The Dawning Realization: We Are Children of God

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

riverrun.wordpress.com

A great book or film, invites us to consider the life of character who is searching for purpose and longing for meaning. At some point in that journey of self-discovery, the character has a eureka moment. He or she discovers a truth so profound and meaningful that, simply by realizing it, his or her life will be forever changed. In other words, the character has an epiphany – an insight about God, the world or his or herself that alters everything.

The passage of the finding of Jesus in the temple is a very important passage in the gospel story. According to the law, every adult Jewish male who lived within fifteen miles of Jerusalem had to attend the Passover. Every Jewish person should attend it at least once in a lifetime. A Jewish boy became a man when he turned thirteen years of age. At that moment, he became a son of the law. This is what is celebrated in a Bar Mitzvah, the boy becomes to a “son of the commandments”. (A girl becomes a “daughter of the commandments” through a Bat Mitzvah.) Through the ritual, a boy dies to his childish ways and becomes a subject of the law. It means that he can properly understand the Torah. This coming of age relates to acquiring wisdom.

Gerard Manley Hopkins and Inscape

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

Image: micknailspoetry

Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realise you. Do any human beings ever realise life while they live it?―every, every minute? The saints and poets, maybe―they do some.  –Thornton Wilder

I recently read the biography Gerard Manley Hopkins: A Very Private Life by Robert Martin. It is a detailed portrait of this great Victorian poet and is especially engrossing since Martin takes a heavily psychological approach to his subject. While on balance I appreciated this tack, I sometimes found myself wondering how much the Hopkins presented in the book has been accurately reconstructed from his letters and diaries, and how much was supplied by Martin’s imagination. It is hard to tell. But it is fairly clear that many aspects of his life were, as the subtitle suggests, “very private”: not in the sense that he shared nothing with anyone else―it is thanks to his extensive correspondence that we know as much as we do about him―but rather that he enjoyed solitude, writing poetry, taking long walks in the country and above all communing with nature.

One of Hopkin’s greatest delights was contemplating the quiddity or "thisness" of things. He had an intense awareness of the irreducible uniqueness of each thing and coined the word “inscape” to refer to this property of nature. In a Platonic dialogue On the Origin of Beauty, he attempts to give a systematic account of how beauty arises through the disarming, slight lacks of symmetry in natural objects; half-way through, the treatise turns into a consideration of the quality of poetry. It is a little work that is well worth reading.

Focus and Schedules: The Spirituality of Time Management

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

Credit: www.domicileexperts.com

I am a busy person (read: I run around like a headless chicken, trying to get some work done). I often complain that I do not have enough time to accomplish all that needs to get done. For the longest time I have mismanaged my time … somewhat. I don't have a problem; I have “time” issues. Even though I often find myself rushing to places, double-booking myself, missing deadlines, I've never attempted to tackle my “issue” and solve this mismanagement of time. See, I am too perfect (read: lazy, cynical and full of denial) to have a problem.

Papa Paco Preaching Patience

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

During the past academic semester at Campion College in Regina, I gave a course on Jesuit history. When Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis last month, I knew that I needed to make some modifications to my course. History was being made; a Jesuit was made a Pope. Given that he spent much of his life in Argentina, his works and thoughts are not well known to the English-speaking world. In fact, books about him are just being translated and put on the the shelves of bookstores. I, however, had neither the time nor patience for this, as my course was ending in early –in April; so I changed directions and looked for his books in Spanish.

Eventually, I got my hands on a book called El Papa Francisco: Conversaciones con Jorge Bergoglio, which is based on interviews that he gave to journalists Sergio Rubin and Francesca Ambrogetti. It is not my intention to give a review of this book, and I invite you to read it yourself when its English translation comes out. Here, I would like to simply talk about a concept that he frequently mentions, called transitar la paciencia, or transitar en paciencia.

I am Francis

By Artur Suski, S.J.

Credit: http://catholicfire.blogspot.ca

When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was first elected to the See of St. Peter as Pope Francis, it was uncertain after which St. Francis he named himself. This was revealed after his first “media” session, that he chose the name after St. Francis of Assisi. In order to understand the vision of our Pope, it is paramount that we get to know the person of Francis. Let us then take a closer look at this charismatic saint from Assisi.

G.K. Chesterton wrote a very insightful biography of St. Francis of Assisi in which he points out that many have greatly twisted the facts of St. Francis’ life: we find a Francis gleefully skipping through fields of flowers, petting any and every animal that he meets; a Francis who is “nice” to everyone, whose only mission is the promotion of peace between everyone by encouraging a general attitude of “niceness”, and altogether disregarding the serious differences between parties; finally, there is the Francis that is far more eager to be outside with creation than to spread the Gospel.

Eric McLuhan on The New Culture

By John D. O’Brien, S.J.

ericmcluhan.com

Part I

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Eric McLuhan, son of the Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan, and a communications scholar in his own right. Eric has been continuing his father's line of reflection and insight since the 1970s and has authored or co-authored some half-dozen books. He gave me a helpful recommendation for my thesis, a work by Swiss philosopher Max Picard on silence that transformed my outlook on human communication.

McLuhan and I later corresponded on a few questions concerning the new digital technology that is becoming pervasive today. In the course of this exchange, he told me that in recent years, he had delivered three talks in Rome on the subject, which remain, to my knowledge, unpublished. The first talk was to a group of university rectors at the Lateran University in 2009, in which he discussed certain pressures that contemporary students face. He made main eight points, all sharing a certain similarity, but together constituting a typically “McLuhanesque” reflection – original, sometimes counter-intuitive, but always illuminating. His main points were as follows, in his words, with my own modest and querulous commentary.

