A lady who attended the Parish Mission presented by Kathleen and John Colligan saw the advertisement about their coming to Our Lady of Victory. Let me share with you her recollection of the mission several years ago.
- I just read your blog post on your parish mission coming up. I remember when that couple came to JDW - it must have been in the winter of 2005 - 3 years ago. They were excellent. I have seen very few speakers move a room the way they did. I remember when they were telling the story of their lives, and they got to the part where .........(not going to give away the rest of the story). I was sitting in the back of the room. The way they told the story, no one was expecting that ......, and the entire room literally jumped forward in their seats. It shook me up for quite a while - I was hooked.
I wish you good luck for this event, and I hope your parishioners take advantage of this opportunity. As I recall, he is a Domer [Notre Dame grad]- so at least they are real Catholics!!!!! Are the topics the same as before or different? I may sneak down if I get a break, but I am expecting my week to be horrendous at that point in time. I am almost afraid to show up to listen to them, because I know I will want to stay for the entire series, and I am pretty sure that I just do not have the time.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday Reflection: February 29, 2008
"Give us the grace to rise above our human weaknesses" (opening prayer of today's liturgy)
For anyone who has sinned and especially for any person who opted for serious sin, the prophetic words of Hosea (14: 2-10) are a reminder of the genuine love God offers the sinner. In a peculiar and threatening way, to "rise above our human weaknesses" offers us such a magnificent experience of God's love that sin might be seen as a way to experience happiness beyond our human achievements. This is, to be sure, no encouragement to sin so that you can feel God's love! For anyone who lives with the reality of past sinfulness (not guilt!) Hosea's promise to us from God should lead to thoughts of great desire to share in this love and to the desire to give thanks and praise to God.
If, at one time or another, sin has separated you from God, turn back to this magnificent love. Using similes from the world of nature, Hosea paints a picture of the happiness brought about by conversion. Read the list offered: experience the inner joy of returning to the Lord. Is there any reality in life that is more rewarding? The "gods" created in our lives and that separated us from God cannot bring us to the happiness promised in the Hosea prophecy. For the "faithful departed" because of sin, God gives his care and love just as he showers compassion upon the orphan.
May the Eucharist bring us "to know fully the redemption we have received" (Prayer after Communion). Let the river of your life bring you to bath in the refreshing waters given by our God.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
OLV PARISH MISSION: PLEASE NOTE
Please take note: OLV will sponsor a parish mission beginning Monday evening, March 10th and concluding on Wednesday evening, March 12th.(Mr. and Mrs.) John and Kathleen Colligan will conduct the mission. John and Kathleen led me and my parishioners at my last parish on a parish mission. They have been giving much of their adult lives -- after the children moved away from home -- in offering retreats and missions as well as spiritual direction to people throughout the United States.I personally look forward to their joining us for the three days. The talks will take place at 7 PM each evening.
John and Kathleen were wonderful preachers at the parish mission in my previous parish, Jesus the Divine Word Parish. I believe that they will offer you and much that will assist us in our Lenten journey. A memo from our DRE follows:
John and Kathleen were wonderful preachers at the parish mission in my previous parish, Jesus the Divine Word Parish. I believe that they will offer you and much that will assist us in our Lenten journey. A memo from our DRE follows:
An experience of lay spirituality presented by a married couple, John and Kathleen Colligan.
The purpose of the MISSION is to build a stronger sense of parish community and develop a
renewed awareness of what it means to be Catholic today. The focus is on practical, down-to-earth
ways of loving each other more fully. Many examples are given based on everyday family life experiences.
The MISSION is presented by lay people for lay people. Parishioners are encouraged to become Catholic
evangelizers, reaching out particularly to family members and friends who may be alienated from the church.
The topics are:
Monday: Where is God in our everyday lives?
Tuesday: How does my personal behavior affect others?
Wednesday: Finding inner peace
We will need to provide them with a place to stay while they are in town, if you are able to accommodate
them in your home (from 3/8 to 3/13), please let me know. Also, we need volunteers for babysitting. For more info,
please contact Greg Graf at: ggraf@olvparishdc.org or 202-337-4835, ext. 14.
