A Little Battalion

Classic Jesuit Brilliance, Pt. 2

Over at the Ignatius Insight blog, they have a great excerpt from a book by Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J., one of the great Jesuit theologians ever.

The excerpt regards Origen and the understanding of Scripture according to Origen (about whom much has been said, more written and little with any accuracy) and the charge that Origen was a "mad allegorist."

Interesting stuff.

AMDG,

-J.

Lightning strikes twice.

Those wascally Jesuits at La Civiltà Cattolica are at it again.

They've just published a review of Enrico Maria Radaelli's Romano Amerio: On Truth and On Love. There is no little significance to this, especially once we've had an answer to the question of "Who IS Romano Amerio and why should I care?"

In a nutshell, Romano Amerio "was the most authoritative and erudite representative" of the Traditionalists in the Catholic Church's argument of direction after Vatican II. According to Sandro Magister, he was "blacklisted" and mentioning him was essentially "taboo" as "for decades the discussion of his thought was barred" from all official (or officially-sanctioned) publications. He was (unfairly, it seems) maligned as "preconciliar," "schismatic" and "Lefevbrist."

The fact this book was reviewed, and the review published -- with full Vatican approval -- seems to indicate something of a sea change over in Rome.

Read the article (a translation of the review immediately follows the article, as well as some interesting links) here.

AMDG,

-J.

Jesuitness is popping out all over!

From Shawn Tribe over at The New Liturgical Movement comes an interesting review of a book written by Fr. Peter Milward, S.J. titled Shakespeare the Papist about the theory William Shakespeare may have secretly been Catholic. This book could be considered and expansion on (and/or sequel to) his The Catholicism of Shakespeare's Plays.

Writes Shawn:

I would propose that any Catholic interested in literature would be extremely intrigued by this particular volume, and it would be an interesting exercise, the next time you are set to see one of Shakespeare's plays, to read the particular summary of Milward for that play. One might just see the play in a new and possible light.

Besides Shawn's excellent review, I also liked this little snippet over at the Ignatius Press site:

Shakespeare wrote at a time when the Catholic faith was supressed in the British Isles. Yet, was Shakespeare a believing Catholic? In Fr. Milward's definitive study of this topic, he offers a resounding, Yes.

"Since Milward is the premier and pioneering scholar of Shakespeare's Catholic background, Shakespeare the Papist is the definitive work we have been waiting for."

Dennis Taylor, Boston College

AMDG,

-J.

Giacomo Gardin, SJ

The January 29th issue of America Magazine has a nice "Of Many Things" column, written by George M. Anderson,SJ, about Giacomo Gardin, SJ, an Italian Jesuit missionary who spent a decade in labor camps in Albania, beginning on the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (June 21) in 1945.

I don't know whether or not the article is available online for non-subscribers, but if it is, it is here. 

If you are one of those people who, somewhere along the way, canceled your subscription to America Magazine in a fit of pique, I'd like to say (having been one of those people myself) that I ended up renewing my subscription a couple of years ago, exactly so I wouldn't miss gems like this. 

Here's the paragraph that, for my money, is worth the price of this week's issue: 

His last forced labor assignment took him to a brick factory where the divine Providence in which he had placed his trust took an ironically benevolent turn. The factory work involved working in high temperatures, in “air saturated with dust and ashes that penetrated everywhere,” leaving the workers’ bodies dripping with sweat and “our hands stripped of flesh” from touching the red-hot bricks. And yet the intense heat from the furnaces actually helped cure him of the rheumatism that had afflicted him since his time in the marshes, causing pain so severe that he was often unable to stand up straight. “How,” he humbly asks of this unexpected healing, “could I not consider this a fatherly intervention of Providence?” Finally, on his 50th birthday, Gardin was released and repatriated to Italy.

In my continuing defense of America Magazine, google Gardin's name and see what comes up.  Precious little.  Gardin's "Banishing God in Albania," was published by Ignatius Press but it is currently out of print.  You can order a used copy on Amazon at this link.  (You can probably find a new copy if you keep checking, but I think I just bought the last one for now.)

Add to your required Jesuit reading list...

Blaise Arminjon, S.J. wrote a beautiful (and exhaustive) analysis of the Song of Songs, probably one of the, er, less clearly understood books in all Holy Writ. No less a luminary than Henri Cardinal de Lubac, S.J. praised it in glowing terms.

You can get a feel for his writing on this matter here.

AMDG,

-J.

Looking forward to the past.

Today I got a new and unsolicited catalog of Catholic books. Which isn't anything new. I get new and unsolicited catalogs of Catholic books with soothing regularity. Which is to be expected when you pony up a five-spot to the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage in Calumet City, IL...you wind up on eleventy gazillion mailing lists.

Anyway, something unusual struck me about this company's catalog. It had tons of several books by Jesuits. Books, incidentally, of a deeply spiritual nature; tackling hardcore spiritual issues instead of more current issues of our time.

Try these on for size:

Christ in the Home by Father Raoul Plus, S.J.

Chastity by Father Gerald Kelly, S.J.

History of Europe by Father W. Eugene Shiels, S.J.

The Art of a Happy Marriage by Father John L. Thomas, S.J.

The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism by Father Herbert Thurston, S.J.

The School of Love by Most Rev Alban Goodier, S.J.

The Meaning of Life by Most Rev Alban Goodier, S.J., which is particularly interesting given the, er, current situation of the Society of Jesus. Check this out:

The antidote to worldliness, explained by a holy Jesuit archbishop. Archbishop Alban Goodier completed The Meaning of Life in 1914, targeting one of the chief temptations of his time (and worse now): worldliness. He knew how easy it was to become attached to the goods of this world, and to profess one set of values while pursuing another.

