Fr. James Martin, S.J. On Liberation Theology

Pope John Paul II admonishing  Fr. Ernesto Cardenal, S.J.

In its heyday, liberation theology was not without controversy: some in the church, and some in the Vatican, thought it skirted too close to Marxism--including Pope John Paul II.  On the other hand, John Paul didn’t shy away from personally involving himself in direct political activism in Poland.  It was the Latin American version of social action that seemed to bother him more.  But even John Paul affirmed the notion of “preferential option for the poor,” as did Paul VI before him.  “When there is question of defending the rights of individuals, the defenseless and the poor have a claim to special consideration,” John Paul wrote in his great encyclical Centesimus Annus, which celebrated 100 years of—uh oh--Catholic Social Teaching. “Liberation theology” is easy to be against.  For one thing, most people don’t have the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.  (It even sounds vaguely suspicious, too.)  It’s also easier to ignore the concerns of the poor, particularly overseas, than it is to actually get to know them as individuals who make a moral claim on us.  For another, there are lots of overheated websites that facilely link it to Marxism.  My response to that last critique is to read the Gospels and count how many times Jesus tells us with should help the poor and even be poor.  In the Gospel of Matthew, in fact, Jesus tells us that the ones who are to enter the Kingdom of heaven are those who help “the least of my brothers and sisters,” i.e., the poor.   After that, read the Acts of the Apostles, and read about the apostles “sharing everything in common.”  Then let me know if helping the poor is communist or simply Christian. I have no idea if President Obama subscribes to liberation theology. But I do.

Link (here) to read the full post entitled, Glenn Beck and Liberation Theology by Fr. James Martin, S.J.

Link (here) to the photo and lengthy  story of “Pope John Paul II on his 1983 arrival in Managua, publicly reprimanded Jesuit priest and Sandinista Minister of Culture Ernesto Cardenal."

More on the subject

An interview with sanctioned Fr. Jon Sobrino, S.J. in Sojourners Magazine (here)

More on Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor program in Washington, D.C. (here)
Read about the Italian Father Alighiero Tondi, S.J. and his Communist connections with the Catholic Action Movement (here) as told by Time Magazine
Jesuit Education and Social Change in El Salvador By Charles Joseph Beirne, S.J.

Go (here) to read the one time Jesuit Fr. Malachi Martin on Liberation Theology in his famous book entitled, The Jesuits.

The Pope Francis Clampdown On LCWR

The clampdown on the nuns began in 2012, when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its original doctrinal assessment after investigating the organization. Then it chastised the sisters for staying silent on some of the church’s signature issues, including birth control, euthanasia, homosexuality, and the ordination of women. Instead, in their work in schools, hospitals, and centers for the poor, they were just doing what they could to help the population, rather than acting as missionaries for the church. Their silence on the issues was interpreted as an endorsement, which was particularly annoying to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which felt the sisters were undermining the status quo.

According to the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR, the sisters were “moving beyond the Church” and as such, creating “a serious source of scandal” that is incompatible with religious life. 

The nuns’ next trial of faith will be their August assembly, which will be seen as a litmus test for just how seriously they are taking the Vatican’s criticism. Their options will be to get in line with with the bishops and cardinals or break away and form their own group outside the Holy See’s jurisdiction. Francis, for his part, does not appear flexible on the topic. In several interviews, including one last September with the Jesuit magazine America, he dismissed the idea of women as equals. “I am wary of a solution that can be reduced to a kind of ‘female machismo,’ because a woman has a different make-up than a man. But what I hear about the role of women is often inspired by an ideology of machismo,” he said then. Now it is up to the nuns to flex their muscles or succumb.

Link (here)

Fr. James Martin, S.J. (here) on LCWR

So I tweeted “Catholic sisters teach me what it means to persevere without the benefit of institutional power.” And I added #WhatSistersMeantoMe. Framing things in that way, I thought, meant that people could show their gratitude for sisters, and read other messages of support, without being in any way negative. No need to be anti-Vatican or anti-bishop or anti-anything. Just pro-sister.

A few people commented that the Vatican’s assessment of the LCWR wasn’t intended as a critique of all U.S. sisters. Which is true. The LCWR is a kind of professional organization that often issues statements on behalf of the religious orders it represents. But that observation misses the point that the LCWR assessment came on the heels of a lengthy Vatican investigation of all women’s religious orders in this country-an “Apostolic Visitation,” to use the official term, investigating the sisters’ “quality of life.” 

In other words, it wasn’t surprising that many sisters felt beleaguered and demoralized.

