By Michael Rozier, S.J.
Each day, Jesuits and many others inspired by Ignatian spirituality undertake an examen, or an examination of conscience. This prayer, which is central to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, has particular resonance with us because of St. Ignatius’ personal fidelity to it. As we approach the 2020 election, how might this prayerful resource help us?
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius contain a prayer period literally called “The Election,” where one considers competing invitations and chooses that which most aligns with one’s desires for one’s self and the world. Yet an election is only made possible after a regular examination of conscience. Without the self-knowledge that comes from these examinations, any election is like running a marathon without any previous training.
Typically, an examination of conscience is a personal prayer, but I want to suggest that it can also be used with others. Alongside discernment of spirits, another cornerstone of Ignatian spirituality now more regularly practiced in groups though its most common form is in personal prayer, what might a collective examination of conscience look like?
I don’t imagine such an examen being a discrete moment. Instead, it would take place over weeks and require that we individually take responsibility for engaging others in the examination--through social media, backyard conversations, and phone or video calls. It would involve sharing our prayerful consideration of this moment and, through example, inviting others to do the same.
Developed by the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), a lay-led 501(c)3 organization working in partnership with Jesuit universities, high schools, and parishes, the Ignatian Examen for Civic Life invites one to talk with God, however one perceives God, in specific ways about the interrelationship between Gospel values and political engagement. Photo courtesy of the Ignatian Solidarity Network.
Here’s a brief set of guidelines that may structure such an examen:
Find quiet and ask for clarity: Separating ourselves from the pulse of daily life and embracing the fact that we do not have all the answers is essential for any genuine examination.
Share thanksgiving for all that has been: This does not ignore any anger or frustration one feels, but it asks us to engage from a place of gratitude and a context of possibility.
Consider public policies that bring us hope and joy as they help build the Kingdom of God: This is not just a rational consideration of policy, but giving attention to the emotional and spiritual reactions one has.
Consider public policies that generate anxiety and fear as they obscure the Kingdom of God: To find patterns in how one reacts to the world, we must give time to both the light and darkness around us.
Imagine a world where public life generates more hope and joy than anxiety and fear: Informed by what has come before, this act of imagination can become an important element informing the decision before us.
If we commit to following through with this kind of communal examen, it’s important to remember that it is meant to change us. We should be changed by others whose clarity, thanksgiving, joys, and anxieties should matter to us, and this should make a difference in how we live. If an examination only confirms what we knew and did before, it has likely fallen short of a true examination. A communal examination of conscience does not mean we must agree with each other, but it can remind us that we have responsibilities to each other and that voting, in the best possible sense, is a public act.
Michael Rozier, S.J., is assistant professor of health management and policy at Saint Louis University.
The featured cover photo (above) is courtesy of Loyola Marymount University.