about discernment. Expecting immediate change may be unrealistic for some but not for all. Stories of the Saints show some people can do a complete and dramatic turn-about to reform their lives. Some people may need “one small step at a time” but others may be ready for more. Confessors may fail equally on that opposite side of discernment–failing to realize that the penitent is ready for, wants and needs more than mere baby steps.

Yes, you got me. I should have said that expecting rapid change is often unrealistic. But my personal belief is that empathy is a critical tool that enables counselors to know when a person is ready for a change.

 

[Havard]

Hi Robert. I assure you that no one has forgotten about empathy.

I’d like to share some things with you (and everyone else) about diocesan formation, since I’m a diocesan seminarian.

I’ve had Carmelite, Franciscan, Jesuit, and many other religious play integral roles in my formation process in numerous classes, retreats, and as spiritual directors. I’ve done 8 day and 30 day Ignatian silent retreats and I’ve also spent time at contemplative monasteries as part of my formation, and I know that is not unusual. I am very appreciative of these experiences. So it’s hopefully understandable then, that I find it particularly unhelpful to generalize diocesan priests as being deficient in discernment via formation, or associated with black-and-white manualism.

Diocesan formation is very dynamic and not at all about sitting around memorizing manuals, LOL. In formation ministries I’ve both served and broken bread with pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, gang members, veterans with PTSD, victims of abuse, women who’ve had abortions, and many other people with very deep, traumatic wounds. Even informally, we’re being formed, every day… I find myself in an experience where I have the opportunity (and obligation) to work towards conforming myself to Jesus and witness through charity and mercy. On Friday night I was invited to visit a questioning shut-in who wanted to talk about finding meaning, yesterday morning I ran into a homeless man who wanted to talk about God and suffering, and today a friend who’s drifting away from the Catholicism wanted to vent about the Church. So there’s always another opportunity to witness in charity.

My experience is not particularly special or unique to me. All of us are going through this process. This is diocesan formation in 2016, and I think it would be good for people to know.

Some posters have talked about rules and empathy coexisting. I agree with the sentiment, but would word it slightly differently - I would personalize it. God loves all of us and meets us where we are, in all our brokenness/sin. In the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, He truly empathizes with our pain and suffering. But He asks us to follow Him, which means a conversion of our whole lives. “Rules” imparted by God through Scripture or the Magisterium ought to be appreciated in the context of helping us know Him and follow Him. So yes, I do think that it’s a false dilemma to think that walking with people with empathy is in conflict with witnessing “rules” promulgated by the Church.

God bless!

 

[Robert_Sock]

Hi Robert. I assure you that no one has forgotten about empathy.

I’d like to share some things with you (and everyone else) about diocesan formation, since I’m a diocesan seminarian.

I’ve had Carmelite, Franciscan, Jesuit, and many other religious play integral roles in my formation process in numerous classes, retreats, and as spiritual directors. I’ve done 8 day and 30 day Ignatian silent retreats and I’ve also spent time at contemplative monasteries as part of my formation, and I know that is not unusual. I am very appreciative of these experiences. So it’s hopefully understandable then, that I find it particularly unhelpful to generalize diocesan priests as being deficient in discernment via formation, or associated with black-and-white manualism.

Diocesan formation is very dynamic and not at all about sitting around memorizing manuals, LOL. In formation ministries I’ve both served and broken bread with pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, gang members, veterans with PTSD, victims of abuse, women who’ve had abortions, and many other people with very deep, traumatic wounds. Even informally, we’re being formed, every day… I find myself in an experience where I have the opportunity (and obligation) to work towards conforming myself to Jesus and witness through charity and mercy. On Friday night I was invited to visit a questioning shut-in who wanted to talk about finding meaning, yesterday morning I ran into a homeless man who wanted to talk about God and suffering, and today a friend who’s drifting away from the Catholicism wanted to vent about the Church. So there’s always another opportunity to witness in charity.

My experience is not particularly special or unique to me. All of us are going through this process. This is diocesan formation in 2016, and I think it would be good for people to know.

Some posters have talked about rules and empathy coexisting. I agree with the sentiment, but would word it slightly differently - I would personalize it. God loves all of us and meets us where we are, in all our brokenness/sin. In the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, He truly empathizes with our pain and suffering. But He asks us to follow Him, which means a conversion of our whole lives. “Rules” imparted by God through Scripture or the Magisterium ought to be appreciated in the context of helping us know Him and follow Him. So yes, I do think that it’s a false dilemma to think that walking with people with empathy is in conflict with witnessing “rules” promulgated by the Church.

God bless!

One more attempt at what I’m trying to get at: Is masturbation a mortal sin? Not necessarily. The CCC states that a priest must take into account how the habit was acquired. It’s possible, for example, that the habit was formed through an uncontrollable sex drive. This is where I would think empathy would come into play. It’s a pity that a priest would have experienced such an uncontrollable sex urge that caused him to have “sinned,” but I think that having experienced himself would allow him to take the “sinner’s” perspective and better allow him to discern. Falling into sin can be God’s way of bringing good out of evil.

 

[Havard]

One more attempt at what I’m trying to get at: Is masturbation a mortal sin? Not necessarily. The CCC states that a priest must take into account how the habit was acquired. It’s possible, for example, that the habit was formed through an uncontrollable sex drive. This is where I would think empathy would come into play. It’s a pity that a priest would have experienced such an uncontrollable sex urge that caused him to have “sinned,” but I think that having experienced himself would allow him to take the “sinner’s” perspective and better allow him to discern. Falling into sin can be God’s way of bringing good out of evil.

I know what you’re getting at, however, keep in mind that every priest has sinned in some way or another, and every priest has an imagination, so while a priest may not have committed that specific sin being confessed, he is certainly capable of being empathetic. Every time I’ve heard “there but for the grace of God go I”, it’s been a priest saying those words. I’ve come to see that priests tend to be very cognizant of this. Furthermore, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is working through the priest, and He is not limited to the priest’s history to increase the priest’s empathy for others.

 

[Seamus_L]

The best possible advice would be to confess that sin as soon as possible whether it be a mortal sin or not. Why take the chance ?

 

[ProVobis]

I think what Pope Francis is saying is the formation of empathy! Empathy is the key to all in a helping profession. Most important is knowing and feeling of the other person. I do not like the current state of psychology, but the need for empathy is an exception.

What would be the difference?