A friend recently asked me to "sum up the Jesuit philosophy in one paragraph." That's hard to do, but here's what I came up with.
Jesuits are formed by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which are a 30 day retreat in which the person intimately experiences themselves as loved sinners, as companions of Christ in His ministry, as partakers in the suffering of Christ, and as bearers of His redeemed and resurrected life. During this formative retreat for each Jesuit (and for laypersons who undergo it either in the 30 day form or over the course of months in real-life) a person will grow in the Jesuit charisms of "finding God in all things" and "seeking to help souls" and "to do everything for the greater glory of God." Jesuits then go forth for the sake of "the service of faith and the promotion of justice" in the world.
For those of you know the Jesuits, feel free to add in anything I might have missed. Also, if any of you happen to have more questions about the Jesuits, please email me, and I'll try to answer them. Thanks!
Hah! I can do you one better! I can sum them up in just THREE words and THREE words only.
ReplyDeleteContemplatives in Action ;]
...Oh, and they're really smart, too.
.............DOH!!