Please make a commitment to attend this mission for Lent and to pray for its success.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Changing Church Even in Ireland
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There is a drying up of one of Ireland's greatest gifts to the Church: priestly vocations. David Sharron, Ireland Correspondent to Times Online, reported that the vocation situation in Ireland is drastically impacting the parishes, the Church. By 2028 the total number of priests in Ireland will be 1500 having dropped from a current 4752! In the past year 160 priests died while only 9 were ordained.
Ireland, the place of such dedicated religious faith and practice, has also seen a serious decline in the attendance at Mass. The secularization of the Emerald Isle is well underway and seriously impacting the Church.
Obviously the issues that were reported yesterday after the challenging report from the Pew Foundation are not exclusively American problems. The land who gave so many priests to so many places in the world now confronts the reality that so many priests have left the priesthood or died. In the discussions that seem to be rising to the top among the clergy and the laity is the question about celibacy.
Clearly the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us to a new understanding of Church in our times when the number of priests are so diminished. We are confronted with the challenge to pray in a serious manner to God for hearts to open to hear his Word. It is only prayer that is going to genuinely assist us in trying to develop an understanding of possible solutions for the USA, Ireland and the other countries of the world that have experienced a decline in priestly vocations.
Holy Father's Fifth and Final Reflection on St. Augustine
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today we conclude our presentation of Saint Augustine with a discussion of the process of his interior conversion. In reading his Confessions, we see that his conversion was a life-long journey marked by a passionate search for truth. Despite living an errant life as a young man, Augustine had learned from his mother a love for the name of Christ. Platonic philosophy led him to recognise the existence of Logos, or creative reason in the Universe, which he later came to understand more fully by reading Saint Paul and finding faith in Christ. He completed this fundamental phase in his search for truth when he was baptized in Milan by Saint Ambrose. The second stage of his conversion saw Augustine return to Africa and found a small monastery with a group of friends dedicated to contemplation and study. Three years later, he was ordained a priest and turned to the life of active ministry, placing the fruits of his study at the service of others through preaching and dialogue. The last stage was a conversion of such profound humility that he would daily ask God for pardon. He also demonstrated this humility in his intellectual endeavours, submitting all his works to a thorough critique. Augustine has had a profound effect on my own life and ministry. My hope is that we can all learn from this great and humble convert who saw with such clarity that Christ is truth and love!
Today we conclude our presentation of Saint Augustine with a discussion of the process of his interior conversion. In reading his Confessions, we see that his conversion was a life-long journey marked by a passionate search for truth. Despite living an errant life as a young man, Augustine had learned from his mother a love for the name of Christ. Platonic philosophy led him to recognise the existence of Logos, or creative reason in the Universe, which he later came to understand more fully by reading Saint Paul and finding faith in Christ. He completed this fundamental phase in his search for truth when he was baptized in Milan by Saint Ambrose. The second stage of his conversion saw Augustine return to Africa and found a small monastery with a group of friends dedicated to contemplation and study. Three years later, he was ordained a priest and turned to the life of active ministry, placing the fruits of his study at the service of others through preaching and dialogue. The last stage was a conversion of such profound humility that he would daily ask God for pardon. He also demonstrated this humility in his intellectual endeavours, submitting all his works to a thorough critique. Augustine has had a profound effect on my own life and ministry. My hope is that we can all learn from this great and humble convert who saw with such clarity that Christ is truth and love!
Wednesday Reflection: February 28, 2008
The entrance and communion antiphons of today's liturgy are powerful. They captured my attention. For what reason exactly I was not sure until I finished my prayer: to realize how easy it is to forget the positive care of one's soul.
Lord, direct my steps as you have promised and let not evil hold me in its power.
Psalm 118: 133
Lord, you will show me the path of life and fill me with joy in your presence.
Psalm 15: 11
The two verses are marvelous Lenten mantras -- if there are such creations! They reminded me of the awesome graces given each day by a loving God. In particular they speak of the extraordinary gift given to us: whenever we wish, we can, immediately and without appointment, speak to the God who has created, redeemed and inspired us. It is a gift that continues to be a part of our lives if we want it.