Fr. James Martin, S.J. On The Sacking Of Padro Arrupe By Blessed John Paul The Great

I had my differences with Pope John Paul II, technically my former boss.  (Who doesn't disagree with the boss from time to time?)  He wasn’t always the biggest fan of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits, my religious order), though some of his suspicions seem to have originated with some of his advisers.  

When, in an unprecedented move in 1981, he suddenly removed Pedro Arrupe, the beloved superior general of the Jesuits, from his post, a great many Jesuits were both dismayed and angered.  John Paul, suspicious of the Jesuits’ work in “liberation theology” (an approach that emphasizes the liberation of the poor from suffering, as Jesus had), was apparently told by some advisers that the Jesuits would be disobedient after his public sacking of Arrupe.  

We were not.  Over the years, multiple sources have told me that John Paul was surprised by our fidelity--and pleased.  It changed his view of the Jesuits.

Link (here) to read the full post by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America's blog In All Things

Fr. James Martin, S.J., “It’s Always Very Moving When A Jesuit Is Martyred,”

“It’s always very moving when a Jesuit is martyred,” said Jesuit Father James Martin, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage and editor-at-large for America magazine. “Even if I don’t know him, he’s my brother. And it’s a reminder of the high level of service that all of us are called to as Christians.” Father Martin said he believed Father van der Lugt fulfilled what Blessed John Paul II called a “martyr of charity.” John Paul II declared St. Maximilian Kolbe this kind of martyr for sacrificing his life to save another prisoner in a Nazi death camp, as the systemic barbarity of the Nazis was a form of hatred of the faith.

Link (here) to the National Catholic Register

"A Lovely Person, Very Down-To-Earth"

The priest presiding over Philip Seymour Hoffman's funeral has admitted that he learnt about humility from him. Fr. James Martin S.J., who had advised the late actor on his role as Father Flynn in the movie Doubt, said that he was "a lovely person, very down-to-earth",People Magazine reported. The priest had first met the deceased star when he had been called to consult on the Labyrinth Theater Company's production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot which was directed by Hoffman in 2003. They had spent time together at New York City's Saint Ignatius Church where he taught him how a priest celebrates Mass, and his funeral Mass was held at the same church.

Link (here) to dnaindia.com

Philip Seymour Hoffman's private funeral was held in Manhattan on Friday at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. The coffin holding Hoffman's body was brought out of the Church by pallbearers and put it a hearse, and family and guests began to stream out Friday afternoon.
The church, on the Upper East Side, has also hosted funerals for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lena Horne and Aaliyah.
Hoffman was baptized and raised Catholic, but did not go to church regularly as an adult. Rev. James Martin, who is an assisting priest at St. Ignatius Loyola, celebrated the funeral mass, and spoke of the "hope of the resurrection."
According to Martin, Hoffman called himself a Christian believer, was an admirer of Jesus and someone who prayed. Martin told The Huffington Post, "He was a lovely soul and it was a grace to know him."
- See more at: http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/50348/20140207/mimi-odonnell-make-plans-philip-seymour-hoffmans-funeral-family-photos.htm#sthash.rQwG2kxn.dpuf

Jesuits To Bury Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman's funeral will be held at a Catholic Church in Manhattan later this week in what organizers say will be a private ceremony. The funeral will be held at St. Ignatius Church on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the same church where the funerals of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and the singer Aaliyah took place. 

Link (here) to ABC News

Phil’s strength as a director of “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” which debuted at the Public Theater in 2005, was partially the result of his interest in, and familiarity with, the raw material of play. From the beginning, he encouraged the cast to ask questions about the Gospels and the story of Jesus and Judas. Some of this comfort had to do with his religious background. As a boy growing up in a town outside of Rochester, New York, Phil attended Sunday classes in preparation for confirmation in the Catholic Church, though his parents were not especially religious. 

“My parents were pretty liberal people, who didn’t talk about God much in the house,” he said. Early on, religion was uninviting to him. “Those Masses really turned me off,” he said. “Lots of rote repetition, pretty boring and sometimes really brutal.”

His perspective changed when one of his two sisters became active in a Christian evangelical movement, to which she still belongs today. She encouraged her brother to accompany her to meetings with her friends, and Phil went along happily. “There was something that was so heartfelt and emotional,” he said. “Nothing about it felt crazy at all. And my sister was certainly the sanest person you could ever meet. It all felt very real, very guttural, even rebellious.”

