Passionate Commitment: Being in Love with Jesus

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

Credit: www.beliefnet.com

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. (1 Jn 4:16) 

Love appears without notice. When we fall in love, there is no time to think about what's happening. Falling in love is a crazy thing. It both hurts and soothes the aches of our innermost being. When I had been in love in the past, it would take me longer to put my socks on and to get ready in the morning because I was constantly thinking about that person. When we fall in love, coffee tastes better and there is a scent of hopefulness in the air. To me, falling in love is not quite a graceful thing, but it is an experience full of grace.

Putting on Christ: the Feelings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

As Christians, we are called to put on Christ; to become more like Christ and to acquire the feelings of his Sacred Heart. This is what the former Jesuit general superior, Father Pedro Arrupe, called the sensus Christi. We are called to feel, love, see and act the way Christ feels, loves, sees and acts.

Men and Women for Others

By Artur Suski, S.J.

Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org

With the election of Pope Francis as the Bishop of Rome, questions about Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality have surfaced in both religious and secular circles. In light of this, the contributors of Ibo et Non Redibo have decided to launch a blog series on Ignatian spirituality. In six blog entries, we will attempt to introduce some key principles by which Jesuits live, and how these insights may be useful to the Church and to the world. The previous two entries addressed the discernment of spirits and the idea of Magis; the following is the third entry.

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Many of you who have studied at Jesuit institutions are familiar with the motto “Men and Women for Others”. This concept has been at the core of Jesuit identity since the beginning of the existence of the Society of Jesus, and is consequently at the core of one formed in the Ignatian tradition. The motto is nevertheless a simple one: we are to be at the service of our brothers and sisters. This service is multifaceted: there is the service of faith and the Gospel, service of the poor, service of justice, and service of education, which involves teaching others the first three “services” that are mentioned.

Martyrdom: Testifying to Love

canadianmartyrsparish.ca

This homily was preached at the Martyr's Shrine in Midland by Fr. Peter Bisson, Provincial of the Jesuits in English Canada, on Saturday, September 22, 2012, for the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs. The actual feast was celebrated this past Wednesday.

Thee hundred and sixty three years ago, here in this place, Christ did a new thing in North America. Just as His own identity was fully revealed in His death and resurrection, so too was His life made manifest here in the lives and deaths of Sts. Jean de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, Gabriel Lalement, Noel Chabanel, Antoine Daniel, Rene Goupil, Jean de LaLande, as well as in the lives and commitments of their Huron and French companions. True life and true human flourishing - which is to be a friend of God's - is to be found only through the death that is to give yourself away in love.

This is the message that has attracted you here!