Read the rest here.

Loyola and the Educational System of the Jesuits by Rev. Thomas Hughes, S.J., the description of which has this gleaming, glittering jewel:

The Church schools, not to mention Catholic universities, in St. Ignatius’ day were in uneven shape. Discipline and morals had collapsed. The classical curriculum had been abandoned.

Confronted with the chaos, St. Ignatius began a campaign to revitalize education. He summed up his approach in two principles:

1. Defend traditional learning and morals

2. Use ancient wisdom to address the great questions of the times

Read the rest here:

OK, that should tide you over for a while.

AMDG,

-J.

No monopoly on brilliance

Just to prove that Fr. Schall's not the only Jesuit "under whose thinking cap groweth no moss," Fr. CM Buckley, SJ has just written a terrific new book: When Jesuits Were Giants. For an interview w. Fr. Buckley click:

http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2006/frcbuckley_jesuits_july06.asp

AMDG,

-J.

Julie D. is "Surprised by Jesuits"

A beautiful reflection, based on Jim Martin's My Life With the Saints, on Happy Catholic. 
Here's an excerpt:

Where the personal aspect in this book came in, however, was when Martin began writing about Ignatius of Loyola and explaining the precepts of Jesuit prayer and theology.     In an Ignatian contemplation we attempt to place ourselves in a particular scene, often from the Gospels. In the story of the Nativity, for example, Ignatius asks us to imagine ourselves with Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem: "to see with the sight of the imagination the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem, considering the length and breadth, and whether the road is level or through valleys and hills; likewise looking at the place or the cave of the Nativity, how large, how small, how low, how high, and how it was prepared." I don't know how to express what a sense of homecoming and joy I felt at reading this. It was how I had prayed from the beginning, imagining how the dew on the grass felt when Mary arose from traveling overnight on the caravan to Elizabeth's, how the sunshine would have hit both of them warmly as they embraced at the Visitation. This was right. This was me. It was cemented by Martin's telling of how he had been unable to get into using his imagination in this way.    

"Isn't it all just in my head?" I asked. "Won't I just make the people in my fantasy do what I want them to do?"    
"Not necessarily," he said.     I sat there, confused.    
"Let me ask you something," David said. "Do you believe that God gave you your imagination?"    
"Sure," I said.    
"Don't you think that God could use your imaginations to draw you closer to him in prayer?"

Yes! And Amen! Though in the back of my mind I was finding it tremendously ironic that the order whose spirituality seemed to speak to me most was one that I distrusted. But that is in line with my experience also. Not only do I know much less that I usually think but God often is making a joke out of it at the same time. Which came home again just a couple of pages later.    

Theologians often describe Ignatian spirituality as "incarnational." In other words, while it recognizes the transcendence of God, it is also grounded in the real-life experiences of people living out their daily lives.     It is a spirituality that reminds us that God speaks to us through prayer -- but also through our emotions, our minds, and our bodies. God can communicate through sexual intimacy, romantic love, and friendship. God can be found in Scripture and in the sacraments. God can show his love through your sister, your coworker, your spouse, your next-door neighbor, a teacher, a priest, a stranger, or a homeless person. Finding God in all things. And all people.

And through prompting a loving friend to give a book that leads someone back to the path she has wandered far from when she has lost her way. Just the way I experienced this morning and have recognized since God began calling me to him. Gosh darn it ... I think I have a Jesuit soul. For all the reasons I mentioned above, that ain't easy to admit, y'all!

For the first time in I don't know how long I was actually excited about prayer.

Go ahead, read the whole thing!

Famous Alumni, Part 1

This is a bit on the lighter side, BUT, since this is a birthday (OK, technically, an anniversary of birth) I thought I'd let you guys know about a famous product of Jesuit education. Today, in 1859, Sir--well, he wasn't knighted until later--Arthur IGNATIUS Conan Doyle was born. He was educated and deeply influenced by the Jesuits (aren't we all?) at Stonyhurst.

A good quickie bio can be found here: http://www.slainte.org.uk/scotauth/doyledsw.htm

AMDG,

-J.

P.S. Yes, OK, later he got all weird with the Spiritualism thing, but we gloss over that bit.

More Jesuit Non-Fiction

I am adding more books to the Jesuit Non-Fiction sidebar.  Mark suggested three of his favorites:  The Jesuit Mystique; The Fifth Week; With God in Russia.  (That first one if one of my favorites, too.  I don't know how I left it off the list the first time.  Aside from being a good book, it has a great cover.)

Steve Bogner suggested:  "Ignatian Humanism" by Ronald Madras.  It sounds like a book I'd love to read.  Here is Steve's description:  "This one isn't written by a Jesuit, but it all about Jesuit history, spirituality, and such: Ignatian Humansim, by Ronald Modras (ISBN: 0829419861). There are chapters on various Jesuits through time, explaining who they are and what they did, and I found it very educational."  But then I tried to find it online, and had no luck.  If anyone knows how one might buy this book, please send me an e-mail.

Steve also suggested Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works -- another of my favorites that somehow missed the first list.  Another cool cover, too.  (I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover; however, appreciating a good cover is different.) 

Steve's final suggestion was Inner Compass: An Invitation to Ignatian Spirituality by Margaret Silf.  (I can see now that the "Jesuit Non-Fiction" list is going to have to be divided into several categories, the first sub-category being "Ignatian Spirituality."  Coming soon to a blogroll near you.

I'm sure Joe will be weighing in with his suggestions any minute now.  And I might even be able to wrench a few out of Sr. Anne.