Link (here) to the full piece by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at Busted Halo

Facebook And Twitter

Fr. James Martin, SJ hosted The Jesuit Collaborative's first-ever Google Hangout on the topic of Prayer.  TJC sponsored the discussion in conjunction with America Magazine, for which Fr. Martin serves as editor-at-large. The Hangout, titled How Do You Pray, consisted of a fruitful and honest discussion on how prayer impacts our daily lives.  Participants were asked to share ways they each pray, which gave us a wonderful look at differences and similarities we all share in our conversations with God.

Facebook and Twitter pages #HowDoYouPray.

Link (here) to the Jesuit Collaborative 

2357

Paragraph 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that while people with same-sex attraction Scripture clearly “presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity.” “[T]radition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered’. They are contrary to the natural law,” it adds. “They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.” This teaching is not mentioned in any of the three videos of the series. The first video in the series starts with an interview with Fr. James Martin, S.J., a prominent US media personality and Jesuit priest in New York, who has made advocating for the normalisation of homosexuality in the Catholic Church a prominent feature of his career.
“must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,”

Martin says that “many LGBT people” “have very deep spiritual lives and are Christians.” He also denies a conflict between the Catholic Church and the homosexual movement, saying, “It’s not as if you have atheist gays on one side, and religious or spiritual straight people on the other.”

Martin also praises the movement in the Catholic Church in the US and elsewhere that is a feature of many parishes that encourages homosexuals to believe they can be actively “gay” and faithful as Catholics, without contradiction. “The idea that someone could come out and be honest and transparent and open about the way that God created them, I think is terrific. I think it’s something that the Catholic Church can support,” he says. Martin adds, “If a music minister is gay, it doesn’t matter [to other parishioners] if they’re homosexual…it matters that they did a great job at the [liturgy of the] Easter Vigil. “If a spiritual director is gay, it doesn’t matter that they’re homosexual. It matters that they’ve brought people to God through prayer.” 

Link (here) to Lifesite News

“If This Is Poverty, Bring On Chastity.”

The most popular joke about Jesuit poverty is this:  A first year novice is visiting a large Jesuit community during a big celebration of the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, on July 31, usually an occasion for grand dinners.  The novice spies the immense dining room, the tastefully appointed tables, the flower vases and the filet mignon ready on the table and announces, “If this is poverty, bring on chastity.”

Link (here) to read the quote by Fr. James Martin, S.J.

Fr. James Martin, S.J., "Pope Francis, Who “Reaffirmed” The Findings Of The Assessment, And The “Program Of Reform."

Today the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement about the ongoing“reform” (to use their word) of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the main umbrella organization of women religious in the United States, which represents roughly 80% of American Catholic sisters and nuns.  In their statement, the Congregation noted that the new prefect of the Congregation, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, as well as Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, the Holy See’s Delegate for the Doctrinal Assessment of the LCWR, met with the Presidency of the LCWR.  Archbishop Müller also noted that he had spoken with Pope Francis, who “reaffirmed” the findings of the Assessment, and the “program of reform.”  The LCWR issued a statement, which listed the participants in the meeting in full, and said that the meeting was “open and frank.”

oversight and

Link (here) to the full piece by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America Magazine

Link (here) to Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's critique of the same article.

Pope James Martin, S.J..

Here are 12 reasons why you should elect me pope, which I'm calling: 

Twelve Reasons Why You Should Elect Me Pope.

1. I'm a man. That's half the battle, right?

2. I'm baptized. And I've got the papers to prove it. No birther controversy here.

3. I speak several languages. Not well, but you know, who does really? I speak English, as you can see from this little essay. And guess what: Bonjour! That's right: French! I started studying français when I was in seventh grade. (Notice I used the little thingy under the "c.") That means I can talk to pretty much all of West Africa and France: that's a lot of Catholics. Unfortunately, if I have to use the subjunctive or the pluperfect we're out of luck, but all I have to do is avoid saying, "If I were" in any of my encyclicals and we're golden.

But there's more: Hola! That's right: I speak Spanish. More or less. Or, "Mas o menos," as we say in the biz. Now, in this case, I can't really handle the past or future tenses, but that's OK, because that means I'll be speaking all about the present -- which will make me sound forceful and confident. You know, "Now is the time!" Or "Ahora es la ... well, ora, I guess." Anyway, there are lots and lots of Spanish-speaking Catholics and once they hear my rendition of "De Colores," they'll be sold on the Servant of the Servants of God muy rapido.

4. I'm half Italian. I almost forgot: Ciao! I'm half Italian. On my mom's side. So once I'm the Bishop of Rome I'll easily be able to deal with any problems in the curia, because all the Italian curial officials will instantly recognize me as a paesan. Scandals? Finito! Mismanagement? Basta! (That's Italian for "done" and "over," in case yours is rustissimo.) My election will also satisfy anyone looking for an Italian pope: i.e., all the Italian cardinals, who you definitely want on your side. The other half of me, by the way, is Irish, which goes a long way in the States, believe you me.

