Every election cycle, politicians caution about the harrowing extremes of the other side. Media pundits label each subsequent election as the most important of our lifetime. Despite the hyperbolic language, such commentary – after reflection – somehow continues to feel true every four years. Ordinary citizens sitting around the dinner table can only lament this state of heightened and seemingly intractable polarization.
This four-part miniseries is not a discernment guide for Catholics. In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provides guidance for helping Catholics prayerfully and thoughtfully navigate democratic life. The updated introductory note explains that this document is not masked partisan preaching but a proclamation of “timeless principles: the infinite worth and dignity of every human life, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity.”
At the same time, this article is not a fervorino for charitably engaging in the political process. That is best accomplished elsewhere by Pope Francis. In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli tutti, he highlights the parable of the Good Samaritan. He writes that “social and political inertia is turning many parts of our world into a desolate byway…leaving great numbers of the marginalized stranded on the roadside.”1 Humanity cannot turn a blind eye.
We are called as Catholics to follow the exhortation to help our neighbor, regardless of class, border, or race. The parable binds a “a universal dimension to our call to love, one that transcends all prejudices, all historical and cultural barriers, all petty interests.”2 Pope Francis is even clearer in his first ever apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. Borrowing directly from the Forming Consciences predecessor, he quotes that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” 3
Drawing from the wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, this miniseries instead offers advice to Christians navigating daily life and prayer during a charged election season. Fratelli tutti addresses the fundamental why of engaging in politics and Forming Consciences substantively tackles the what questions of particular issues. This series offers brief suggestions on the how questions of discerning God’s presence, call, and invitation in American political life.
The Spiritual Exercises are divided into four “weeks,” each aligning with specific stages of the retreat traditionally given over 30 days. For each month from August through November, one of the four weeks of the Exercises will be featured, highlighting relevant insights for these polarized times.
In the face of the onslaught of political commentary on social networks, television ads, and cable news, we encounter two primary temptations. On the one hand, we can reject politics altogether and isolate ourselves from the political sphere. On the other, we can be swept into the inflamed rhetoric, and surrender our discerning consciences and inner calm in the process. The Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises provides the tools to help us navigate both temptations.
At the beginning of the Exercises, Ignatius offers a compelling answer to the meaning of life: humans are “created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save [their] soul.”4 Three simple verbs for one purpose – salvation. Quite literally, Ignatius thinks that if what we are doing does not help us praise, reverence, or serve God, we should desist doing that. If we are losing focus on our ultimate eternal end, we ought to recenter ourselves along these priorities.
Ignatius did not envision that all people should live a hermetic life of prayer or fasting. In fact, the world – including all things in it – is fundamentally good in Ignatius’ estimation. He writes that all “things on the face of the earth are created for [humanity]” insofar as they help us praise, reverence, and serve God.5 From this viewpoint, we should embrace our civic duty as a moral obligation. Politics, just like the gifts of beautiful creation or family life, are an integral part of this world created for mankind by God. There is nothing inherent about the nature of politics that qualifies it as necessarily evil. Rejecting politics outright is a refusal to share in the gift that is stewardship for our common home and care for our neighbor.
At the same time, Ignatius cautions that all these gifts of the earth, though inherently good, can be misused. Delicious foods can remind us of the abundant goodness of God. Good health enables us to live and to enjoy our lives. But taken to the extreme, these goods can become distractions. An abundance of luxurious food can become a resource sink, hindering our call to serve God. Overzealous fitness programs can treat our bodies as an end in itself, when we end up praising our bodies instead of our Creator.
Politics is the same. Faithful citizenship is part of our call to serve God through being a Good Samaritan. We must reject the temptation to shut ourselves off from the outside world this election season. Even still, political discourse, especially consuming media in the form of TV news and social media, can become a distraction to our ultimate goal of praising, reverencing, and serving God.
The key to striking this delicate balance for Ignatius is indifference. He argues that humans should not want health instead of sickness, riches rather than poverty, or a long life instead of a short life. The operative word is “want”. Like with the rich foods, fitness, or politics, these things are not inherently bad. We can enjoy health, riches, and longevity if life blesses them with us. But we should not focus our life in pursuit of these things. If these things help us grow in our relationship with God, then we can be free to accept them. If they hinder our relationship with God, or worse they become their own “gods” in our life, then we must distance ourselves from them and refocus on our Creator.
For this election season, then, the goal is a healthy Ignatian indifference in regard to our political engagement. The ultimate purpose of our practicing civil responsibility is to serve God through care of our neighbor. We should consume a sufficient amount of cable news, social media, televised debates, and political podcasts to help form our consciences. One might consider reading the full text of the USCCB guidance or Fratelli tutti.
But we should be wary that an overconsumption of political media is entirely possible. We might confuse a righteous indignation with polarized tribalism. Instead of our own careful prayer and discernment, our curated social media feeds and biases of our news sources might be forming our consciences. Unfortunately, in this time when politicians are stoking anger instead of building bridges, these temptations can become irresistible. Our human nature so desperately wants us to be right while the others are bigoted, wrong, or clueless.
The following practical tips might be helpful to cultivate a healthy spirit of Ignatian indifference:
- When feeling emotionally charged after reading a headline or a news clip, check in with yourself. Ask questions such as “does this information open new perspectives or reaffirm what I already suspect” or “does this increase my disdain for the other”. If these sources are not forming our consciences and helping us in our mission to praise, reverence, and serve, we might consider reducing our media consumption.
- Include a brief review of politics in your daily Examen. We can discern if our political engagement brought us closer to God in the course of a day, or was a potential hindrance. If the latter, we might prayerfully explore how we can impose some healthy distance between the political discourse and our inner calm.
- Set an app timer for social media and political news for 10-15 minutes. After a few minutes of catching up, it is unlikely that any new information will change our perspective, but rather just expose us to more content that might further enrage us.
- Distinguish between news and commentary. When there is breaking news, read one article or listen to the news for a few minutes only. Especially on cable news, there is often little new information. Most airtime is filled with individuals providing spin. Commentary is generally aimed at sparking emotions and not providing new information.
In the end, each person’s relationship with politics will look different. Ignatian indifference varies by person. Engaging in an honest yet healthy way this election season requires discernment and self-knowledge. The Principle and Foundation provides insight into our ultimate destination as Christians. During this election season, take occasional pauses to ask if whatever activity is helping us pursue our salvation. If not, our time and energy could be better spent in other acts of praise, reverence, and service.
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