The voice of Consecrated Women on the road of Synodality
Sr. Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN Liliana Franco Echeverri, Sister of the Order of the Company of Mary. She is a social worker at the University of Antioquia, with a master’s degree in biblical theology, and currently a candidate for a doctorate in theology at the same University. She is Provincial of the Company of Mary, in the Province of the Pacific and President of CLAR.
Sr. Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN
THE VOICE OF CONSECRATED WOMEN ON THE ROAD OF SYNODALITY
Original in Spanish
Caring for life should be the horizon that inspires, encourages, and guides our consecration. Life is a gift, full of possibilities, but also inhabited by fragility and vulnerability; therefore, it is necessary to diligently take care of it.
Now, compassion implies a way of relating; it consists fundamentally in perceiving the suffering of others as one’s own, that is, in the ability to internalize the suffering of another human being and living it as if it were one’s own experience. Empathizing with someone is a habit of the heart. Compassion supposes a commitment to solidarity. Compassion leads us to embrace vulnerability, our own and that of others. It leads us to open our eyes and to perceive the situation of suffering in which other human beings are living. Showing compassion for someone does not mean replacing or deciding for them. It implies putting yourself in his shoes, without stealing his identity, without invading his territory. Trust is essential in any exercise of care. Trust someone means believing in him, placing oneself in his hands, putting oneself at his disposal.
UISG - Bulletin Number 176, 2021
Care arises when someone’s existence matters. It is, then, that we dedicate ourselves to him, to participate in his destiny, his search, his sufferings, and his successes, in short, in his life. This is compassion.
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