5. I worked in Africa. I almost forgot my other language. Jambo! That's right! I speak Swahili. Or Kiswahili. (That's Swahili for Swahili.) Well, at least I used to. I worked in Kenya for two years. So for all those people who want a pope from the developing world, well, I'm not exactly from there, but there are three babies who were named after me while I was working in Kenya. (They're not mine, if that's a worry.) That's got to count for something.

Now that you know that I speak English and Spanish and French and Swahili, you're probably thinking, "Gee, why not Jim as the Pontifex Maximus?" Why not share that thought with the guy in red sitting next to you?

6. Books. You probably want a pope who is literate but maybe not someone who spends so much time writing books, what with all the stuff he has to deal with. I know that this was sometimes a criticism of Pope Benedict XVI -- not that I'm casting any stones! But I've already written my books, so when I'm in the Vatican I'll be 100 percent on the job. Nine to five. Weekends too, if things ever get really busy. Sundays, of course, I'll be available for Masses.

7. Business experience! Speaking of jobs -- guess what? -- I've got a degree from the Wharton School. That's one of the big business schools here in the States. Plus I worked at General Electric for six years. So here's some good news: say arrivederci to any managerial problems in the curia. Ever heard of Management by Objectives? The marginal propensity to consume? The "Four Ps" of marketing? You will after I'm Supreme Pontiff. That place will run like a top. A top that makes money, too.

8. I'm ordained. I almost forgot: I'm already an ordained priest. That means that, since I meet all the other requirements, the only thing that left is for me to be willing to be ordained a bishop. And guess what: I'm willing. Now let me anticipate a minor objection. I'll bet that you know that I took a vow as a Jesuit not to "strive for or ambition" any high office in the church, but I've got a nice, easy, canonically doable way around that roadblock. Once you elect me pope, I'll be my own superior! After I put on those white robes, I can just call up the Jesuit superior general and say, "Hey, how about letting me accept that ordination as bishop and my election as pope?" And I figure he'll have to say yes because he takes orders from me. Problem solved. Besides I'm not striving or ambitioning anyway. I'm campaigning.

9. Educated. The Jesuit training process is really, really, really long. I can't even remember how many years I was in studies. That means that I studied philosophy (good to know), theology (really good to know) and a whole lot of other stuff like church history, which I think would be pretty helpful as pope. And guess what? I know Ancient Greek, too. That really impresses the scholarly types in the church. E.g., when scholars ask me, "What translation of the New Testament are you using?" I'll say, "My translation." They love that kind of thing. Plus, that appeals to the Ancient-Greek-speaking demographic that the church may have given up on.

10. Willing to travel. OK, I admit it. I'm not all crazy about air travel, what with all the delays and having to take your shoes off and sitting next to someone who keeps coughing up a lung, but it just dawned on me that this won't be a problem at all. The Pontiff has his own airplane: Shepherd One. So once you install free movies in my gold-and-white plane I'm golden. I'll go wherever you want me to go. To the ends of the earth, if need be. As long as I get an extra bag of peanuts.

11. Humility. I can already predict what your last objection is: My campaigning for pope may make me seem a tad less humble than you might hope for. But isn't the fact that I'm willing to campaign a sign of my humility? A less humble guy would assume that everyone already knows that he'd be a good candidate and so wouldn't say anything out of his pride. Kind of counterintuitive, huh? Ergo: Since I'm campaigning, I'm No. 1 when it comes to humility.

12. Cool Name. Everyone knows that the first big decision the pope makes is his choice of name. Plus, I know everyone's always worried about continuity. With that in mind (I like to think ahead, which is a good trait) I've already picked my name. As you know, Pope Paul VI's successor chose the name "John Paul I," to show his continuity with Pope John XXIII and Paul VI. Everyone was pretty impressed with that. Next you had John Paul II. More continuity. And of course next we had (or have, depending on when you're reading this) Benedict XVI. If you elect me, and I hope you will, after I say "Accepto" (see I speak a little Latin too), I would choose my name: John Paul Benedict I. That takes care of everyone from John XXIII to Benedict. Continuity plus. Of course saying "JPB1" might take some getting used to but Catholics are pretty flexible, and I'll bet before long there will be lots of babies baptized John Paul Benedict.

