Philip Shano, SJ

Philip Shano, SJ has many years of rich and varied experience working with Ignatian spirituality: teaching, writing and using it in his ministry. He resides in the Jesuit community in Pickering, Ontario.

581 posts

04 Dec

Compassion or Justice – Advent 2 – 2014

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. We hear these words from the prophet Isaiah on the Second Sunday of Advent. These scripture verses offer a good summary of the Judeo-Christian call to be with those who are in need, to comfort and show compassion. This is probably best summed up by the well-known words from Matthew 25. "When was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?"...

27 Nov

Beholding – Advent 1 – 2014

The 19th century Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, has a line in Hurrahing in Harvest that resonates with me as we come to the beginning of Advent. Hopkins says: These things, these things were here and but the beholder wanting." Although it's an autumn poem, that sense of beholding is a good grace for us to pray for in these opening days of Advent."...

19 Nov

Loneliness or Solitude

Each month, the Pope asks people throughout the world to join him in praying for intentions of global importance. One deals with a universal need; the other with evangelization. The universal intention for November is for lonely people: "That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others." There is a general sense of loneliness in our culture. Although we have the tools to be more interconnected than ever before, we are often alone, and even lonely, in the midst of these opportunities. Many people experience a deep sense of loneliness, a painful longing for love and friendship that is absent from their lives. Mother Teresa described loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted as "the most terrible poverty."...

30 Oct

Halloween Memories

There are some Christians who question whether we should celebrate a day that has become so secularized. But the Church has been celebrating Halloween for centuries. The real meaning of Halloween is All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Eve. We are using humour and ridicule to confront the power of death....

12 Oct

Gratitude Takes Nothing For Granted

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving. As Philip Shane, SJ writes in today's post, "This Thanksgiving Day provides us with another reminder of God's countless gifts and unlimited goodness, reasons for a constant stance of gratitude."...

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!...

24 Aug

Keyword: Jesuit, Genre: Autobiography – What Being A Jesuit Means to Me . . . Philip Shano, 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 Philip Shano, SJ...

03 Aug

Discernment: Five Days in July

Many English Canadian Jesuits and our collaborators gathered at Manresa - Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Centre in Pickering, Ontario for five days at the end of July. There were about seventy of us from all over the country and from our various ministries We have been through discernment processes in the past, but this one comes at a crucial moment in our history....

30 Jul

The Gift of Ignatius to the World

uly 31, the Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, is a sacred day for Jesuits, our works, and our collaborators. Here in Canada, we have a celebration in the Toronto area on that day. As many Jesuits as possible come together for a family reunion of sorts. There are almost always Jesuits from other parts of the globe who happen to be in the area for commitments such as study or workshops. We start with Mass. One of the 50 year jubilarians preaches and all of the year's jubilarians are acknowledged. That is followed by a luncheon for Jesuits, families and friends of the jubilarians, and many of our collaborators....

06 Jul

A Canadian Camino

During a sabbatical several years ago, I walked the 800 km of the famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. When I completed my Camino experience, I lamented the fact that such spiritual pilgrimages weren't so easily found in Canada. Thus I was intrigued when I heard of the efforts by Martyrs' Shrine and local Trail groups to establish a Canadian Camino, the destination being Martyrs' Shrine. I thought, "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" For the Canadian Jesuits, there is no space that rivals Martyrs' Shrine and Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons as being a place of sacred history. As well, the history of this region in Ontario is a key part of the history of this country....