An Open Letter to St. Paul

View from Highway 1, along the California coast.

Dear St. Paul:

I know that you have to sort through much fan mail, so I want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. You probably know me from all the “intercession requests” that I've sent you. You are a great inspiration to me; in fact, you are one of my top-five saints.

 For the past four weeks or so, I have been a part of a Jesuit “mission band” which gives the Spiritual Exercises to young adults. I trust that you've heard of this manual written by my spiritual father, St. Ignatius of Loyola. I am not here to recount to you all the details of the retreat; rather, I think I've found some parallels between my experience and yours.


You know, working with fellow young Jesuits has been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed. It isn't as if we all think alike and we always get along. Friction is inevitable, as we are only human beings. I mean, even you and St. Peter had that argument in Antioch. If that could happen in public, I wonder how the discussions were like in private!

Swansong, Materialized

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

Credit: Mother Teresa Middle School

My interest in origami has been previously documented. Throughout the past six months, I have had the privilege to share this interest with the students in the form of an after school program at Mother Teresa Middle School (MTMS) in Regina, Canada. Origami can be a highly individualistic pursuit: grab a piece of paper, follow the instructions, and voilà, a new creation made. While I was quite content with teaching the kids different designs and such, I also wanted them to learn more than just folding things for themselves. That was why I decided to swing for the fences with the kids: we began an ambitious yet different origami project together.

A Different Taste: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Cura Personalis

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

Chinese herbs boiled by Edmund Lo

The autumn season is indeed upon us, and this also means that the cold/flu season has arrived. This season coincided with the shutdown of my immune system, perhaps as a result of two consecutive working weekends. This is an indirect and reluctant way to say that I fell ill. I usually fall ill at the end of the school semester, when the immune system is no longer on overdrive. This would normally give me more free time to recover. Since we are currently in the middle of the semester, I do not have such a luxury. Hence I decided to pay a visit to a Chinese herbal doctor.

Those of you who are familiar with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) will immediately recall both the somewhat repulsive smell and taste of the potions. A friend of mine even commented that “sickness is preferable” to having to drink them. I, however, do not mind them; as a wee boy who was always sick, I had to drink them on a daily basis for almost two years. I have been properly-trained to ignore the associated bitter taste. But what draws me back to TCM is not a kind of operant conditioning, as if disgusting taste leads to better health. It is rather the holistic approach.

The Pursuit of Purity: Organic Foods and Souls

By Artur Suski, S.J.

Credit: http://danielayad.wordpress.com

A somewhat recent phenomenon that has surfaced in the society is the pursuit of purity when it comes to food. It can be seen most clearly in the preference towards organic food and non-genetically modified organisms (GMO), a movement which has been gaining momentum. This is especially apparent when it is viewed within the context of the state of the food industry today: on the whole, more and more chemicals and GMOs are being used in farming to produce the highest yield possible, thus maximizing the profits. On top of this, quick-to-make, or quick-to-purchase foods – such as junk food – are quite popular for the busy bees who do not have time or the energy to prepare meals for themselves. These meals, as we all know, are filled with preservatives and other chemicals that either produce a certain texture, or make the food taste a certain way.

Yet, in the midst of all of this, we find a small and steadily growing group that has shied away from commercially farmed or processed foods, and is steadily striving to return back to the “original” way of preparing food: food that has been farmed without any chemical additives of any form or without any GMOs.

Cura Personalis: Incarnate Teaching

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

(Photo: William Mbugua, S.J.)

The phenomenon that is massive open online courses (MOOC) was recently brought to my attention by an acquaintance. These are courses being offered online by different universities, and most importantly, they are free. You do not have to be a registered student from the university to take them. It means you can take free courses on your own time through prestigious educational institutions such as Stanford, Columbia, or Case Western Reserve. As I have been assigned to post-secondary classroom teaching at this stage of my Jesuit formation, this seemed to hit a nerve.

It is quite impossible, nor is it my intention, to give a comprehensive review and critique of MOOC in a short blog entry. Furthermore, I want to acknowledge some obvious positives that MOOC literally brings to the table on which rests one's computer: it creates learning opportunities for those who would otherwise not have access to such resources due to geographical, temporal or financial reasons. It is possible as long as internet access is available, and that one is willing to diligently persevere through the course. I merely focus on one issue: what clear advantage does a teacher-student interaction in a physical space bring?

O Brother Where Art Thou?

By Brother Daniel Leckman, S.J.

http://www.tourisme-montreal.org

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, my semester in the university has been one of deep learning, of truly falling in love with Vatican documents, of going into the depth of my Catholic faith, and of attempting to explore the beautiful language coming out of the Synod on the New Evangelization. It has been marked with amazing lectures, inspiring readings, incredible testimonials, watching people grow and struggle in their faith. Experiencing all of this has been part of a great period of growth and learning for me, but also of re-identifying with my dislike of academia.

I am recognizing – in a humble, genuinely profound way – that I am simply not cut out for this type of life. In a way, my academic journey has provided me with conflict, but also with resolution. The conflict was around my place in the Society of Jesus. I’m still finding out what being a Jesuit brother is all about. I’ve included the picture of Saint Brother André in this blog because he has been without a doubt a great inspiration for my vocation. I felt that he was a man who was able to liveholiness in the simplest, and most down to earth way that I wanted to emulate. Of course, since then, I’ve learned that we have our own “holy doorman” in the Society of Jesus, (I’ve already blogged about him: St Alfonso Rodriguez) but part of me is still more attached to the image of this simple, but deeply holy man from my hometown of Montreal.