The day is always offering evil opportunities -- if we think about that. The first petition above reminded me that God has promised guidance to walk the journey of life. That gift is mine if I pray for it, if I seek God in the Word and in the words of sacred scripture. He is there, speaking, guiding and encouraging. And how do I respond? Do I feel the need to care for my soul? Oops!! What was that question? Care for my soul? When was the last time I considered the health of my soul?
Unfortunately, it seems, many consider the state of soul only in terms of sins. Imagine if we only thought of our bodies in terms of diseases. Friendly readers, take note: our spiritual health demands exercise and a healthy diet. There are many souls among us that may have become anorexic for lack of care, loss of attention. Perhaps this forgetting of the well-being of our souls and their nurturing results in what can be a new turning of the phrase, "faithful departed." Have we walked away from our God because we have forgotten the positive care of our souls?
Turn away from the forgetfulness of your soul. Let prayer, God's words, and care of our sisters and brothers renew your life because you consciously work at refreshing your soul.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Ugh Oh! A Dying Breed? Catholics Take Note
The Pew Foundation release a massive study of religions in the USA. We Catholics sailing on the Bark of Peter might see that there is an alert whistle blowing for us. Bishops and Pastors might look at the picture and reflect with many "Why this?" and "Why that?" questions. The following article published by the Pew Foundation is just a reflection of serious losses for the Church in the USA. We often hear remarks about the failure of the Church in Europe, especially countries like France, Sweden, even good old Italy. The color highlighting is from this bloggers computer not the Pew Foundation --- hopefully to draw attention to serious issues.
For access to the full report: http://religions.pewforum.org/ It is interesting and worth some time reviewing. Speaking with a seasoned cleric last evening, I heard of voice that I had not heard before: what is happening to the Church? Are we on a sinking ship in this country? What does the American Church have to do to regroup, especially its losses? I might add this question: Do we Catholics realize we might be crossing a threshold into a new existence as believers but especially as practicers of the faith? Furthermore, is it of value to point fingers at any one category, eg Bishops, Pastors, Priests? I think it is a distraction to waste time doing that. Little will be accomplished. More to the point might be this question: What has each one of us Catholics done to bring such serious losses in our Church? Why have individuals given up on Mother Church? Surely the institution is worthy of evaluation but more worthy of evaluation is each Catholic. Parents and Priests and Bishops --- all of us can ask what we have done to pass on the tradition and values of our Church. Perhaps it might be seen as an ADULT problem! Have individual Catholics been the models for others coming along the faith highway? Just a few thoughts before you read the article and, hopefully, take a look at the Pew Report.
February 25, 2008
Catholics Lose More Faithful Than Any Other Group
by Greg TrotterReligion News Service
In the marketplace of American faith, Catholicism is the big loser.
Catholics have lost more members to other faiths, or to no faith at all, than any other U.S. religion, according to the new survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
The survey, based on interviews with 35,000 U.S. adults, found that 31 percent of Americans were raised Catholic, but only 24 percent still identify as Catholic.
Perhaps more worrisome for church leaders, while 2.6 percent of Americans converted to Catholicism, four times as many -- 10.1 percent -- of cradle Catholics have left for another faith or no faith at all. Roughly 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics, the study reported.
Still, despite the loss, Catholics remain steady at one in four of all Americans, the nation's single largest religious group. That stability is fueled in part, researchers said, by waves of Hispanic immigrants, much like generations of Irish and Italians built up the church in earlier generations.
"It may well be that a factor in the Catholic numbers are the repeated waves of immigration," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum.
The study found that almost half of all immigrants coming to U.S. shores are Catholics, most of them from Latin American countries. Latinos now represent 45 percent of Catholics aged 18 to 29, but only 20 percent of Catholics in their 50s.
Much of Catholicism's loss can be chalked up to previous generations of immigrants who assimilated into American culture and as a result became less faithful to their ethnic identities and religions, Green said.
"That kind of assimilation is typical for any ethnic group," said Mary Gautier, senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. "And it affects all religions -- not just Catholicism."
Gautier listed interfaith marriages, a dwindling supply of priests and insufficient church facilities as challenges to keeping people in the pews.
Others, such as the Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, cited a lack of manpower.
