Moved to Love: World Youth Day and the Heart of a “Pilgrim”

By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.

Credit: http://www.archbom.org

Today is the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. As a son of Loyola, I am very grateful for Ignatian spirituality. As I have learnt to find God in all things, I have become more adept to recognize and understand the movements of my heart. Through the prayerful experience of the examination of consciousness, I discover on a daily basis how my heart is affected, engaged and transformed.

The World Youth Day (WYD) in Rio de Janeiro from last week gave me a lot of materials for reflection. As I followed it online and on television, I found myself profoundly affected – I had a deep sense of consolation. I grew in faith, hope and love. I experienced joy, compassion, freedom and understanding. I grew in appreciation and gratitude for the Church, the poor and for the gift of discipleship. In my prayer, both St. Ignatius and Jesus continually invite me to treasure and share my consolations. Therefore, I want to take a moment to highlight some of the graces I received while following WYD, and uniting myself in prayers with the pilgrims and millions of people around the world who were following this event.

The Gift of the Giver

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

(Photo: Edmund Lo, Jesuit Belieber)

For those of you who are familiar with the tradition of Camp Ekon, the purpose for its existence is not for the general merriment of young campers during the summer, but rather the development of leadership skills in our camp counsellors and staff. This is to say that the care for campers should be seen as a critical part of such a development. Therefore, the rapport that one establishes with campers goes a long way.

We recently finished our two-week Girls Session at Ekon, which means that all of our campers were female. In other words, activities and themes tended to be more girl-friendly. We invested in a button-making machine in our arts-and-crafts division, which turned out to be a huge success. The girls loved it, and made many buttons for themselves and their loved ones. I remembered chatting with one of the campers last week about her buttons; she was known to be quite the fan of the teen sensation that is Justin Bieber, and she wanted to give me one of her (many) Bieber buttons. I thought to myself: “How about, baby, baby, baby no!” Me, a Jesuit who teaches in a university, wearing a Bieber button? The level of embarrassment would be off the charts.

Fast Food Nation

By Artur Suski, S.J. 

Credit: http://wp.lehman.edu/

Some of you know all too well that one of my interests is nutrition. My academic background is molecular biology, and I have put this knowledge to good use as I recently have been doing more reading on the topic of nutrition. Why the interest? Simply put, God has given us a body and we are to be faithful stewards of this magnificent creation. Are we to abuse it or to take good care of it? I think the answer is clear. The same applies to nutrition; are we to abuse our bodies by giving it garbage or real food? One would not fill a Ferrari with sugar water, yet this is what we’re doing to our bodies today, especially with our Western diet– one that is dominated by processed foods; too many calories from animal products and hydrogenated vegetable oils; not nearly enough greens; and so forth.

God in the Vast Smallness

By John D. O’Brien, S.J.

2:30 a.m., July 5, 2013 - Rose Prince Pilgrimage, Lejac, B.C. (Photo: Sarah Ruggier)

Recently I returned from an extraordinary trip. With eight others from the college at which I work, I journeyed for two days to Fraser Lake, a town along the picturesque Yellowhead Highway, about 150 kilometres west of Prince George, the “capital” of northern British Columbia. It was more pilgrimage than student trip. We were about “service learning” to be sure, but that sounds too much like programming, and the experiences eclipsed anything curricular or planned. It was communal, personal, educational, spiritual, cultural and adventuresome all in one, and stretched our horizons in ways we are still digesting. I, for one, am still appropriating the sights, sounds, prayers and encounters that were constitutive of our way. Perhaps all pilgrimages are like that.

Five Simple Tips for a Silent Retreat

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

http://info.sdiworld.org

This is the sort of advice someone might give you – so pay attention.

A prayerful retreat in silence is a powerful experience. A whole day spent away from communication creates a peaceful quiet in which the retreatant can express her or his most subtle and unformed feelings to God and also be open to receiving God's loving replies. Remaining silent, whether for a day, a weekend, or even longer can be difficult for some. So try to follow these five helpful tips so that you can take maximum advantage of your time of retreat.

Shovelling for Science

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

The nobility of labour,—the long pedigree of toil. – Longfellow

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope, in the Andes of northern Chile. Photo: Adam Hincks

For the past two weeks I have been working at the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in the desertic Andes of northern Chile. The visit comes as part of my new post: a research position in astrophysics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). This is my original area of study, and I was asked by superior to spend the two years between my philosophy studies, which I finished in June, and my future theology studies (a period called “regency”) getting some more experience as a research scientist. I was fortunate to find this position at UBC. It allows me to live in our Jesuit community in Vancouver and to be involved in astrophysics research at a first-rate secular institution.

I came down to work on ACT here in Chile several times as a doctoral student from 2007–09, so the terrain is mostly familiar. We stay in the village of San Pedro de Atacama, which happens to be a very popular tourist destination due to the abundant natural beauty in the region and its proximity to both Bolivia and Argentina. The number of hotels, restaurants and tourists has increased notably since I was last here four years ago, but it has retained much of its rustic charm. The church in town where I attend mass is a simple adobe structure dating from 1641—the period back when Brébeuf and his brethren were active in Huronia.

Sir Paul McCartney and the Heart

By John D. O’Brien, S.J.

williamkstidham.com

What do Paul McCartney, St. Ignatius, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Joseph’s Oratory (Montreal) have in common? An excellent question, posed by a friend of certain multi-media expertise. Upon inquiring, I discovered a remarkable correlation: the former Beatle had composed an oratorio being performed at the great Canadian shrine, a work based upon an inscription he had read on a statue at St. Ignatius Church in New York.