I cannot help but smile as I remember a conversation I had with Abby on the way home from preschool the other day. Me: What did you learn about in chapel today? Abby: The fruits of the spirit. Me: Really? What are the fruits of the spirit? Abby: STRAWBERRIES! While Abby did not answer with [...]
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Human life has meaning. We are not aimless beings, without a goal or purpose. We have been created by a God who loves us. We are called to build the Kingdom of God by knowing, loving and serving God and other people and thus entering life everlasting. While some people view “the world” as a [...]
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Ignatius Loyola, writing to a Jesuit who hesitated to work in the king’s court, fearing for the safety of his soul: My own opinion is that even the argument based on your personal safety is not relevant. Obviously if our religious profession has no other purpose but to ensure our security, and if we were [...]
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Jesuits educated me (St. Peter’s College), they employ me (Loyola Press), and they pastor me (St. Mary Student Parish, Ann Arbor). So I’m very interested in how the Jesuits see themselves these days. Here are a couple of items that reveal a lot about them. One, an article by Ryan Maher, SJ, is an [...]
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Over the past two weeks I’ve had the remarkable experience of being a nearly full-time Dad. My wife has started a new job and has undergone an orientation process that’s taken her away from home for some time, so we’ve found ourselves switching roles. It’s been a profound process of discovery for me. This is [...]
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Two Jesuit astronomers talk about “Asteroids, Stars, and the Love of God” on NPR. Richard Blake, SJ, on his vocation. (“I knew I wanted to be a priest maybe four or five years after I was ordained.”) Brian O’Leary, SJ, on the search for meaning from an Ignatian perspective. Find God at Other6 (if you [...]
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Nathan Stone, SJ, makes a strong case for giving the Spiritual Exercises to young people. He thinks that veteran spiritual directors are too cautious if they regard the Exercises as experiences for older, settled people. Some might think it safer to postpone the Exercises. Yes, it is, because commitment is always a risk. But then, [...]
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Jesuits come from many walks of life. Brother Pat Douglas, SJ was trained as a clinical social worker before he entered the Society. In this video he talks about his vocation and his work among at-risk Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations in South Dakota.
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If someone you know is looking for direction in life, point them to “How to Discern the Elements of Your Personal Vocation” by Peter Ryan, SJ. It’s an excellent essay that sets forth “points to bear in mind,” the first of which is that “sincere discernment infallibly succeeds.” Another point is that we “discern only [...]
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Here’s how one man found his Jesuit vocation:
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