Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 18

Photo Credit: Ted Eytan , Creative Commons
 

Committing Myself to Antiracism

On Monday, we focused on the term antiracism and the ways we can see it through our Ignatian Examen. With the examen, we can look back and see how we intentionally or unintentionally acted in ways that perpetuate or dismantle racism. Practiced regularly, the examen helps us identify patterns in our feelings, behaviors, and actions, and we can move more consistently in our journey to be antiracists. 

Another way to examine antiracism in our lives is through the depth of our commitment. In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius suggests that we can see ourselves through a meditation on three types of people who have varied levels of commitment to Christ. Tim Muldoon describes them through the images of the postponer, compromiser, and the free person. We are striving to be freer persons – persons dedicated to following Christ fully without particular attachments that bind us to the ways of the world. 

Applied to antiracism, we can say that the postponer is the one who knows it is important to live and act in antiracist ways but puts it off until tomorrow. The compromiser is the one who takes steps towards antiracism but only as much as they do not disrupt one’s current commitments, privileges, and lifestyle. Finally, the free person is the one who does not count the cost, but instead chooses to be antiracist in thoughts, words and deeds. The free person works to make the church and other facets of society more antiracist even if that means giving something up. The free person knows none of us is truly free when someone else feel the effects of historical, individual, cultural, and structural racism. 

Just as each day we act in racist and antiracist ways, so too most likely we will never fully, perfectly be the free person. In the words of Lisa Kelly, we are on a dynamic journey: 

“And on that dynamic journey we each have times of being all three people—times we are just too busy and don’t make the time to grow in this instant, times we do and say all the right things, but don’t face what is really hindering us from growing, and…times of equilibrium, when we can cast off our wants, knowing true fulfillment lies beyond them.”

The grace of the examen and our prayer is that we can evaluate at any given point which person we are tending to be, and we can take steps to be more free to be committed to antiracism in all aspects of our lives.

Resource: Extra Examens

READ Two Additional Examens from Elaine Ireland of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality, Jesuits East Province

Meditation: 20-30 Minutes

 
I ask for the grace to be present to the ways I have chosen to be antiracist and the ways in which I have fallen short. 

I start by examining concrete ways I have learned about racial justice and antiracism over the past year. What have I learned about how racism operates? What do I know now that I did not know a year ago? How have I been changed in the process? What do I still want to know? 

I then look at the ways I have acted in antiracist ways over the past year. How have I acted in ways that are antiracist? When did I procrastinate in my commitment to racial justice? What led me to put off antiracism until another day? 

How did I take a step in my thoughts or actions in antiracism, but compromise so as to maintain my own comfort level? What led me to do that compromise? What might I be called to do so I can be freer? What might God be inviting me to let go of as I journey to be antiracist? 

When was I free in my commitment to antiracism? How did that feel? What did I do as a consequence of that freedom? How do I sustain that freedom? Who has supported me or helped me in this journey? 

Recognizing this is a dynamic journey, where do I find myself today? Where do I feel drawn to move in my journey to be an antiracist?