26 Feb

Who or what in my life is closest to me, so close that I cannot imagine ever being free of that person, trait, possession, position or experience? That question is at play in the first reading from Genesis on this Second Sunday of Lent, the account of Abraham and Isaac in the land of Moriah. Isaac was the only son of Abraham, born to his wife Sarah in her old age. God is asking Abraham to give up his son, his only son. Abraham is ready to say yes to God, not because Isaac is unimportant to him, but because his commitment to God is so great. If God is offering a test, Abraham has passed it and received his son back. Abraham had experienced existential and spiritual freedom....

24 Feb

When asking some fellow Jesuits about Fr. Michael Lapierre, one replied that he is a quiet man with a subtle smile; another said that he is an old-fashioned, not glamorous, hard-working man. An image that comes to mind is that of the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master finds awake and at work upon his arrival (Luke 12:42-43)....

23 Feb

From time to time, over the next few months, as part of the "Our Culture" section, igNation will post poetry written by Jesuits. Poems from Gerard Manley Hopkins and St. Robert Southwell will appear as well as poems by contemporary Jesuits. Today's poem is by John D. O'Brien, SJ, a Jesuit scholastic who is an instructor at Corpus Christi College in Vancouver....

22 Feb

We all have - in some way or another - a love/hate relationship with TV. In this article, originally posted on The Jesuit post (thejesuitpost.org) on February 16, 2015, Jesuit scholastic, Bryan Strassburger, presents some of the pros and cons for loving/hating some popular Tv show....

20 Feb

Taking out insurance on property, on travel, on health, and on one's life is recommended as prudent and a wise safeguard. In remuneration for an accident or fire or whatever is unforeseen one is reimbursed for a certain amount depending on the amount requested. If we apply the same kind of prudent action to what we can call "Etrnal Life" insurance, the premiums are miniscule compared to the forthcoming compensation . We can say and rightly so that the compensation is "out of this world." Of course we are referring to eternal happiness with God in the life that He wants to give us at the time of one's death in this world....

19 Feb

The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beats; and the Angels waited on him. This experience of Jesus, related on this opening Sunday of Lent, has often intrigued me. Yes, he was the Son of God. However, he was also a human being....

17 Feb

I've been looking back over my past posts for igNation and have realized that this is the third consecutive Ash Wednesday I've written about. I was tempted to ask the blogmeister if he could find someone else to write for this year's start of Lent. Then I thought that I shouldn't give up so easily. Perhaps, unbeknownst to him, he is being used by God to get me to dig deeper into what I am being offered by my honest entry into this season....

16 Feb

For Shrove Tuesday 2015, Greg Kennedy, SJ, offers us this poem on the day before the start of Lent....

15 Feb

I have been hearing for a couple years now that Martin Scorsese was getting ready to direct a film version of Shusaku Endo's Silence. And according to my sources at the Huffington Post, it will begin shooting at the end of the year. Liam Neeson will reprise his role as a Jesuit and Andrew Garfield will shed his spidey costume for a black robe. What if we capitalize on the Jesuit charm that seems to be sweeping the globe (Thanks, Pope Francis!) and delve into more movies about Jesuits. Luckily you have me, avid moviegoer and lover of creating what if" scenarios."...

14 Feb

The Supreme Court of Canada's recent ruling on physician-assisted suicide was a disappointing but predictable one. The wide-spread support the ruling has received across the country reflects a widening values chasm between the dominant post-Christian humanist culture and the world-view of Catholics and many other adherents to more traditional religions. The critical difference centers around what it means to be a person....

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