Finding the Path to Freedom and Joy

By Daniel Leckman, S.J.

Credit: http://www.fmcmissions.com/

About a year ago this week, this man began his humble request for our prayers.

For the past year or so, when people around me start talking about Pope Francis, they often address their words to me! It's not because I'm the number one authority on Papal matters. Nor is it even because I'm the one who follows him the most; these days when I limit my intake of what the Pope is doing to daily two-minute sound bites from the Vatican. This is contrasted with the early months of his papacy when I would scrutinize every Angelus prayer, every address to foreign dignitaries, every moment in the man's day. I think people share with me their thoughts and comments about the pope because they know it makes me happy to talk about him. They also know that whatever they say, I'll probably have "some input".

Were Jesus & Mary Free in the Face of Temptation?

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

Jesus Returning in the Spirit,  John Lee Vince

Eden raised in the waste Wilderness.–Milton

The gospel from last Sunday’s mass in the Roman Rite was Matthew’s account of the temptation of Christ. Its themes are very topical as we enter into Lent and reflect on how we respond to temptation in our own lives. Further, the fact that Jesus was tempted is a key point of his incarnation. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, for example, sees this as central to the efficacy of Jesus’s mission: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

There is, however, probably a nagging thought in the back of many of our minds as we listen to this gospel: was Jesus really tempted in the same way that we were? After all, he was the Son of God. Wasn’t it somehow easier for him? I have heard similar objections to the doctrine of Mary’s immaculate conception. If Mary was born without original sin, doesn’t that make her assent to Gabriel’s message less powerful? Was she really free to say “yes” if she hadn’t ever experienced saying “no” to God?

Winning the Lottery

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

When they hear I have a vow of poverty, people often ask, “what if you won the lottery?” Children especially find this to be an important question. Sure, it's okay to have a vow of poverty … but if you won the lottery, would they take your money away? That doesn't seem fair.

Well, there are two answers to this question: a technical answer and a heartfelt answer.

Firstly, the technical answer. A member of a religious order with a vow of poverty won't be gambling. And if I bought a lottery ticket it would be with the community's money anyway. So really, if the ticket were a winner, the money would belong to the community. Ditto for gifts: whatever is given to me is not for my use alone but a donation to the whole religious order of which I am a member.

How Much Does it Cost?

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

June has been quite an interesting month for China. In addition to the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre on June 4th, there was also the death of the Chinese dissident, Li Wangyang, which the local government officials hastily labelled a “suicide”. The case of Li, however, leaves behind so many suspicious traces that media outlets in Hong Kong have cheekily reported that Li did not commit suicide, but rather, he was “suicided”. Although China's economical boom in recent years have allowed her to flex her muscles on the international scene and to have a similar calling power as the United States, social critics are now asking the question: at what cost is this economic prosperity is taking place, especially highlighted by the case of Li.