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!

Shake and Bake: on the Relationship Between Clergy and Laity

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

Throughout my past year at Campion College in Regina, there were a few instances where urgent lay services (with a Gospel reflection and the distribution of already-consecrated hosts) needed to happen on short notice. On these occasions, I had worked with a daily mass-attending graduate student, with each of us doing our respective parts. I jokingly named this type of collaboration between clergy and laity the “Shake and Bake”, in reference to a sophisticated manoeuvre between two race cars from the film Talladega Nights.

The important dynamics between clergy and laity was again highlighted for me as I reflected on the latest Hearts on Fire retreat (HoF) in Canada, which took place this past weekend in the beautiful St. John's, Newfoundland. Three Jesuits – including myself and two other Ibo contributors – flew into St. John's to give the retreat. One of the main goals of HoF is to provide tools for our retreatants to tangibly develop their relationship with the Lord; it is not the type of retreat where one comes out of it feeling good about learning a few inspiring intellectual concepts. It is the responsibility of the retreatants to incorporate Ignatian contemplation and the examination of consciousness into their spiritual regimen, along with living a more intentional sacramental life. There is precious little that we Jesuits can do if our retreatants do not use the tools with which they have been provided.

Learning the “John the Baptist Style”

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

Photo: Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

My fellow brother Jesuits have written previously about the Jesuit-led young adult retreat called Hearts on Fire (HoF), where the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola is introduced. We had the opportunity to bring HoF to Regina, Saskatchewan this past weekend, where I found myself in the unique position of being both on the Jesuit retreat team and the local host.

I have always enjoyed running retreats. It gives me a concrete sense that I am not someone who serenades the retreatants with eloquent speeches, nor gives them a substantial lecture of how to understand God on a rigorously intellectual level. I am merely preparing them, so that they be prepared for an encounter with the Lord in their prayer and reflection periods. As many know, this kind of encounter can be wildly unpredictable, yet immensely fruitful. Couple this with taking care of the details behind the scene to ensure that the retreatants be physically well-disposed, and I have a strong sense of what the mission of St. John the Baptist feels like: “prepare the way of the Lord, then get out of the way”.

We Are Young: Drinking from the Living Waters

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

We are young 
So I set the world on fire 
we can burn brighter than the sun 

These lines are from the song We Are Young by Fun. – featuring Janelle Monáe – which describes the hopes, joys and sorrows of a young man at a bar before closing time. These lines can also describe the experience of each young adult who attended one of the Hearts on Fire retreats this summer. For six weeks, five Jesuits toured the south of the United States to present these retreats. In each of the six cities where we gave the retreat, we met young men and women who were looking to learn more about the meaning and purpose of their lives.

With a Little Help of My Friends

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

I have been on the road for six weeks. I've been traveling with a group of my Jesuit brothers throughout Southern United States; giving retreats to young adults. It has been a wonderful and inspiring experience. I've been blessed by traveling and working with a super band of brothers. I can easily count my blessings; I am grateful for this opportunity to proclaim the Kingdom of God to young men and women. Yet, the road trip takes its toll. It tires the body and at times it makes the soul a bit weary.

Once in a while, I am hit by the loneliness of a sailor's life. In those moments, I turn everything to God and I beseech Him to transform the feeling of being cut off from all human contact into a sense of solitude or companionship with Him. One of these moments occurred just the other night. I felt lonesome and a bit gloomy, and I brought that to the Lord. I told Him how heavy my heart was and I asked Him to convert my gloominess and melancholy into joy. The Lord then asked me if He was enough for me. I took a moment to get in touch with what was happening within me: “Is God enough for me right now?” I told Him He wasn't. Not at that moment.

From Procrastination to Gratitude

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

“The early bird may get the worm, but it is the second mouse the gets the cheese.” This attitude has always been a comfort to me, as I am a procrastinator through and through. It is not a genetic condition, but a malady which has plagued me since my college days.

Over the last couple of years, my Jesuit formation has taught me to plan in advance, and that I do not employ my delaying tactics as often. Yet, I still find myself dragging my feet when it comes to calling a friend, writing a letter, or replying to emails. On the contrary, when I stop postponing these things, I find these activities to be very life-giving. I usually tell myself that I can find God in all things if I stop procrastinating and start seeking Him in my neglected and unfinished tasks. I will illustrate this through a personal example.

Heart of the World

By John D. O'Brien, S.J.

As the month of May draws near to its end, the prospect of the great feast-days of June is on the horizon. Among them is the great Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that I will anticipate here. It is a devotion Jesuits have always promoted, and continues to be promoted through the work of the Messenger of the Sacred Heart magazine and the Hearts on Fire retreats.

Pope Benedict has invited the faithful to renew their devotion to the Sacred Heart and with good reason: as a symbol – and object of meditation – it contains many dimensions of the mystery of God. Let’s reflect on a few of those.