Empathy is not a sin

What an exhausting few weeks.

The rapid-fire cruelly of those in control has been overwhelming for many who are paying attention. And inauguration day itself was not immune from it.

The National Cathedral is Episcopalian, but it also serves as the closest to a national church that the country has. It hosts interfaith prayer service and state funerals. Before election day, the theme of the service was set: “for all Americans, for the well-being of our nation, for our democracy.” Readings and songs revolved around themes of compassion and togetherness, including a reading from Deut. 10:17-21, on taking care of orphans and widows and all those in need.

The cathedral’s bishop, Bishop Mariann Budde, gave a sermon focused on unity, as one would expect. And boy, did some people hate it.

And what was so wrong about her words? She asked for mercy for those who are scared and marginalized. She didn’t say to condone their actions. She merely asked for those in power to remember the powerless, to have some empathy and compassion.

In response, right-wingers called for her to be defrocked, deported, and accused her of “the sin of empathy.” The vicious backlash to her sermon was striking—and also proved her point. There is no compassion being shown. Those in power are not expressing Christian virtues. And if they want to sit in her church for a prayer service to appear Christian, then she has every right—I’d say an obligation—to try to impress on them some Christianity.

If people are offended by a sermon on unity and compassion, I don’t think the problem is the sermon.

Those made uncomfortable wanted all the performance of Christianity without the actual challenges of repentance, charity, or compassion. They wanted a church who would bow down before a man and extol him as God’s chosen one; instead, they got a church who actually worships Christ.

Christ, who wept with Mary and Martha in their grief, though he knew Lazarus would be raised.
Christ, who healed a woman of her infirmity, though it was the Sabbath.
Christ, who saw the hungry followers and fed them, though he sought to be alone.

If you ask for God's endorsement, then you need to be prepared to humble yourself and accept correction. If you walk into a church and ask its leader to speak, you need to be prepared that the message may focus on God's will instead of your own. The message of empathy and mercy was the right one, even if it fell on deaf ears.

Empathy can be weaponized, used to coerce emotional responses instead of rational decisions. But it is not a sin. Rather, to harden our hearts to our neighbors, to the suffering, to the scared—that is sin. Especially when we have the power to ease their troubles. We are all called to show love and mercy, even to those who throw it back in our faces. A much-needed reminder in a cruel time.