With less than two months to go until Election Day, Georgetown students, faculty, and staff have already made some plans about how they will spend this politically significant semester. In the last few weeks, the Georgetown community has received several communications about various resources on the campuses that support the democratic process and encourage civic participation. At the heart of the social teaching of the Catholic and Jesuit tradition is a belief that voting and other forms of political leadership can support the common good. At the same time, there is a widespread recognition that the turbulence of American political life can take a mental toll on our community. The temptation can be overwhelming to simply get stuck in an endless cycle of paralysis by reading and viewing news and scrolling for the latest updates.
The occasion of election season is another reason for gratitude for Georgetown’s mission and values and the reflective practices that they encourage. To be Contemplative in Action, as our Spirit of Georgetown calls us to be, is to enter into a life of engaged activity, sometimes stress-inducing and difficult, in a spirit of generous reflection. St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, believed that a person’s contemplative grounding need not be compromised by an active and busy life with many commitments. Translating such an idea to this fall semester, I think Ignatius would remind us that the hectic pace of national affairs caused by the election does not necessarily mean that we should become so absorbed as to lose touch with our own need to pause, reflect, and make meaning of what we’re experiencing in current events.
Thankfully there are many ways at Georgetown to engage in reflective pauses in a season of election. Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice, in partnership with Student Affairs, for example, has created a resource page of Election Reflection programs. Reading this list is a vivid reminder of the many different ways our university community, leveraging the many gifts and contributions from across the campuses, is capable of coming together at important times. I am pleased to add to the offerings with “A Civic Examen: Spiritual Grounding in the Ignatian Tradition at Election Time,” on October 24 at 2 p.m. ET on Zoom (Register at this page). The Examen has been a central focus of Mission in Motion and is incredibly adaptive as a spiritual resource for mindful reflection about one’s inner movements. I was partly inspired to contribute to this season’s programming because of this article in America Magazine by Tim Muldoon, “Election Season Is the Perfect Time to Pray the Examen.” Muldoon explains that the Examen is a suitable companion for reflecting during tumultuous times because of its emphasis on locating emotional balance and authentic purpose in the midst of conflicting emotions.
Georgetown’s proximity to the national government and the symbols of American democracy adds to the University’s capacity for meaningful impact on the common good. The political life of the country is a feature of Georgetown’s programs, professional development, and extra-curricular life. I hope that you can find ways to engage this election season by seeking out the community resources that Georgetown is making available.