Let's construct the perfect Jesuit priest together, shall we?Attire:
Always wears a roman collar in public.
Always wears black shoes.
Has a cassock in the closet.
Sacraments:
Spends an equal amount of time hearing confessions, that he spends celebrating Mass.
Enjoys marriage prep, he doesn't delegate them to the newly ordained.
Not afraid of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Homilies resemble and follow the points found in the Spiritual Exercises
Evangelization:
Is always leading men in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (the Elder Mullens edition "of course" )
Says the name Jesus in casual conversation.
Wears his roman collar out in public.
Spirituality:
Has not forgotten the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Say's Mass in private.
Recognizes the importance of St. Ignatius' devotion to the Blessed Mother
Other attributes:
His favorite Jesuit Saint is not Pedro Arrupe.
Has read and studied The Graces of Interior Prayer, by Poulain.
Help me with more points in the combox, I would love some Jesuit additions.
Desires with all his being to "think with the Church", and shows a particular devotion to the Successor of Peter.
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteHow about not being afraid to preach about Heaven and Hell?
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteJohn Michael,
ReplyDeleteSalvation is everything it's cracked up to be.
Doesn't say "yick" when you say the word Martyr.
ReplyDeleteHis favorite movies are "The Mission" and "A Man for All Seasons," not "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Rent."
I am speechless
ReplyDeleteMy favorite "Jesuit" movie is Blackrobe... although The Mission has the best exchange ever. (I cannot and will not accept a challenge from a monk.
ReplyDeleteHis cloth protects him.
- My cloth protects you!)
Just out of curiosity, why is "Say's Mass in private" a standard?
Jesuit John,
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Jesuits, "Said" Mass in private every morning at 4 am. He was so special! Other Jesuits told me about his practice, they had great admiration of his sprituality. They attributed his specialness to this practice.
JMJ
JOe
How sad I was afer reading you list....
ReplyDeleteIs that what the Chruch need?
Is that what the world need?
Black shoes? a cassock in the closet? wearing his collar in public? Say the name of Jesus in public (how about following him instead?)
There is nothing wrong with what you ask for, but ask yourself...
Is that really what makes a Jesuit?
Why does these points make your top list of what a Jesuit should be????
(what is behind your undestanding of a good jesuit?)
Maybe you met a great Jesuit that used to be that way... But I'm sure that there was so much more in that Jesuit that some of the superficial things that you mentioned...
You did not even mention helping the poor... Do you remember what Ignatious did in Rome? He open a house to help prostitues... or community life, or open to the world..or... well there are so many real points of what a Jesuit should be....
Your list has an ironic love for what the SJ was.... I'm not sure if it is real love.
Jesuit spirituality is for action... There is no reason of doing the Exercises if they don't change you in your everyday life... Let's be true men a women of the Exercises...
If some of the good jesuits that you met in the past read your list...I'm sure that they would be offended that you think that their best points, according to you, were their black shoes and their roman collars.... If that's what you learn from them it is a shame
May God bless us all
A Bad Jesuit (according to your list)
Dear Sad Jesuit,
ReplyDeleteI love your imput. But don't be sad. My starting list is just a start. My "Favorite" Jesuit wore brown shoes. He did not always wear a roman collar or clerical wear in public, And he did not own a cassock. Concern for the poor and concern for spiritual poverty, are they not both important? My list is collection of thoughts about the Jesuits that I have collected over six years in nearly daily contact with seven individual Jesuits of which five are still alive.
I personally believe the thing a Jesuit must be most concerned about in his public ministry is the "Salvation of Souls". If my post did not come over as a post of love, then I must edit it to reflect that love. Saying (thought word and deed) the word Jesus is a indication of a mans willingness to follow Jesus. A final note, discription is a hard game. If I were to discribe an elephant, we both could come up with a lot of interesting points about one; a hairy tail, likes peanuts, big ears
doesn't like mice. If we were to ask the elephant what was most important about himself, I am sure he would have a completely differtent list. Like a warm heart, a good memory and he would probably agree on the mice.
JMJ
Joe
How about a combination of these? We can never have a perfect priest, but a good priest must be a minister to everyone, no? And what's wrong with sticking to the traditions of the church and wearing a cassock? No harm in this...
ReplyDelete