The Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice is an annual social justice event that brings together members of the Ignatian family so that they may learn, network, and advocate together. This year was the first time in its eighteen year history that the event sold out, having over 1700 students and educators come from across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and El Salvador to participate. I was fortunate enough to be one such person, as I participated on behalf of both my program, Jesuit Volunteers Canada, and one of my placements, Canadian Jesuits International.
As someone who is new to the Ignatian family, participating in the teach-in provided me with the opportunity to further explore what it means to live according to the Ignatian tradition. Each year, the teach-in has a theme that helps us understand an aspect of Ignatian life. This year the theme was bridges. That is, how can we build the bridges of relationship with those who we are often unable to reach due to the canyons caused by oppression or social norms.
These canyons for us in Canada are often between us and our Indigenous brothers and sisters. More recently, we have experienced the canyons between us and those who have come to our country to escape the terrors of DAESH in Syria. The teach-in offered me a chance to consciously see the importance identifying the canyons and building bridges over them.
Part of participating in the teach-in was attending breakout sessions. They were offered by some of my fellow participants and their subjects spanned from the impact of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States to life at L’Arche and everything in between. One of the breakout sessions that I attended was about the life of Pedro Arrupe. Since coming to JVC, Arrupe has been a figure that I have been quite interested in, so when I saw there was a breakout session offered by an expert on him, I felt that I had to attend. It was during this breakout session that I learned more about Arrupe’s life and about the bridges that he built.
Pedro Arrupe was a Jesuit priest who eventually became the Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Throughout his life, he witnessed poverty, racism, and war. He was even present in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped. When he was elected Superior General in 1965, his experiences drove him to refocus the Jesuits. He centered their work on social justice, calling everyone to be men and women for others, to go where the need is the greatest and to both accompany and stand in solidarity with those who are different from us. In his stirring “Men [and Women] for Others” address that he made as the Superior General of the Jesuits in Spain in 1973, Arrupe asserted that we must be “men and women [who are] completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce.”[1] These words strike me. Let us unpack them a little.
According to Arrupe, our love of God is intimately connected to the justice for others. What exactly does this mean? I have done some thinking about the answer to this question. I think what Arrupe means is that our relationship with the divine is intimately connected to our relationship with others. Furthermore, justice is ultimately about relationships.
The relationships that we form serve a bridges that eliminate isolation. They unite us. These relationships make us care about the other person just as we would care for a dear friend or even ourselves. Because we care, we are affected by the injustices that others suffer. Because we are affected, we strive for justice for others. It is our relationships with others that make us act for others.
Coming back from the teach-in and reflecting on my time here in Toronto, I have realized that as a Jesuit Volunteer, I have already begun to build bridges. My Jesuit Volunteer experience is unique because I have two placements. While they are quite different from each other, they both achieve justice through relationships.
First, at Canadian Jesuits International, we strive for justice for the other by having a close relationship with our partners overseas. Unlike many other non-profit organizations, our relationship with our partners is one where we ask what our partners need instead of imposing our Western knowledge on them. We actually listen to what they need. From there, we raise awareness and funds as a way to empower them to achieve their goals. It is through our relationships that we learn how to help those who are so far away geographically from us in the best way possible.
Second, at Seeds of Hope, we bring justice here at home through relationships by helping build a community that anyone and everyone can join. As a result, Seeds of Hope often caters to those who are often placed at the margins of society because of mental illness, sexual orientation, race, addiction, financial status, etc. We seek to build community by having programs, serving meals, and offering services. The most important aspect of this is that there is no distinction between those doing the serving and those who are served. We are all for each other and we accompany each other.
For instance, we do not just offer meals, we share meals. Sharing meals allows me to build relationships with those who come in the door for a meal. It allows me to sit and talk or sometimes even more importantly sit and listen. Sometimes, the people who come through the door just need to be heard. They need someone to acknowledge that they too are human, not just some thing that society shuns because it makes them feel uncomfortable.
I am no different. Sometimes, when I come through the door, I too need to be heard by someone. I too want to be seen as a human being. Seeds of Hope is a place that allows us to be there for each other whenever we need it.
All too often, we as human beings can become isolated on our own little island, especially those who are at the margins of society. During those times, what we truly need is someone to extend a bridge in our direction. Someone to recognize that we exist. My experience at the teach-in has helped me to realize the importance of relationships in everything we do. A healthy relationship, where both sides are heard and given dignity, is the difference between justice and injustice. I think that is what it means to be a person for others. That is what it means to be a Jesuit Volunteer.
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[1] Pedro Arrupe, S.J., “Men for Others: Education for social justice and social action today,” address to the Tenth International Congress of Jesuit Alumni of Europe in Valencia, Spain on 31 July 1973 (accessed 23 November 2015) http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/men-for-others.html [1]