Link (here) to the full post Fr. James Martin, S.J. at the Huffington Post

Jesuits At The Los Angeles Religious Education Conference

Jesuit Speakers at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference

Fr. Gregory J. Boyle, SJ

Jesuit priest Fr. Greg Boyle has been an advocate for at-risk and gang-involved youth in Los Angeles for over 25 years. He is founder and Director of Jobs For A Future/Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention and employment referral program for gang-involved youth in the United States. As an expert on gangs and intervention approaches, Fr. Boyle is a nationally renowned speaker and consultant and serves as a member of local and national gang advisory boards. His latest book is entitled “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.”

Rev. Richard Leonard, SJ

Some people are wary of the cinema because of the worst movies that are on the screens. There are, however, films – and sometimes not overtly religious ones – that can move us to a deeper communication with God. This workshop will look at the media context within which our people explore their faith and offer movie suggestions for the classroom, retreats, reflection days, rites of initiation (RCIA), and formation nights.

 

James Martin, SJ

Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin is Contributing Editor of America Magazine. He is the author of several award-winning books including, most recently, “Between Heaven and Mirth,” “The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything” and “My Life with the Saints.” A popular speaker, Fr. Martin is a frequent speaker at national conferences, retreats and parish groups, and has given presentations at the Religious Education Congress each year for the past several years.

Jesuit Exibitors at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference

America Magazine - (212) 581-4640 - www.americamagazine.org
        New York, NY - Category: Religious Publication
         Booth(s): 584

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry - (617) 552-6535 - www.bc.edu/stm
        Chestnut Hill, MA - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 110, 112

California Province Jesuits and Lay Partners - (408) 884-1630 - www.jesuitscalifornia.org
        Los Gatos, CA - Category: Religious Life
         Booth(s): 260, 262, 264, 266

Creighton University Master of Arts in Ministry Program - (402) 280-2424 - www.creighton.edu/masterofministry
        Omaha, NE - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 567

 Fordham University Graduate School of Religious Education - (718) 817-4800 - www.fordham.edu/gre
        New York, NY - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 668

Homeboy Industries - (323) 526-1254 - www.homeboy-industries.org
        Los Angeles, CA - Category: Faith & Justice
         Booth(s): 281, 283

 Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University at Berkeley - (510) 549-5013 - www.scu.edu/jst
        Berkeley, CA - Category: Educational Programs
         Booth(s): 688

Loyola Institute for Ministry - (504) 865-3399 - lim.loyno.edu
        New Orleans, LA - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 671 

Loyola Marymount University - (800) 568-4636 - www.lmu.edu
        Los Angeles, CA - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 357, 359, 361, 456, 458, 460 

Loyola Press - (800) 621-1008 - www.loyolapress.com
        Chicago, IL - Category: Educational Programs
         Booth(s): 137, 139, 141, 143, 145, 236, 238, 240, 242, 244 

Loyola University Chicago, Institute of Pastoral Studies - (800) 424-1238 - www.luc.edu/ips
        Chicago, IL - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 160

Santa Clara University/Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries & The Jesuit School of Theology - (408) 554-4831 - www.scu.edu/pastoralministries
        Santa Clara, CA - Category: Educational Institution
         Booth(s): 690

Link (here)

Slog Through An Hour Of Ignatius

It was long rumored that Antonio Banderas (the cousin of a Jesuit) was set to play St. Ignatius of Loyola on screen. But any marketable screenplay would end after the founding of the Society of Jesus. Few moviegoers would want to slog through an hour of Ignatius sitting at his desk composing the Constitutions or writing one of the 6,813 letters he wrote during his lifetime.

Link (here) to the full article by Fr. James Martin, S.J.

The Problem With Dorothy Day

But there is a problem.  And that problem is a quote attributed to, of all people, Dorothy Day. “Don’t call me a saint,” she is often said to have said. "I don’t want to be dismissed that easily." 

That quote is probably the biggest barrier to her canonization. Not that it would deter the Vatican, since the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints is used to dealing with the humility of prospective saints.  

But the quote sets up a kind of spiritual roadblock for many of her admirers.  Many believe she is a saint, but balk at supporting her canonization.  Given that quote, would Dorothy really want to be canonized?  Oddly, supporting her feels almost like a betrayal.

Link (here) to read the full post by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America Magazine

Her adherence to Communism and Marxism (here) and (here) ought to pose some issues as well.

