All Posts - Page 264 of 312

16 Sep

For Good – Change in El Salvador

St. Paul's High school takes an annual service trip to El Salvador to experience a new culture and to help those in need. Over this past summer I was lucky enough to go on this service trip to El Salvador. This country has gone through horrific times, such as war, brutal killings and many more unjust acts, including the wrongful treatment of the citizens. But behind all this hardship is a beautiful country that reminds one of paradise, that you seem to forget about its flaw's and look at the positive and what the people are trying to change their circumstances....

15 Sep

a calling

Tuesdays are poetry day at igNation. Today's poem - "a calling" is by Monty Williams, SJ...

14 Sep

Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Autobiography – What Being A Jesuit Means to me . . . Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ

In May 2014, igNation launched a series exploring the Jesuit identity as it is expressed in works of fiction: "Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Fiction". This was followed by the series "Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Biography". In these two series we hear what others think about what it means to be a Jesuit – in fiction and in biography. This new series – "Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Autobiography" – will explore what it means to be a Jesuit today – as told in their own words by Canadian Jesuits. The articles – written for igNation –are as different in expression and format as the men who wrote them. Today's posting is by Frank Obrigewitsch, SJ...

10 Sep

The in-between Place

I stand on the dock in San Lorenzo, a port town in the north coast of Ecuador, overlooking the intricate network of channels through which the river makes its way into green forest. I am close to the border with Colombia. It is here, in this in-between place, that small boats arrive carrying refugees from Colombia, who are escaping the violence that despite the much touted peace negotiations shows no signs of abating. Over 5 million people have been internally displaced by violence in Colombia, while over 1,000 refugees a month continue to arrive in Ecuador seeking asylum. It is a war fuelled by power and greed, rooted in inequality and injustice....

09 Sep

Do Monkeys Go To Heaven? – A Book Review

The path through which many people find a sense of the divine is through nature. Fr. John McCarthy, a Canadian Jesuit, offers a series of reflections on the way he has come to an intimate knowledge of the divine in Do Monkeys Go To Heaven? (just published by Novalis). Full disclosure: McCarthy and I are both natives of St. John's, Newfoundland, and live in the same Jesuit community. Of course I'm going to recommend the book!...

08 Sep

the silence of the day

Tuesday is poetry day at igNation. Today's poem - "the silence of the day" - is by Monty Williams, SJ...

02 Sep

But What About The Crumbs?

I was a good eater as a kid but when it came time for first communion I had major trouble with the wafer host most commonly used in our parishes. It felt so strange on my tongue, so dry and unappetizing, that I had trouble swallowing. As the date of the celebration approached and I seemed to be getting nowhere, my mom had the smarts to ask Sister for a few extra 'practice hosts' so that we could rehearse at home. Luckily, by the time that the celebration came around I made it through without embarrassing myself....

01 Sep

Life is Sacred

This week's poem is by Viola Athaide, a student in the Windows of Theology program at Regis College, Toronto. She currently teaches Scripture at her local parish church....

31 Aug

Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Autobiography – What Being a Jesuit Means to Me … Greg Kennedy, SJ

28 Aug

Islam, Christianity and Just War Theory

In the Catholic tradition just war theory was first articulated by St. Augustine. He set out criteria to justify going to war, and criteria for conducting war itself. The right to wage war assumed firstly that war was a last resort. All other means to resolve conflicts should have been exhausted. This is the most overlooked aspect of the "jus ad bellum" aspect of Just war theory, and is also a substantial point of difference with Islamic teaching on war....