The Transforming Power of Vulnerability

Abstract

Vulnerability is intrinsic to the human condition, and in a particular way, to the person with a disability. It can be a source of exclusion, rejection, and pain, just as it can be a source of inclusion, transformation, and growth.  The transforming power of vulnerability is explored in relation to three fundamental areas of human existence: the experience of friendship as mutuality, the experience of forgiveness as healing, and, finally, the experience of prayer as interiority and encounter.  All three experiences highlight the power of vulnerability to transform the human person. The person with a disability is our teacher and a source of inspiration in the transformative logic of the heart.  Weakness and vulnerability in a person, rather than being an obstacle to union with God, can foster it. It is a matter of encountering God, not as a God of power and totality but as a God of littleness and vulnerability.