Contrition and the Call of the King

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

Rembrandt, The Return of the Prodigal Son (Hermitage, St Petersburg)

The fact that God loves man shows us that in the divine order of ideal things it is written that eternal love is to be given to what is eternally unworthy. … Love is a sacrament that should be taken kneeling. –Oscar Wilde

Two of Ibo et Non Redibo’s writers have written pieces about this year’s film Les Misérables, which I watched for a second time on vacation earlier this month. While I do not propose to contribute a third reflection on the film, its themes of Christian mercy and forgiveness led me to ponder anew the notion of contrition, especially the traditional distinction between “imperfect” and “perfect” contrition. I recall once having a conversation with someone about this topic who was of the opinion that dividing contrition into two such categories was unhelpful hair-splitting of the sort that leads to scrupulosity. I, on the other hand, think that the distinction is eminently practical and worth understanding.

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.

Back into the Fold

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

Photo: Edmund Lo, SJ

As I have mentioned in a previous article, prayerfully examining what brings us closer to or farther away from God through the examination of consciousness (or the Examen prayer) can reveal many things about our lives. While it makes lots of sense on a theoretical level, it makes even more sense when one practices it regularly. I can attest to that.

Like many others, I prefer to have some down time to relax a bit before going to bed. A few months ago, I noticed an emerging pattern as I was doing the Examen prayer one evening. I realized that my down time activities had made me feel numb, and I was not edified by them afterwards. These were rather harmless activities: just watching funny videos. They were entertaining, but why would I have feelings of numbness and emptiness afterwards?

The Buzz About "Game of Thrones"

By Artur Suski, S.J.

Credit: http://thedrawshop.com

I try my best to understand the contemporary culture in which society is immersed, in order to engage it and Christianize it. Knowing a little something about what people are watching and reading these days is a large part of this. Recently, I noticed that many have been watching the show Game of Thrones, or its book equivalents written by George Martin. I thought I’d give it a try to see what the fuss is all about. Preferring books over shows, I decided to read the book.

Huronia

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

Mosaic by Fr. Marko Rupnik, S.J., Canadian Martyrs Parish, Rome

You called, and we replied, and to our earthly comforts died,
To go and live with them.

You beckoned and we came, to live among the poor and lame.
In land of plenty, unrefined.

What I See

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

http://www.thegrapplingblueprint.com/

"So, just how much can you see?"

Having a visual handicap has lead me to many interesting insights about life, not the least of which is the discovery that there is a curious gap in our language. Our language is oddly limited in its ability to convey one's direct experience to others. How can I tell you what I am seeing?

The lack of words is a limitation but it is also an opportunity for me to learn to communicate my experience in new ways.

Of Human Bondage and Belief

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

(Photo: Jonathan Kim, Lejac, B.C.)

Man is not a reasoning animal; he is a seeing, feeling, contemplating, acting animal. He is influenced by what is direct and precise. – Bl. J. H. Newman

This summer I read W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage for the first time and found it thoroughly engrossing. It is a magnificent Bildungsroman chronicling the life of its protagonist, Philip Carey, from his early childhood through to his early thirties. At the same time, though probably not by design, the novel provides a good portrait of the early twentieth century, having particularly vivid depictions of Bohemian Paris and lower- and middle-class London during that period.

As a young man living abroad, Philip loses his Christian faith, never to regain it. It is an abrupt experience for him, coming in the middle of a conversation with a freethinking, American theology student.

Philip paused for a while, then he said: “I don’t see why one should believe in God at all.” The words were no sooner out of his mouth than he realised that he had ceased to do so. It took his breath away like a plunge into cold water … It was the most startling experience he had ever had.