"The Church is falling behind," said Deck, executive director of cultural diversity for the bishops. "We don't have enough foot soldiers."
Deck downplayed the idea that church teachings are out of step with the times -- the church's stand on birth control has alienated many Catholics, observers say -- and said there simply aren't enough teachers to communicate the faith.
"It's our mission to evangelize," he said, noting that part of that job involves changing hearts and minds, "and we are failing that."
The Catholic Church also struggles to reach out specifically to the needs of minority communities, such as blacks, Asians and Hispanics, said Deck, who has spent his career in the Hispanic ministry. And the assimilation of immigrants into the church and also American culture is a tricky balance, he said.
"We have to be very careful," Deck said. "Our role is to promote the Gospel, not any particular culture -- not even American culture."
For access to the full report: http://religions.pewforum.org/ It is interesting and worth some time reviewing. Speaking with a seasoned cleric last evening, I heard of voice that I had not heard before: what is happening to the Church? Are we on a sinking ship in this country? What does the American Church have to do to regroup, especially its losses? I might add this question: Do we Catholics realize we might be crossing a threshold into a new existence as believers but especially as practicers of the faith? Furthermore, is it of value to point fingers at any one category, eg Bishops, Pastors, Priests? I think it is a distraction to waste time doing that. Little will be accomplished. More to the point might be this question: What has each one of us Catholics done to bring such serious losses in our Church? Why have individuals given up on Mother Church? Surely the institution is worthy of evaluation but more worthy of evaluation is each Catholic. Parents and Priests and Bishops --- all of us can ask what we have done to pass on the tradition and values of our Church. Perhaps it might be seen as an ADULT problem! Have individual Catholics been the models for others coming along the faith highway? Just a few thoughts before you read the article and, hopefully, take a look at the Pew Report.
February 25, 2008
Catholics Lose More Faithful Than Any Other Group
by Greg TrotterReligion News Service
In the marketplace of American faith, Catholicism is the big loser.
Catholics have lost more members to other faiths, or to no faith at all, than any other U.S. religion, according to the new survey released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
The survey, based on interviews with 35,000 U.S. adults, found that 31 percent of Americans were raised Catholic, but only 24 percent still identify as Catholic.
Perhaps more worrisome for church leaders, while 2.6 percent of Americans converted to Catholicism, four times as many -- 10.1 percent -- of cradle Catholics have left for another faith or no faith at all. Roughly 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics, the study reported.
Still, despite the loss, Catholics remain steady at one in four of all Americans, the nation's single largest religious group. That stability is fueled in part, researchers said, by waves of Hispanic immigrants, much like generations of Irish and Italians built up the church in earlier generations.
"It may well be that a factor in the Catholic numbers are the repeated waves of immigration," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum.
The study found that almost half of all immigrants coming to U.S. shores are Catholics, most of them from Latin American countries. Latinos now represent 45 percent of Catholics aged 18 to 29, but only 20 percent of Catholics in their 50s.
Much of Catholicism's loss can be chalked up to previous generations of immigrants who assimilated into American culture and as a result became less faithful to their ethnic identities and religions, Green said.
"That kind of assimilation is typical for any ethnic group," said Mary Gautier, senior research associate at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. "And it affects all religions -- not just Catholicism."
Gautier listed interfaith marriages, a dwindling supply of priests and insufficient church facilities as challenges to keeping people in the pews.
Others, such as the Rev. Allan Figueroa Deck of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, cited a lack of manpower.
"The Church is falling behind," said Deck, executive director of cultural diversity for the bishops. "We don't have enough foot soldiers."
Deck downplayed the idea that church teachings are out of step with the times -- the church's stand on birth control has alienated many Catholics, observers say -- and said there simply aren't enough teachers to communicate the faith.
"It's our mission to evangelize," he said, noting that part of that job involves changing hearts and minds, "and we are failing that."
The Catholic Church also struggles to reach out specifically to the needs of minority communities, such as blacks, Asians and Hispanics, said Deck, who has spent his career in the Hispanic ministry. And the assimilation of immigrants into the church and also American culture is a tricky balance, he said.
"We have to be very careful," Deck said. "Our role is to promote the Gospel, not any particular culture -- not even American culture."
