by Paul on October 13, 2009
Any poetry-quoting Jesuit worth his salt knows his Mary Oliver, Hopkins, Donne and Eliot off by heart. But if he doesn’t also have a serious thing going with Denise Levertov then he doesn’t have his act together yet. It struck me that I have never shared any Levertov with you. Here are a few verses from Contraband:
God lives
on the other side of that mirror,
but through the slit where the barrier doesn’t
quite touch ground, manages still
to squeeze in – as filtered light,
splinters of fire, a strain of music heard
then lost, then heard again.
Read the entire poem here.
by Paul on September 15, 2009
A wise old friend recently recounted how he got talking with someone who, after considerable conversation, realized that my pal was a Jesuit. The man turned to him and said, “Tell me, do you really believe in God?” My friend began his response by stating, “Well, I certainly don’t believe in the God you think I believe in!”
Isn’t it true that the God who is often assigned to us by others bears little relation to the loving and compassionate God who is our friend and who walks beside us all the way?
by Paul on August 31, 2009
Regular readers know how much I love Mary Oliver’s poetry. [Sometimes I think she is the unofficial Jesuit Poet Laureate because I keep meeting other Jesuits who rave about her.] Today, I want to share with you a few lines from her Morning Poem.
each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,
whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.
If you want to read the entire poem, click here
As a young Jesuit in Ireland, I frequently had dinner at our community in Leeson St., Dublin. If you asked me what painting hung above the mantelpiece in the dining room I would have told you that it was a religious picture of some kind. Some years after I left Ireland, the picture in the dining room was discovered to be Caravaggio’s The Taking of Christ. It now hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland and has been valued in excess of $70 million.
It was always a Caravaggio, always a masterpiece. I just didn’t have the eyes to see it for what it was. I am convinced that each and every day God shows me equally priceless treasures in encounters and experiences. I just don’t have the eyes to see them for what they are. Lord, rip away the blindness from my eyes.
What “treasures” do you think you often overlook?
Road Warrior, Tom McGrath, is back from making presentations in Pennsylvania and has responded to Michelle and me on the Examen.
Paul,
I’ve enjoyed the lively conversersation on the Examen (Examination of Consciousness) and especially love Michelle’s image of sitting on the couch with God as she reviews her day. Everything changes for me when I become aware of God’s presence in this process of examining my day. Knowing God’s presence helps me avoid falling into the abyss you describe of indulging in self-recrimination.
In fact Michelle’s comments recalled to mind an article I read in the newsletter from the Ignation Spirituality Project (www.ispretreats.org) , Jesuit Fr. Bill Creed’s ministry bringing Ignatian retreats to homeless men and women. The article recounted the words of one of the retreatants who said being asked to witness at a retreat gives people a rare opportunity to:
Tell your story to yourself
Tell your story to others
Tell your story to God, and then
Let God tell your story to you.
I was deeply moved by this insight that God would have an interest in telling my story to me. And I know when God tells it, though there will be truth, there will be no recriminations–only understanding and compassion and a desire that I open my heart to divine love.
Tom
by Paul on February 4, 2009
If ever there was a body of men who merited eternal damnation on earth and in hell, it is this Society of Loyola’s. [President John Adams to President Thomas Jefferson, 1816]
An astute and alert reader has sent me a news release from the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities which reveals that 52 members (about 9%) of the 111th U.S. Congress are Jesuit college and university alumni and alumnae.
The Jesuit scheme to take over the world is finally gaining some momentum 
by Paul on November 13, 2008
If you haven’t read Sr. Julie Vieira’s blog, A Nun’s Life, then you are missing something special – a hip and irreverently reverent take on what it is like to be a nun in contemporary society. Recently, our friend Karen asked Julie what her most popular post was about and, to my considerable surprise, she replied that it was on “How to make a habit.” I don’t know if this is just a Halloween thing or if there are lots of people out there all year long trying to pass themselves off as nuns. We were talking about this and about the ‘mystique’ that surrounds religious life when Karen turned to me and said, “You know, I’d be fascinated to learn about what it takes to become a Jesuit.”
Well, here goes. (I’ll do a lot to get a popular post!)
[click to continue...]
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