The Message Was In Latin At The Al Smith Diner

Who had the best lines of the night? Well, Romney got the bigger laughs, though some critiqued him for being too pointed.  The governor’s best line?  His comment that he was happy to be able to relax and wear the kinds of clothes that he and his wife wore at home every night: i.e., white tie and tails and an evening gown. Obama gave as good as he got, and flashed his famous smile at the governor as he spoke. His best line?  He told the audience that he was happy to be back in New York, where he spent the day on Fifth Avenue shopping in stores. Beat. Gov. Romney, he said, spent the day shopping for stores. Frankly though, I was unprepared for how moving Cardinal Dolan’s final benediction was.  The cardinal had flown in just that night from the Synod in Rome, and was due to fly to Syria as part of the papal mission of cardinals there.  He joked that the Holy Father had confided in him a message for the two candidates, but he had no idea what that was, since it was in Latin.

Link (here) to full post of Fr. James Martin, S.J. at America Magazine

Fr. James Martin, S.J. On Vice-President Biden's Idea, "Odd"

Last night's spirited Vice-Presidential debate was billed, in some quarters, as a "Catholic smackdown." The debate moderator, Martha Raddatz, made specific note of that reality, when she called the debate "historic," as it was the first time that both candidates for vice president were -- in case you've been living under a secular rock -- Catholic. As our blogger Michael O'Loughlin noted, however, Raddatz' "Catholic question" focused mainly on abortion. To me, it was not a surprising pivot, as many journalists tend to reduce all of Catholicism to a single issue. For his part, Congressman Ryan identify himself as strongly pro-life (though his reference to his daughter as "Bean" seemed oddly labored), dilated on what he perceived as threats to religious liberty and elaborated on the Romney administration's opposition to abortion, with Gov. Romney's (somewhat surprising to many pro-lifers) exceptions for rape, incest and threats to the life of the mother. Vice President Biden, in turn, stated that his religion "defines who I am," and spoke about his love of Catholic social teaching, his personal opposition to abortion and his unwillingness to "impose" that belief on others (though I've always found that odd, too -- we regularly "impose" our beliefs on others whenever we legislate.)

Link (here) to read the full post at The Huffington Post

A Jesuits Role In The Faith And Progess Of Souls In Christian Life And Doctrine

The 35 General Congregation

The Jesuit is a member of a Society founded chiefly for this purpose: to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine. 

 Exposcit debitum of Pope Julius III, July 21, 1550

From experience, the Society has learned that pivotal to its fidelity in chastity has been the strong though humble and simple devotion to the Blessed Virgin that has flourished among us since the time of St. Ignatius. 

General Congregation 34, "Chastity in the Society of Jesus," §247

 Although serving God our Lord much out of pure love is to be esteemed above all, we ought to praise much the fear of His Divine Majesty, because not only filial fear is a thing pious and most holy, but even servile fear -- when the man reaches nothing else better or more useful -- helps much to get out of mortal sin. And when he is out, he easily comes to filial fear, which is all acceptable and grateful to God our Lord: as being at one with the Divine Love. 

Saint Ignatius Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, 18

When Ignatius wondered in Barcelona whether he should study and how much, it was a question of whether after his studies he should enter a religious order or go through the world as he was. And when he thought of entering a religious order, then he thought and desired to enter one that was corrupt and unreformed ... to be able to suffer more, and also perhaps thinking that God would help them.

 Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola, §71

The fervour that characterized our beginnings, manifested in Ignatius and in his friends in the Lord, must also be apparent in our present day. Father Nadal, speaking in the name of the first Jesuits, noted that the Society is a light shining forth from Christ. It fills our beings, arouses strong desires and urges us to work for the salvation of all in a mission received from the Vicar of Christ on earth.

 Introductory Allocution of Father General Peter Hans Kolvenbach 

 to the Congregation of Procurators, Sept 17, 1999.

Today the Jesuit is a man whose mission is to dedicate himself entirely to the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

 General Congregation 32, "Our Mission Today," §41

In like manner, we are to [call to mind the] sin of one who went to hell because of one mortal sin. Consider also countless others who have been lost for fewer sins than I have committed.... Enter into conversation with Christ our Lord. Recall to memory that of those who are in hell; some came there because they did not believe in the coming of Christ; others, though they believed, because they did not keep the commandments. 

St. Ignatius Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, §§52, 71.

In the years after final vows, the ordained Jesuit experiences all the pressures and complexities of priestly ministry in the Society: he will probably be engaged in a ministry which makes constant and exhausting demands on him.

 General Congregation 34, "Jesuit Identity and Ministerial Priesthood," §189

Such men should be appointed superiors who enjoy a good reputation and authority among their subjects. 

Complementary Norms, 340

We do not publish this decree because we judge that infidelity in chastity is widespread within the Society of Jesus. On the contrary, we are convinced that, despite the challenges and testings of these years, fidelity in chastity characterizes the life of the Society today as it has characterized it in the past. 