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Third Sunday of Lent: February 24, 2008
On this third Sunday of Lent weekend, let me begin by sharing a few words from an author most of you may recognize by name; many may have read some of his works. His latest publication, The Third Jesus: the Christ We Cannot Ignore, is sure to stir responses from leaders of the world’s religions. Depak Chopra said that he hoped those who read and reflect on the contents of the book would gain a "practical way" to gather understanding from the New Testament. More importantly, I believe, he expressed the hope that his readers would come to understand that their engaging in contemplative meditation is an avenue to positive change.
He said: "Everything changes for the good. The way we think, the way we behave, the way we feel, the way we have our personal relationships, our social interactions, our environment all changes in an evolutionary direction because we have shifted in our own consciousness." It is this shift, this coming to understand more clearly who we are that "is precisely what is meant by the kingdom of heaven within you."
In today’s first reading, Moses is the victim of the people’s discontent, their frustration with the desert drought. He always turned to God, mindful of his personal feeling of inadequacy in preaching and leading: "a little more and they will stone me." We learned how God responded to their testing: Moses struck the rock and water flowed out from it. This serves as a reminder to us that God will respond to our pesterings. It is we who have to have patience. God will care for us as promised.
In the gospel, the experience at Jacob’s well, Jesus teaches us again that he satisfies our thirst, our seekings, our wants. What Jesus offered the woman at Jacob’s well, the foreigner with whom he should not have had any interaction, was and is not natural water. He wanted to teach a true awareness of God, what Chopra calls "God-consciousness." He opens up new understanding through the water he offers.
This experience of the woman with Jesus can easily be presented as an example what most spiritual guides believe: "people mirror back to us the reality of who we are" (Chopra, p 13). Jesus opened to the woman a new vision, a new life. We can say Jesus mirrored back to the woman who she truly was, the depth of her soul, her being. Immediately after the still-learning disciples returned and found Jesus dealing with the woman, she put down her jug of water and "hurried back to the town to tell the people, ‘Come and see the man who told me everything I ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?’" His words, his "new water" caused her to bring forth love from her true self. She had allowed the innate "God consciousness" to direct her life. As St. Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, "When anyone is united to Christ there is a new creature: his old life is over; a new life is already begun (5:17)." This experience was the genuinely radical Jesus digging away at roots that damaged relationships among people.
I believe the journey of Lent offers the opportunity to know the Jesus who told us "I am the light" (John 9:5). This is the same Jesus who in Matthew’s gospel teaches his followers "You are the light of the world (5:12). Jesus wants each of us to become God enlightened. He would not utter such words were it not his vision, his mission.
I believe the journey of Lent offers the opportunity to know the Jesus who told us "I am the light" (John 9:5). This is the same Jesus who in Matthew’s gospel teaches his followers "You are the light of the world (5:12). Jesus wants each of us to become God enlightened. He would not utter such words were it not his vision, his mission.
Let me turn directly to what Chopra sees as the nine essentials of a spiritual life. These very simple statements are truly what every spiritual director or writer seeks to pass one to others.
1 . Meditation – Going within to contact the silent mind.
2. Contemplation – Reflecting on the truth.
3. Revelation – Receiving spiritual insight.
4. Prayer – Asking for higher guidance.
5. Grace – Taking God into one’s heart.
6. Love – Participating in divine love.
7. Faith – Believing in a higher reality.
8. Salvation – Realizing that you have a place in higher reality.
9. Unity – Becoming one with God.
Chopra, page 23.
1 . Meditation – Going within to contact the silent mind.
2. Contemplation – Reflecting on the truth.
3. Revelation – Receiving spiritual insight.
4. Prayer – Asking for higher guidance.
5. Grace – Taking God into one’s heart.
6. Love – Participating in divine love.
7. Faith – Believing in a higher reality.
8. Salvation – Realizing that you have a place in higher reality.
9. Unity – Becoming one with God.
Chopra, page 23.
These nine essentials are exactly what happened to the woman at the well. These essentials are what the Jewish people experienced when Moses in his frustration sought God’s help and was graced with the gift of water from the rock.
So what is the message we encounter today? I believe it is simple this: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. This is the message to anyone on a Lenten journey. We are blessed by God with so many graces. Do we take the time to know them, to understand them, to love them?
