Newsletter Vol. 1 Issue 3

Interior Knowledge, A Step Toward Freedom 

Today we celebrate a time-old tradition and hallmark of our American democracy, the presidential inauguration. For the second time in our country’s history, we will have a Catholic president. But more importantly, for the first time in the history of the United States, a Black and South Asian woman will be sworn in as Vice President. The historic nature of their inauguration just days after celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. must not be lost on us. 

Deeply rooted in the Gospel and formed by his faith, Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and died for a prophetic vision where all would reach the Promised Land. His deep commitment to nonviolence exposed unjust laws for what they were, expressions of societal sins. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his co-conspirators fought for equality at the lunch counter, at the voting booth, and in everyday life. In a speech entitled “The Other America”, King addressed the students and faculty at Stanford University. Toward the end of the speech, he stated: 

“So there can be no separate black path to power and fulfillment that does not intersect white groups. There can be no separate white path to power and fulfillment short of social disaster. It does not recognize the need of sharing that power with black aspirations for freedom and justice. We must come to see now that integration is not merely a romantic or esthetic something where you merely add color to a still predominantly white power structure. Integration must be seen also in political terms where there is shared power, where black men (and women) and white men (and women) share power together to build a new and great nation.”

Today’s inauguration fulfills a part of King’s dream and calls for integration. A black woman and a white man will share power in building back a new nation. It is a moment that will fill many with hope for a new future. However, there is still much more work to be done. 

In that same speech quoted above, King could be addressing us today when he said:

“But we must see that the struggle today is much more difficult. It's more difficult today because we are struggling now for genuine equality. It's much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It's much easier to guarantee the right to vote than it is to guarantee the right to live in sanitary, decent housing conditions. It is much easier to integrate a public park than it is to make genuine, quality, integrated education a reality. And so today we are struggling for something which says we demand genuine equality.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. had what St. Ignatius called “interior knowledge.” It’s a knowledge that goes beyond the acceptance of facts to a deep seeded understanding of the truth and thus compels us to engage with reality in a new way. Through experience, King knew that he could change laws to be fairer through nonviolent protests like boycotts and marches, but understood that the deeper call was for genuine equality in all aspects of life. 

This week’s Spiritual Exercise asks us to contemplate the reality of evil and sin, which is no easy task. It is, however, necessary to truly free ourselves to love. Dean Brackley, SJ explains that “to really understand evil, Ignatius has us ask for interior knowledge, a ‘feel’ for how the world works and deep repugnance for its disorder [63]. We want clear-sighted realism about people and institutions - governments, militaries, churches, companies - and ourselves. We want to be able to sniff out evil lurking behind warm smiles, political platforms, pious rhetoric, and advertising.” For this interior knowledge to settle in ourselves to provoke us to act, it may take time and it may be difficult. But this is the task we are undertaking together. 

You can listen to “The Other America” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. below.

Meditation (15-30 minutes)