As the nation’s political capital, Washington, D.C. is uniquely focused on politics and policy. There are certainly other parts of the country where the daily chatter about the latest in political news is loud but no place comes close to the high volume in D.C. With voters besieged by television, streaming, and internet advertisements, with news coverage dominated by commentary about national, state, and local elections, and with polls continuously offering assessments of candidate races, it seems that conversation about the coming election is everywhere. At Georgetown, a university with a stated commitment to realizing justice and the common good, leveraging its D.C. location to support a range of curricular and co-curricular programs related to politics and policy, discourse, discussion, and activity related to election season is omnipresent.
While there are many in our community who follow political events as part of their work and study and relish in this, many others find themselves overwhelmed by the frenetic pace–not only of political news but also the saturation of political chatter in seemingly every space of our lives. As Pope Francis reminds not only global Catholics but people of good will around the world, political participation is a virtue and a means to realizing the common good. Even if the frequency and volume at election season can feel like too much, it is important to remember that the democratic process demands active engagement. However fatigued we might become by them (especially as they seemingly start earlier and earlier every cycle), political elections are a healthy and necessary part of exercising our civic responsibilities.
Just because elections are important, and our participation in them carries moral obligations, does not mean that we should not express our stress and overwhelmed feelings during election season. I have noticed in my work just how much the elections on November 5 are bearing down on members of our community. At times like this, we are reminded that reflection resources are critically important whenever we find ourselves needing to take a critical distance from whatever is pressing in on our daily lives. Thankfully, Georgetown is in a position to offer spaces and resources to its community that encourage us to pause, reflect, discern, and then return back to the pressing actions of our personal and professional activities at election time.
Last week, as part of a university-wide menu of Election Care programs, I offered “A Civic Examen: Spiritual Grounding in the Ignatian Tradition at Election Time.” Modeled on the adapted examen created by the national organization, Ignatian Solidarity Network, this civic examen brought together the university community desiring a reflective and quiet space to journey together the tumult of feelings at election time. Ignatian spirituality, animated by a practical desire to help busy and civically-engaged people discern the inner movements of God in the midst of engaged lives for the purpose of more loving and mission-energized actions in the world, is well-suited to this kind of reflection. And the Ignatian charism, oriented as it is by a commitment to discerning personal and collective actions that serve the needs of the oppressed and marginalized, has a lot to say about why political activity is necessary.
I would like to offer a few of the reflective prompts from the civic examen. I hope these open-ended invitations from the Ignatian Solidarity Network to deeper prayer and meditation open up the inner space needed to slow down the loudest and most challenging feelings that you are experiencing on the eve of election time:
- Consider the current realities of our country – for what and for whom are you most grateful?
- As you reflect on the United States and your participation in it, what energizes you or brings you closer to God? What distracts you or makes you feel farther away from God?
- What communities, groups, or aspects of creation in the United States need healing and reconciliation?
- Consider one or two of the strongest desires or feelings evoked by your prayer and reflection about the United States and your civic participation in it and bring these directly to God.
- Regardless of the outcomes of next week’s elections, how will you promote the common good in your personal actions?