Is Empathy a Sin?

Pharisees have been promoting an alternative. They state: “Empathy is good, in moderation. But! Too much empathy can lead us further from the truth. Lo, beware of putting yourself in someone’s shoes superfluously. This candor and credulous nature precedes the downfall of your conviction – of understanding borders, of holy sex, of proper living.”

The groans from the hearts of the fleeing, jailed, hungry, and dying echo the folklore of their ancestors. Stories of real, prevailing, truth. Not manufactured truth to serve a place or a time. Not lab-grown-truth to serve the newest king who claims sanctity. The catacombs where we are buried utter this:

Lay children of the Earth, the leaves of the branches, of the trunk, of the roots, of the soil, of the dust, of the crust, of the core, of the fire, of the light,

I want to speak to you plainly.

To my fellow sacred beings, I wish to never twist sacred integrity and uprightness into the worshiping of false idols, fake ideals, fetishes of power and clout, persecution and arrogance.

Empathy is revealing things to us. Let’s call them ‘virtuous longings’ as the word ‘truth’ has been stolen and sold for thirty pieces of silver. 

Empathy is changing us. 

What if empathy is not just a spiritual exercise of the heart, but a call, through these virtuous longings, to movement, alertness, and awareness. If our hearts are holy, our hands and feet ought to be holy too.

If your heart feels empathy for another, you have a chest of pearls and pedals to be shared. Do not hoard your gifts away, do not hide your light under a bushel basket. Gifts are meant to be shared. Love is meant to overflow. That overflow is called action – inclusivity of others, protection of the vulnerable, longer tables, and shorter fences. Soft hearts are not weak, they are flexible and malleable to fit others inside.

True empathy is allowing yourself to be changed, for I know from the depths of my soul, that empathy is not static. Just as the bells ring with vigor, so does love.

Love moves, grows, and shakes. It admits failings and wrongs. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. Love never fails. True, abiding, fearless, and yes, empathetic love, never fails to move and be moved.

The Lion must abide with the Lamb. The Judge must have its Jury. What is life if we persecute others, and in doing so, persecute ourselves? If we believe in freedom and love in heaven and not on earth, we are a fallen people already. 

Empathy is not a sin, it is a spiritual gift. Just like speaking in tongues, prophesy, holy laughter, fortitude, and patience.

Generations before us, pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come to a thirty-something, scrappy fisherman. He replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst…On earth as it is in heaven.”