Sometimes what makes our life so difficult and our God awareness so challenging is that we find it difficult to understand Jesus fully. We know he lived and lives in a genuine God consciousness. Awareness of God in all we do in our times is the challenge.
We prayed just a few moments ago: "I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living (Psalm 115). If we make the effort to pray, to contemplate Jesus each day, we will quickly live within the God consciousness that gives peace and makes us a new creation.
Photo: NASA and UP
Friday, February 22, 2008
Jesuit Superior General to Pope Benedict XVI
The following are the spoken words of the new Superior General of the Society of Jesus to Pope Benedict XVI yesterday in Rome. The members of the Society's General Congregation (GC 35) are closing down their deliberations now. The Holy Father responded to Fr. Nicholas' words ... but you will have to read them on WHISPERS IN THE LOGGIA (again the link to the right of this posting) who offers an English translation. I offer Father General's remarks because they do express his "general" direction and the hopes and aspirations of the Jesuits who participated in the 35th Congregation.
Most Holy Father,
I would like my first word to be, in my name and in the name of all present, a heartfelt “thank you” to Your Holiness for kindly receiving today the members of the General Congregation meeting in Rome, after having already bestowed on us the precious gift of a Letter which by way of its rich content and its positive tone, encouraging and affectionate, has most surely been appreciated by the whole Society of Jesus.
Gratitude, indeed, and a strong sense of communion in feeling confirmed in our mission to work at the frontiers where faith and science, faith and justice, and faith and knowledge, confront each other, and in the challenging field of serious reflection and responsible theological research. We are grateful to Your Holiness to have been once more encouraged to follow our Ignatian tradition of service right where the Gospel and the Church suffer the greatest challenges, a service which at times also lends itself to the risk of disturbing a peaceful lifestyle, reputation and security. For us it is a cause of great consolation to note that Your Holiness is more than aware of the dangers that such a commitment exposes to us.
Holy Father, I would like to return once again to the kind and generous Letter which you sent to my predecessor Fr. Kolvenbach and through him to all of us. We have received it with an open heart, meditated on it, reflected on it, we have exchanged our reflections, and we are determined to carry its message and its unconditional words of welcome and acceptance to the whole Society of Jesus.
We wish moreover to convey the spirit of such a message to all our formation structures and to create Рtaking the message as our starting point Рopportunities for reflection and discussion which will enable us to assist our confr̬res engaged in research and in service.
Our General Congregation, to which Your Holiness has given Your paternal encouragement, is looking, in prayer and in discernment, for the ways through which the Society can renew its commitment to the service of the Church and of humanity.
What inspires and impels us is the Gospel and the Spirit of Christ: if the Lord Jesus was not at the centre of our life we would have no sense of our apostolic activity, we would have no reason for our existence. It is from the Lord Jesus we learn to be near to the poor and suffering, to those who are excluded in this world.
The spirituality of the Society of Jesus has as its source the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. And it is in the light of the Spiritual Exercises – which in their turn inspired the Constitutions of the Society – that the General Congregation is in these days tackling the subjects of our identity and of our mission. The Spiritual Exercises, before becoming a precious tool for the apostolate, are for the Jesuit the touchstone by which to judge our own spiritual maturity.
In communion with the Church and guided by the Magisterium, we seek to dedicate ourselves to profound service, to discernment, to research. The generosity with which so many Jesuits work for the Kingdom of God, even to giving their very lives for the Church, does not mitigate the sense of responsibility that the Society feels it has in the Church. Responsibility that Your Holiness confirms in Your Letter, when You affirm: “The evangelizing work of the Church therefore relies a lot on the formative responsibility that the Society has in the fields of theology, spirituality and mission”.
Alongside the sense of responsibility, must go humility, recognizing that the mystery of God and of man is much greater than our capacity for understanding.
It saddens us, Holy Father, when the inevitable deficiencies and superficialities of some among us are at times used to dramatize and represent as conflicts and clashes what are often only manifestations of limits and human imperfections, or inevitable tensions of everyday life. But all this does not discourage us, nor quell our passion, not only to serve the Church, but also, with a deeper sense of our roots, according to the spirit of the Ignatian tradition, to love the hierarchical Church and the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ.
