Last month marked the centenary of the birth of Pedro Arrupe, the saintly Superior General of the Jesuits who served from 1965-1983. The first Basque to occupy this position since the founder, Ignatius of Loyola, he is revered by many in the Society as a "second founder."Arrupe's first assignment, after ordination, was to Japan. On August 6, 1945, he was four miles from the epicenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, close enough to feel the blast, as the seminary building crashed around him. The memory of that day and of the suffering survivors whom he tended in the following weeks was present to him in each Mass he celebrated for the rest of his life.
The compassion evoked by this experience developed over time
into a conviction that ministry to oppressed and suffering peoples must not remain on the personal level alone. It was necessary also to promote structural changes in the world to alleviate the sources of oppression.
As Superior General Arrupe was instrumental
in promoting a new mission for the Jesuits in terms of "faith that does justice."He defined the educational mission of the Jesuits as forming "men for others": "men who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ—for the Godman who lived and died for all the world; men who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for men is a farce."
Two years ago, "Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings", was released & I'd like to close with a quotation from it:
"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything."
Link (here)
1 comment:
As a man Pedro Arrupe was the stuff of which saints are made but, as the General of the Society of Jesus, he was a disaster and brought the Order into disrepute. Due to lack of communications with the Vatican major misunderstandings were created and he was hopeless at disciplining radical Jesuits (many of whom left the Society) who were pursuing their own agendas. The consequences of his re-foundation are an aging and diminished Order with relatively few vocations and, of those who apply, most do not stay. Yet he continues to be revered as the greatest Jesuit since St Ignatious with no thought of the consequences of his decisions and innovations. In the world this is known as denial.
As for Decree 4 of General Congregaion 32, it has been a failure. Fr Kolvenbach lamented the coolness of younger Jesuits towards its imperatives and faith and justice offices are closing throughout the world for lack of support. Individual Jesuits continue to fly the flag and the principles are accepted as the key stone of modern Jesuit life but the reality is a sham. It has produced more books and articles than actual changes. The Jesuits would have done better to promote the social teaching of the Church.
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