Although solidarity is one of the values of Catholic Social Teaching, it is easily forgotten that it is not just a feeling of sympathy with those who suffer. Solidarity is a constant effort to create a society centered on equity and justice. Kevin Kuehl gives us four characteristics of true solidarity and asks us to consider with whom do we practice solidarity in our following of Jesus: with those who are fighting for justice or with those who are perpetuating oppression?
Race is a social construct originally framed to create hard boundaries that could not be crossed by people of different skin color and for the purpose of segregation. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are still discriminated against and abused because of the color of their skin. Although race as a social construct was abusively imposed as a biological determinant of skin color, our society must not fall into the tarp of colorblindness as it prevents one from seeing the suffering of “BIPOC” members. Armel Setubi asks us to imagine a society without race, while warning us about the common mistake of thinking that colorblindness is the solution to racism. Inspired by St. Ignatius, Armel asks us to ponder God’s call to be anti-racist with three important questions: what have we done to fight the sin of racism, what are we doing now, and what will we do in the future.
Racism is not just violence and big displays of oppression. It manifests in everyday situations and in the mundanity of our lives. Jorge Roque shares some instances where the idea of white superiority affects how white people are racist toward minorities in a covert and harming way. Deciding to work against these harming habits require conversion. Jorge asks to allow ourselves to be scandalized and to pray with Jesus’s lament over Jerusalem.
Racism manifests itself as white supremacy in the United States. Ángel Flores Fontánez introduces these and other concepts, summarizes the history of white supremacy, and identifies white fragility as a great obstacle to defeat the sin of racism. He also invites us to imitate Jesus in his ability to accept correction and convert from wrong ways.
The Jesuit Post presents “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat.” In this trailer, Ángel Flores Fontánez introduces you to this four-week retreat which seeks to assist Christians in their growth as antiracist followers of Jesus. It will consist of twelve short talks published in the form of videos and podcasts and they will be published three times a week for a month.
What does the Church teach about racism? What about “implicit bias,” “systemic racism,” and reparations? Our latest addition to the Catholic 101 series answers these questions and more.
“I believe in one God…” We pray the Creed together every Sunday at Mass. But what exactly is the Creed? Where did it come from? What are we saying when we recite it? Our latest addition to the Catholic 101 series gives some background on the profession of faith in the Creed.
A wedding in the midst of a pandemic puts things in perspective.
It can be hard to feel the joy of Easter during this pandemic, but Jesus meets us in our anxiety and his words have “the ring of truth” in our ears.
Being at home with my family during the pandemic has made me appreciate the familial dimensions of the Resurrection. This is the latest in our signs of Easter series!