192 posts
For the past three years I have lived in Liberia, a small country in West Africa, with the only other Jesuit in the Republic. Let us call my Jesuit confrere George (not his real name). Over the past year and a half George and I have lived through the Ebola emergency. This was a challenging time, one that drove me both to pray more and to wash my hands frequently in chlorine solution.Now George and I face a new situation....
We all want something, many things. And from others. To want of another is to commit an act: it is to make a claim on them. In that wanting – of knowledge, of help – we make claims on one another, all the time, and on many levels. Please, we say. Couldn't you? Aren't there some words you might give to console and clarify? This article, originally published in The Jesuit Post, searches for ways to respond to these needs....
We all can think of some overwhelming occurrence in our lives appearing like a wall too daunting to climb: the death of a parent, diagnosis of a disease, facing an addiction, loss of a job, the realization that your first child makes you a parent, admitting you feel alone. Somewhere hesitation sets in. Perhaps even apprehension. Can I do this? Am I the right person to accomplish this? All questions we can relate to as Damian Torres-Botell, SJ, explains in this article originally posted on The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org)...
In this article, originally posted in The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org), Brendan Busse, SJ , writes of the refugee crisis and what the Church is doing and – more particularly - what you can do about it....
Tomorrow is the feast of the Canadian Martyrs. Among the many who will gather to celebrate the feast day at the Shrine of the Martyrs in Midland, Ontario will be Adam Pittman - a Jesuit Novice. Adam tells us what this day and these men have come to mean to him....
When I stop laughing I have to start thinking about leaving. This was my refrain when I first entered the Jesuits. Laughter was a sign of joy, of contentment. If I was laughing -- with my brothers, with the people at my ministry sites, with my superiors -- then I knew something was 'right' about this new life I was testing out. Laughter had become a barometer of sorts, a way to take note of how I was doing -- my moods, my inner movements -- and it proved a helpful one. This article was first published in The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org)...
It used to be only God knew you were pregnant before you did; it turns out, now Target does too. Using software to track a woman's purchases and buying habits, Target can guess whether she is pregnant, and (scarier still) estimate her due date. Google can predict when and where the winter flu will hit -- down to the state and local level -- all based on web searches about health. Amazon recommends books you will like, while Walmart records the purchases you make -- along with one million other purchases tracked every hour.This article originally appeared in The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org) on March 9, 2015....
Gratitude in the face of suffering is not something we hear much about. Juan Ruiz, SJ writes about one visit he made as a hospital chaplain this summer. The article was originally published in The Jesuit Post....
What do you do when you visit an art gallery? A silly question? Maybe not. Matt White, SJ writes: "While I was in D.C., I came across a New York Times article about the experience of being in an art museum. The author, Holland Cotter, examines the experience of seeing art in person. He describes this experience as a sort of relationship, like a dance. While the internet has made access to art instantaneous, which is good, Cotter fears that if the internet becomes our sole medium of experiencing art, we will miss out on so much of what art offers. Art is something that is best experienced slowly and in person."The article is reprinted with permission from The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org), April 22, 2015,...
Pope Francis's latest encyclical, Laudato Si, dives into our present ecological crisis and gives us theological teaching. It provides rigorous sociological analysis, calls for dialogue, and suggests action steps. But most importantly, Laudato Si invites us into prayer. As a priest who studies the ecology of parasites, I found myself drawn to the following three themes. John Shea, SJ originally published this article in The Jesuit Post (thejesuitpost.org)...
