America first! Black Lives Matter! Law and order. Structures of oppression. Amid the turmoil of our world today, the words of the great Old Testament prophet Jeremiah continue to speak to us. What does he call us to today?
Posts in Justice
Chadwick Boseman Forever
Black Panther fans around the world were saddened to learn of the death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman last week. He played in several iconic roles, and in each of these films Boseman portrayed a dignity that he carried with him offscreen.
America, How Are the Children?
With the racism and violence in our country, the kids are not alright.
Laboring with the Resurrected Jesus | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
God never stops laboring for us and for our world, laboring for justice, reconciliation, and the end of racism. We clearly see this in the awakening that has spread throughout the world after the “lynching” of George Floyd. At the end of the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites us to respond in gratitude to God’s unceasing love for us. In the last talk of our Jesuit Antiracism Retreat, Michael Bachmeier explains how this gratitude manifests in our willingness to surrender ourselves and join the labors of God through the marginalized.
We Are Not Alone | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
Where is the Risen Lord in the racism we’ve been confronting for so long? Jesus conquered sin and death as He rose from the dead. But his wounds were still there when He showed up to his disciples. In the beginning of the fourth week, Eric Couto reminds us that our hope and joy as Christians comes not from naivete, but from our faith that Jesus walks with us, as we transform the painful realities of our world.
Antiracism is Not a Game
If it’s US vs THEM and we are intent on scoring points, we are not making antiracist progress.
White Apathy and the Crucifixion | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
Grieving with others is not the only way we commit to solidarity. Becoming aware of one’s participation in the oppression of others, is another way of opening the eyes of the heart and deciding to be responsible. Brian Engelhart, SJ, describes the apathy White people often exercise when dealing with the realities of racism that affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and finishes the third week of our “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat” with one contemporary example, as well as with an invitation to get rid of indifference.
Lament Must Precede Solidarity | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
Some realities in life can only be known through tears. The participation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) members in antiracism is not a hobby or an optional venture: it’s a matter of survival.They do not have the luxury that White people have to retire from the conversation of racism and flee from its painful realities. Matt Briand, SJ, invites us to put aside our fear to weep with those who weep because of racism, for true Christian love suffers along the beloved, and commits to justice.
Bear Witness to Suffering | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
Feeling grief for the suffering of others is one of the first steps toward a commitment to serve them. It helps us to have a greater sense of urgency for justice, as well as a deeper understanding of what is at stake. When we accompany those who suffer from racism in their mourning, we walk with our neighbors and bear witness to our Christian vocation. River Simpson, SJ, introduces us to the third week of our “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat,” and invites us to remain faithfully present to the agonizing Jesus, through our accompaniment of the victims of racism.
Humility and Anti-Racism | Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
Humility plays a vital role in anti-racism work. Intellectual and moral humility allows individuals to admit complicity in a culture of racism and commit themselves to the ongoing struggle of anti-racism. By looking at the Call of Simon Peter, contemplating the story of Martha and Mary, and meditating on what it means to be “childlike,” Sullivan McCormick invites us to reflect on where in our lives we might need more humility as anti-racists.