I am hearing from all quarters that people want, most of all, for the presidential election to be over. People are concerned, worried, and anxious.
Some congregations and congregational leaders have been hosting in-person gatherings, and online meetings, not for people to debate the issues, but for purposes of unity.
In a synagogue in Milwaukee I’ve seen a series of meetings with a hired conversation facilitator whose presence keeps everyone on the subject of how they feel—and off the topic of what they think about a candidate.
In New York City, St. Church of St. Francis Xavier is offering what they’re calling “Evening Vespers for Election-Anxious Souls: 15 minutes of spirit, hope and community”—beginning at 9pm tonight on Zoom, and continuing daily through November 6. “No matter where we stand on the 2024 elections, many of us are experiencing a set of unwelcome emotions that include fear, despair, and anxiety,” the parish explained in an email to parishioners, adding: “These emotions are understandable. But St. Ignatius’s insight is that these feelings are not from God. ‘It is characteristic of the false spirit,’ he writes, ‘to cause gnawing anxiety, to sadden and to set up obstacles. In this way it unsettles these persons by false reasons aimed at preventing their progress.’ Regardless of the results and their aftermath, we—as our parish’s mission statement reminds us—are ‘a people of hope’ committed to ‘prayerful and creative discernment to respond to God in our time.’”
Some congregations and congregational leaders have been hosting in-person gatherings, and online meetings, not for people to debate the issues, but for purposes of unity.
In this spirit congregation members will gather “virtually” each evening at 9pm, beginning Wednesday, October 30. Parishioners will be leaders of the 15-minute Zoom gatherings, which are to include prayer, scripture reading on wisdom and discernment, and an Examen practice for naming the desolations and consolations of the day and calling out to God for what people desire.
“We will refrain from any endorsement or criticism of particular candidates, parties, or causes,” the announcement read. What a wonderful idea!
Is your congregation doing something similar? I’d like to hear about it.