A Theobud’s Journey to Meet the Doctor: The Enthusiastic Discovery of the Time Lord

By Brother Daniel Leckman, S.J.

nuevaprensa.net

It’s been a busy academic year. The fall term was quite intense with 5 courses. This term felt like “all Aquinas, all the time”, but it had a much more enjoyable pace – at least, until the last few weeks! One of the greatest joys in my life this past semester (besides our Risen Lord of course!) were my friends at Regis, Sarah, Lauren, Abbey, Amy and Erica. They are part of a group of students at Regis that played their respective part in making my semester far more enjoyable than it should have been!

This group, which is affectionately known as the Theobuds (and is far bigger than just us), really has been one of the great highlights of my year at Regis. This group has been instrumental in helping me understand what my own future ministry in the Society could be.

Thinking with the Church

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The previous five entries addressed discernment of spirits, A.M.D.G. or Magis, men/women for others, holy indifference, and depth and creativity. The following is the sixth and final entry.

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If we wish to proceed securely in all things, we must hold fast to the following principle: What seems to me white, I will believe black if the hierarchical Church so defines. —Saint Ignatius of Loyola

This famous statement by St. Ignatius represents a mentality that is deeply unpopular in our culture. It rubs against two powerful currents of the Zeitgeist: the belief in the absolute autonomy of individual conscience and a deep-seated mistrust of authority. And yet Ignatius thought that his point was so important that he included a whole section on the topic in his Spiritual Exercises, entitled “Thinking with the Church”.

Building the Kingdom: Striving for Depth and Creativity

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

Credit: www.thinkingdeeply.net

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The previous four entries addressed the discernment of spirits, the idea of Magis, "men/ women for others" and holy indifference; the following is the fifth entry.

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The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Father Adolfo Nicolás, visited Canada in the summer of 2011. During his visit, he suggested that the Society of Jesus, the Catholic Church and the world in general are faced with the same challenges. As Jesuits, we have to identify these serious challenges and problems; we need to study and tackle them with depth of thought and compassionate imagination. Fr. Nicolás called us to a more profound reflection on the challenges of the world and subsequently to find creative solutions that address the heart of these issues.

I Do Care About Indifference

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The previous three entries addressed discernment of spirits, the idea of A.M.D.G. or Magis, and being "men and women for others". The following is the fourth entry.

* * * By Edmund Lo, S.J.

(Image: wallpaperstock.net)

The word “indifference” often carries a negative connotation, a sort of “I don't care” attitude. It may seem surprising at first glance that this word plays an important role in Ignatian spirituality. Should we not care about anything? Actually, we should – it's just that we should care in a different way. Let us return to its origin and dissect this idea further.

In The Spiritual Exercises (SE) of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he first mentions the word “indifference” in a small section called “First Principle and Foundation”. We are “...created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord”, and by this means to save our souls. Everything must be considered through this lens, and this is what I call the first domino. We are created to direct our entire being towards our Creator, and everything else is “just” creations. We are not to treat created things as the ultimate goal of our lives as if they were our Creator; we should not worship them as idols. It is within this context that indifference is discussed. St. Ignatius writes:

Men and Women for Others

By Artur Suski, S.J.

Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The previous two entries addressed the discernment of spirits and the idea of Magis; the following is the third entry.

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Many of you who have studied at Jesuit institutions are familiar with the motto “Men and Women for Others”. This concept has been at the core of Jesuit identity since the beginning of the existence of the Society of Jesus, and is consequently at the core of one formed in the Ignatian tradition. The motto is nevertheless a simple one: we are to be at the service of our brothers and sisters. This service is multifaceted: there is the service of faith and the Gospel, service of the poor, service of justice, and service of education, which involves teaching others the first three “services” that are mentioned.

The Greater Glory of God: the Jesuit Meaning of “Magis”

By John D. O’Brien, S.J. 

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The first entry on discernment of spirits has already been published; the following is the second entry.

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It’s quite possible that observant believers have come across the acronym A.M.D.G., and wondered what it stood for. The four letters are often inscribed on the walls and over the portals of Jesuit schools, and used to be written at the top of letters and other written documents. They stand for Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, the Latin phrase meaning “To/for the greater glory of God”, and is a key notion of Ignatian spirituality.

It might seem like an easy enough concept: that the prime motive for all of our thoughts, words and actions be for the advancing and expansion of the glory of God – and this is true. But what is “God’s glory” and why “greater” – isn’t advancing God’s glory, plain and simple, enough for these men of the cloth and their pupils?

Praying Feelings: Ignatian Spirituality and The Discernment of Spirits

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

http://www.allistoncf.com

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. Our next six blog entries will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The following is the first entry.

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“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” —Romans 10:8, Deuteronomy 30:14

“We ought to note well the course of our thoughts, and if the beginning, middle and end are good.” —The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola

The very basics of Ignatian spirituality are feelings. Christ loves you unconditionally for who you are. Exploring your own feelings and opening them up to Christ opens up relationship with him as a trusted friend, one who knows you intimately. We can't force ourselves to love – but if we honestly express what we really feel, we will experience love from its source. With time and practice, the discernment of spirits allows you to turn like a plant following the sun, gaining nourishment and growing strong in order to bear fruit for others.