General Congregation 34, "Chastity in the Society of Jesus," §228

It would be unreasonable for traveling Jesuits to expect local people to view their conduct as it would be understood in their own native land. 

General Congregation 34, "Chastity in the Society of Jesus," §255

Respect for the dignity of the human person created in the Image of God underlies the growing international consciousness of the full range of human rights. 

General Congregation 34, "Our Mission and Justice," §55

And touching our Society, be it known that we have made a league -- all the Jesuits in the world, whose succession and multitude most overreach all the practices of England -- cheerfully to the carry the cross you shall lay upon us, and never to despair your recovery, while he have a man left to enjoy your Tyburn, or to be racked with your torments, or consumed with your prisons.

 Saint Edmund Campion, S.J., final address to the Privy Council, 1581

The Society expects from every Jesuit not only fidelity to his vows but the normal public signs of this fidelity. Jesuits should embody in their ministry and in their lives an unequivocal "professional" conduct (modestia) that manifests their commitments as priests and as religious. Their manner of proceeding -- both as a community and as individuals -- ought to preclude any ambiguity about their lives, enabling those to whom they minister to rely instinctively upon their disinterestedness and fidelity. 

General Congregation 34, "Chastity in the Society of Jesus," 187

As servants of the Gospel, we are channels of the creative Spirit working in and through our persons to build the body of Christ. 

Introductory Allocution of Father General to the Congregation of Procurators, Sept 17, 1999

Obedience is to be offered by all promptly, cheerfully, and in a supernatural spirit, as to Christ.... Our holy Father Saint Ignatius desired that we should all excel in the virtue of obedience. Accordingly, with all our force and energy we should strive to obey, first, the Sovereign Pontiff, and then the superiors of the Society, not only in matters of obligation, but also in others, even at the mere hint of the superior's will, apart from any express command. 

General Congregation 31, "The Life of Obedience," §277f.

 In the light of our tradition, we can say that no ministry which prepares the way for the Kingdom or which helps to arouse faith in the Gospel is outside the scope of Jesuit priests. In recent years we have come to recognize that it is for the priest, as sign and minister of the Lord's active presence, to be present in or to collaborate with all human efforts which help in establishing the Kingdom. 

General Congregation 34, "Jesuit Identity and the Ministerial Priesthood," §172

Since Vatican Council II, at the request of the Church itself, consecrated life has not ceased being in motion. Still today, even under the pen of certain of our confreres, publications are not lacking which describe our deeds, and especially our misdeeds, in this time of permanent upheaval, showing a certain nostalgia for the times of stability, when the orientation of a religious institute seemed more sure of itself. 

Final Allocution of Father General to the Congregation of Procurators, Sept 23, 1999.

The mission of the Society derives from our continuing experience of the Crucified and Risen Christ who invites us to join him in preparing the world to become the completed Kingdom of God. The focus of Christ's mission is the prophetic proclamation of the Gospel that challenges people in the name of the Kingdom of his Father; we are to preach that Kingdom in poverty. 

General Congregation 34, "Servants of Christ's Mission," §31

 Few are called to the life of a Jesuit, but for the man who is called, chastity only makes sense as a means to greater love, to a more authentic apostolic charity. 

General Congregation 34, "Chastity in the Society of Jesus," 236

 Each Jesuit enriches the Society's mission and contributes to what Saint Paul calls "the priestly service of the Gospel of God." 

General Congregation 34, "Jesuit Identity and Ministerial Priesthood," §163

In Jesus Christ, we can accept the magnitude of this challenge: to work at the integration of faith and justice, to strive to understand how the Gospel is to be inculturated, to embark with new zeal on the task of interreligious dialogue, to continue to join our professional and pastoral skills to the Ignatian way of proceeding. The Crucified Jesus reminds us that in weakness and vulnerability God's love can shine forth mightily. 

General Congregation 34, "United with Christ on Mission," §7

No community life is possible, however, and no renewal can be truly fruitful unless each Jesuit "keep before his eyes God, and the nature of this Institute which he has embraced and which is, so to speak, a pathway to God." His vocation summons each Jesuit to find privileged time and space to pray with Christ, as friend to friend, learning from this encounter how to be a servant of his mission. 

General Congregation 34, "United with Christ on Mission," §11

The task for the Jesuit priest, in the midst of these multiple demands, is to continue a life of faith and a generous and humble service of Christ. Even if he is not primarily involved in direct pastoral service of others, it will help him to keep his priestly identity alive if he is able to minister regularly to a sacramental community; lay people, especially the poor, build the personal faith of those who serve them.

