Community is coloured by the richness and diversity of the personalities of its members. The fabric of a community has been dyed and tinted by the many unique individuals who grace its life with their presence. Once I lived in a community that had a high turnover of some off-the-wall characters. One of them was a man by the name of James....
We know that the answer to that question is "Jesus did nothing wrong?" But not everyone would agree. Those who don't accept Jesus have their own criticism of Jesus to justify to themselves why they are not His followers. But in the world today, the number of members of the Catholic Chuch cited in the public press at the time when Pope Francis was elected was one billion two hundred million (1,200,000,000). If the other Christians who accept Christ are added to that figure, then we have a fantastic number of followers of Jesus. As the saying goes, "He must have done something right to have succeeded so admirably."...
For more than 400 years, Jesuits working in Canada have written about their daily life and mission. Originally, their letters were published as The Jesuit Relations (Relations des jésuites). This blog, igNation, continues that tradition with a new series entitled: Getting to Know the Relations.Using excerpts chosen from the first 200 hundred years of these documents, the series presents vignettes which speak to the timeless heart of Jesuit endeavour: the promotion of discernment in order to help people find God in all things.Today: Reducing wait times in a busy clinic...
We are just nine months from Christmas! Yes, today the Church celebrates the Annunciation, the announcement of our salvation. We hear the Gospel story of the Angel Gabriel appearing to a perplexed Mary and asking her to bear a son, to be named Jesus. This fulfils the earlier prophecy of Isaiah: "The young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, for God is with us."...
On today's poetry Tuesday, Monty Williams, SJ, writes in anticipation of the Feast of the Annunciation which is celebrated tomorrow....
Which religion is the most persecuted around the world? According to the International Society for Human Rights, up to 80% of acts of persecution are directed at people of the Christian faith, even though just a third of the world's population is Christian. The Holy See reports that over 100,000 Christians are violently killed annually because of some relation to their faith. The World Evangelical Alliance estimates that over 200 million Christians are denied fundamental human rights, solely because of their faith....
On March 19, we take a pause from Lent to have a solemn celebration of Saint Joseph. The liturgy today includes the Glory to God, an additional reading, and the Profession of Faith. The presider wears white vestments. We are celebrating Joseph's faithfulness to his responsibilities as husband to Mary and foster father of Jesus. It's always good for us to hear stories of someone who is faithful....
When it first came time for me to decide what religion course I would take in grade 12, the Spiritual Exercises" course was at the bottom of my list. As a non-Catholic who had many questions about my own faith and spirituality, the idea of praying every night seemed tedious and irrelevant to me. Despite my initial hesitation, after hearing about fellow students' and teachers' positive experiences with the Exercises, the option became a serious consideration for me."...
Greg Kennedy, SJ, writes this poem about a scene that could well unfold on the streets of any major city in the world....
Fr. Jack Murray, SJ, kind, attentive but firm, good natured with a charming sense of humour, became a great favorite with the students, teachers and parents of the school and parishes where he worked. He was a singularly talented man - he produced over 100 plays in 26 years at St. Paul's - and a true Jesuit. As a former student said: "He was a good priest. There was no compromise to his priesthood." Today's posting is one recollection about a man whose simple piety and love of teaching and creating appealed to many....
