Let's pray for the Society of Jesus!
We should all be praying, of course, for the Society of Jesus as, beginning today, 225 of their leaders meet in Rome this month to conduct just the 35th general congregation in their nearly 470-year history.I've heard that California provincial Fr. John McGarry, S.J., and two other Jesuits whose names I don't have are the California province's delegates. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Let's pray for them in particular.
Today's (Jan. 7) Zenit daily news bulletin reports that Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, spoke to the delegates at the opening Mass of their meeting.
Cardinal Rode, says Zenit, told the delegates:
"It is with sorrow and anxiety that I see that the 'sentire cum ecclesia' [thinking with the Church] of which your founder [St. Ignatius Loyola, pictured above in a very accurate likeness] frequently spoke is diminishing even in some members of religious families. The Church is waiting for a light from you to restore the 'sensus Ecclesiae' [sense of the Church]."
Cardinal Rode also urged the Jesuits to love the Church, obey "the Roman Pontiff" and fulfill the "urgent need" to "present to the faithful and to the world the authentic truth revealed in Scripture and Tradition."
The Cardinal issued this warning: "The doctrinal diversity of those who at all levels, by vocation and mission are called to announce the kingdom of truth and love, disorients the faithful and leads to a relativism without limits."
It is no secret that, as the Cardinal's words might suggest, problems exist in certain Jesuit universities, seminaries, projects and some, but not all, parishes and schools. May this meeting reinforce the definite good that does exist and may it also prompt true reform everywhere and every way it is needed.
We need to pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to, as the prayer goes, "fill the hearts" of the Jesuits who are meeting in Rome, "enkindle in them the fire of His love" and make them "truly wise" so they, and we, may "ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord." Amen!
posted by Quintero at 8:23 PM
6 Comments:
Let's pray for them, as well as the schools being ran by them (at least here in the US)
Wow! Good for Cardinal Rode. It's something the Jesuits need to hear and reflect upon. I pray that their General Congregation is successful in re-invigorating their oath of allegiance to the Pope.
I spent 8 years with the Jesuits in high school and college (in the 80's) and it's sad to see how much further away since then. Of course, it was fairly awful then with JPII having to temporarily "take-over" in, iirc, 1982.
A reinvigorated Jesuit order would do wonders, particularly for the Church in the US as the Jesuits control so much of what is Catholic higher education.
Paul in Long Beach
I humbly nominate for Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Joseph D. Fessio, S.J.
Dear Joe of St. Therese,
Good point, that our prayer intentions should include the Jesuits' schools and students.
Dear Paul in Long Beach,
Sounds as if your eight years with the Jesuits in high school and college helped you, and that's great to hear.
Yes, let's pray for reinvigoration of the Society of Jesus!
Dear Bochvi,
What a great idea, Fr. Fessio for superior general of the Society of Jesus. It's fun to speculate on what he would do.
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