 General Congregation 34, "Jesuit Identity and Ministerial Priesthood", §190

In these years, throughout the Society, we have been purified in the faith by which we live, and have grown in our understanding of our central mission. Our service, especially among the poor, has deepened our life of faith, both individually and as a body: our faith has become more paschal, more compassionate, more tender, more evangelical in its simplicity. 

General Congregation 34, "Servants of Christ's Mission", §15

We never go into politics, never; politics as such. It is true we try, for instance today, in the whole question of international justice, to help the underdeveloped countries and so forth. We are for truth, for justice. If you call politics this high idea of justice, fine. But if you speak of politics in the sense of parties, or working for governments, we are completely out of this. 

Father General Pedro Arrupe, S.J., in a BBC interview by Malcolm Muggeridge, January 25, 1970

I think former Jesuits are Jesuits. You don't leave. I really believe that. Ignatius recognized that laymen are the core of the Society. Although it's not necessarily true canonically, I would say they are Jesuits.

 Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., quoted in Company Magazine, Fall 2000, p. 22.

 Nor can it be said that the pope was speaking of matters that do not involve our faith, since the essence of his teaching directly concerns the human and divine dignity of man and of love. In the enormous crisis of growth which envelops the whole world, the pope himself has been what the entire Church must be, and Vatican II affirmed, "both a sign and a safeguard of the transcendence of the human person" (Gaudium et Spes, §76). For this reason the service we as Jesuits owe to the Holy Father and to the Church is at the same time a service we owe to humanity itself. 

Letter of Father General Pedro Arrupe, S.J. to the whole Society, 
on the encyclical Humanae vitae, in Acta Romana Societatis Iesu. Vol. XV, Fasc. II, 1968

Link (here) to the must read full post at WFF

When you are finished and have returned from reading the full article, go (here) and watch the PBS video of Fr. James Martin, S.J. and Joseph Fessio, S.J. debate some of the issues mentioned.

Celebrity Jesuit Objects To The United States Constitution

The Second Amendment permits the private ownership of guns (though I doubt that the need for a “well-regulated militia” envisioned by the framers of the Constitution translates into easy access to assault weapons.)  But there is nothing to say that more stringent gun control laws that could prevent such horrible crimes cannot be judiciously balanced with constitutional rights. The Christian outlook on this of course has less to do with self-defense and more to do with the defense of the other person.  Jesus asks us to love our enemies, not to murder them; to pray for them, not to take vengeance; and he commends the peacemakers among us, not those advocating for more and more and more weapons.  Was Jesus naïve?  I wonder about that.  I often marvel how some Christians can say that in one breath, and proclaim him as the Son of God in the next.  Apparently, some believe that the Second Person of the Trinity didn’t know what he was talking about.  But Jesus lived in a violent time himself, under the heel of Roman rule in an occupied land, when human life was seen as cheap.  Jesus witnessed violence and was himself the victim of violence—the most famous person to suffer the death penalty.  It was not only divine inspiration but also human experience that led him to say: Blessed are the peacemakers.  Why am I saying this now?  Not because I want to score political points.  But because this week’s shootings horrified me, and reminded me of the need for religious people who stand for life, and for churches who stand for life, to stand for life at all times.  Why haven’t I written as much on other life issues?  Because the Catholic church’s stance on most of those issues is well known.  By contrast, religious leaders have seemed relatively silent on this other life issue.  Perhaps it is the kairos, as Jesus said: the right time, in this case for religious people to pray about these issues in a new light.

This stance will most likely be unpopular politically.  Some on the political right will object my stance on firmer gun control.  Some of the political left will object to my stance on abortion.  But that doesn't bother me, because I am not political.  I am religious.

Link (here) to the full post by Fr. James Martin, S.J. at the politically left leaning America Magazine.

Fr. James Martin, S.J. Listens To Lawrence O'Donnell

Fr. James Martin, S.J. and Lawrence O'Donnell's of the MSNBC show "The Last Word," discuss third grade catechism, homosexuality, Nun Sense, Ginger Rodgers, crises of faith for priests, Second Vatican Council, stagnation and dissent in the Church and the Magestirum of the Church versus the Holy Spirit or cooperating with it.
Link (here) to America magazine to watch the video

Martin On Merton And Berrigan

I wrote to Dan when I was frustrated about something in the church and was tempted to, as Thomas Merton used to say, "blast off," i.e., speak my mind in not the most sensible way. In response to an agitated letter, Dan, who had himself known Merton, wrote me to counsel patience, and reminded me that I'm in this "for the long haul."

Link (here) to America Magazine to read the full post by Fr. James Martin, S.J.