“En todo amar y servir”. This represents a portrait of who Ignatius is. This is the identity card of a true Jesuit.
And so we consider it a happy and significant circumstance that our meeting with You occurs on this particular day, the vigil of the Feast of the Chair of St Peter, a day of prayer and of union with the Pope and His highest service of universal teaching authority. For this we offer You our good wishes. And now, Holy Father, we are ready and willing, to listen and attend to what You have to say to us.
I would like my first word to be, in my name and in the name of all present, a heartfelt “thank you” to Your Holiness for kindly receiving today the members of the General Congregation meeting in Rome, after having already bestowed on us the precious gift of a Letter which by way of its rich content and its positive tone, encouraging and affectionate, has most surely been appreciated by the whole Society of Jesus.
Gratitude, indeed, and a strong sense of communion in feeling confirmed in our mission to work at the frontiers where faith and science, faith and justice, and faith and knowledge, confront each other, and in the challenging field of serious reflection and responsible theological research. We are grateful to Your Holiness to have been once more encouraged to follow our Ignatian tradition of service right where the Gospel and the Church suffer the greatest challenges, a service which at times also lends itself to the risk of disturbing a peaceful lifestyle, reputation and security. For us it is a cause of great consolation to note that Your Holiness is more than aware of the dangers that such a commitment exposes to us.
Holy Father, I would like to return once again to the kind and generous Letter which you sent to my predecessor Fr. Kolvenbach and through him to all of us. We have received it with an open heart, meditated on it, reflected on it, we have exchanged our reflections, and we are determined to carry its message and its unconditional words of welcome and acceptance to the whole Society of Jesus.
We wish moreover to convey the spirit of such a message to all our formation structures and to create Рtaking the message as our starting point Рopportunities for reflection and discussion which will enable us to assist our confr̬res engaged in research and in service.
Our General Congregation, to which Your Holiness has given Your paternal encouragement, is looking, in prayer and in discernment, for the ways through which the Society can renew its commitment to the service of the Church and of humanity.
What inspires and impels us is the Gospel and the Spirit of Christ: if the Lord Jesus was not at the centre of our life we would have no sense of our apostolic activity, we would have no reason for our existence. It is from the Lord Jesus we learn to be near to the poor and suffering, to those who are excluded in this world.
The spirituality of the Society of Jesus has as its source the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. And it is in the light of the Spiritual Exercises – which in their turn inspired the Constitutions of the Society – that the General Congregation is in these days tackling the subjects of our identity and of our mission. The Spiritual Exercises, before becoming a precious tool for the apostolate, are for the Jesuit the touchstone by which to judge our own spiritual maturity.
In communion with the Church and guided by the Magisterium, we seek to dedicate ourselves to profound service, to discernment, to research. The generosity with which so many Jesuits work for the Kingdom of God, even to giving their very lives for the Church, does not mitigate the sense of responsibility that the Society feels it has in the Church. Responsibility that Your Holiness confirms in Your Letter, when You affirm: “The evangelizing work of the Church therefore relies a lot on the formative responsibility that the Society has in the fields of theology, spirituality and mission”.
Alongside the sense of responsibility, must go humility, recognizing that the mystery of God and of man is much greater than our capacity for understanding.
It saddens us, Holy Father, when the inevitable deficiencies and superficialities of some among us are at times used to dramatize and represent as conflicts and clashes what are often only manifestations of limits and human imperfections, or inevitable tensions of everyday life. But all this does not discourage us, nor quell our passion, not only to serve the Church, but also, with a deeper sense of our roots, according to the spirit of the Ignatian tradition, to love the hierarchical Church and the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ.
“En todo amar y servir”. This represents a portrait of who Ignatius is. This is the identity card of a true Jesuit.
And so we consider it a happy and significant circumstance that our meeting with You occurs on this particular day, the vigil of the Feast of the Chair of St Peter, a day of prayer and of union with the Pope and His highest service of universal teaching authority. For this we offer You our good wishes. And now, Holy Father, we are ready and willing, to listen and attend to what You have to say to us.
Picture from SJ home page
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