A Call to Empathy: Reflecting the Light of Christ in the Lives of People with Disabilities

Samuel Caraballo

Author

Samuel Caraballo

Summary: In the face of the uncertainty experienced by families of people with disabilities, the Church is called to reflect the light of Christ with empathy, not sorrow or pity. Empathy means sharing emotionally in our neighbors’ joys, sorrows, and needs; it moves us to walk alongside individuals and their caregivers. Because this care demands constant effort and may keep them away from the congregation, we need a proactive, intentional, and creative response from both pastors and laypeople. We can make it easier for them to attend, accompany them to appointments, visit them, ensure accessibility, and teach others how to interact with warmth and care. The goal is not to meet every need, but to build an inclusive community that walks alongside these families through the different stages of life.

Empowered to ServeBeing Salt and Light

Four years ago, a very special person came into our family. My daughter, Natalia Luz Caraballo Martínez, was born to fill our lives with love and joy. Natalia’s arrival introduced both my wife and me to the world of people with special needs. “Nati” was born with a condition known as Down syndrome. Over time, Natalia has also been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. And what I want to share with you is a reflection based on a question that both I and many parents of children like Natalia ask ourselves every day, and it is this:

What will become of my daughter when we are no longer here?

The future is uncertain, and only God knows what tomorrow holds for us, but as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us, the wise person takes the initiative to build his house on the rock before any eventuality arises. Whatever happens, my family and I would like the body of Christ, the Church, to take the initiative to be a light amid the darkness for people like Natalia. It hardly needs mentioning that there is much darkness in our society, such as the rejection and prejudice that people like Natalia must face every day of their lives.

Perhaps you are wondering, how can I be an agent of Christ’s light in the lives of people with physical or intellectual disabilities? In Natalia’s case, being a light means that we will not see her as a recipient of our pity. In Puerto Rico, my homeland, there is a very familiar expression we use when we feel sorry for someone or something: “Ay, bendito” is what we usually say when we are overcome with pity. However, being a light in the lives of people with special needs does not mean feeling “sorry” for them. What we need in order to be a light to these people is a good dose of “empathy.” Empathy, unlike “pity,” is the ability to participate emotionally in the experiences that affect our neighbor. While pity leads us to feel sorry for others, empathy leads us to walk hand in hand with people with physical or intellectual disabilities and their families. The clearest call to empathy is given to us by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12:15).

In my personal experience as the father of a girl with an intellectual disability, I have experienced countless events that fill me with great joy. There have also been times of pain and tears. Yet whether in joy or sorrow, the calling of the Church of Jesus Christ remains the same: a call to emotional involvement. Being emotionally present in the family lives of people with disabilities is an open challenge to every congregation. The reality is that both the affected individual and those responsible for their care can easily become disconnected from the congregation as they immerse themselves in the task of dealing with the complications of the person’s condition. Providing proper care for these people requires physical, emotional, and spiritual effort 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore, pastoral and lay care for such families also requires a proactive, intentional, and creative mindset.

For example: If Carmen, the mother of Carlitos, a little boy with cerebral palsy, has not attended church for the past two Sundays, her absence is most likely related to caring for her child. It would be good to take steps to help both Carmen and Carlitos become integrated into the life of the congregation.

Types of empathetic actions:

  • Ana takes the initiative to find out whether Carmen needs help from other brothers and sisters to attend the services.

  • Víctor offers to accompany Carmen periodically to some of Carlitos’s medical appointments.

  • During the week of Carlitos’s birthday, the church’s young people take the initiative to visit him and bring him a little gift.

  • The church activities committee realizes that the bus they plan to rent for the day trip to the lake must be wheelchair-accessible so that both Carmen and Carlitos can attend the activity.

  • When the Bible school teacher notices that the other students are not interested in interacting with Carlitos, she prepares a lesson in which the students learn how to communicate with Carlitos in an empathetic way.

It is important to recognize that the common denominator in these and many other examples is the need to form a caring community around these people. The goal is not to meet every need that exists. Rather, it is to walk hand in hand with our neighbor through the stages of life.

For this reason, my family has taken on the task of creating a nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage and equip faith communities to welcome and include people with disabilities, whether physical or intellectual. I invite you to join this effort! Please visit our website at www.todahabilidad.org

Remember that through intentional acts of service for people with disabilities, the words of that beautiful song based on Psalm 133 are fulfilled: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! For there the Lord bestows blessing, and eternal life.”

Thank you, and always press on in the Lord!