Well, I plan on entering the Jesuits after high school…I know a lot of them are liberal, and that’s too bad, but their particular organization fits me:
They are Clerics Regular (or “Clerks” Regular), meaning they are Priests primarily, which I want to be, religious secondarly, which also fits me, and get to wear the dress of a secular priest (cassocks!!! yay!) But they are not Canons Regular so they are not tied down to any one Church, but are free to be moved around.
They also, technically, are mendicant because they vow not only poverty, but poverty in common. It is an aspect not emphasized, but is an added bonus charism. The Catholic Encyclopedia says:
“Several institutions of clerks regular, notably the Society of Jesus, make profession also of poverty in common and are thus at the same time clerks regular and mendicant orders.”
They are in the true sense of the word an Order, not just a Congregation or Society of Apostolic Life. This means that they makes Solemn Vows, not just simple vows, and have an official Rule, not just statutes and stuff.
They call themselves “Active Contemplatives” meaning they are a mixed order. They are not just active, but are not monastic either, which is a life-style I am not sure would be spiritually healthy for me. Monastically I might use it as an escape from the world or get lazy…or on the other hand, not get enough sleep from all the waking up in the middle of the night and stuff.
The Catholic Encylopedia says the following on religious orders:
“Besides the common end of religious life, which makes it a school of perfection, the different orders have special objects of their own, which divide them into contemplative, active, and mixed orders. The contemplative orders devote themselves to union with God in a life of solitude and retirement; the active orders expend their energy in doing good to men. If their activity is spiritual in its objects and requires contemplation for its attainment, they are mixed orders; such as those which are devoted to preaching and higher education. The orders keep the name of active order if they devote themselves to corporal works of mercy, such as the care of sick persons and orphans. The dominant note of their mode of life gives us, as we have seen, clerical, monastic, mendicant, military, and hospitaller orders. The vows divide them into orders with simple vows and solemn vows: even the number of vows differs in different institutes”
The Jesuits add an extra vow of obedience to the Pope, and though they are not monastic, they are clerical, mendicant, can be very militareseque at times (even if they are not technically an Order of Knights) and do many different types of works that make them a mixed order and including teaching, missionary work, hospitaller-type social work, and now they even allow the cure of souls in parish life.
The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the non-monastic orders, specifically mendicant, as such:
“The mendicant orders are marked by two characteristics: poverty, practised in common; and the mixed life, that is the union of contemplation with the work of the sacred ministry. Moreover, the mendicant orders present the appearance of a religious army, the soldiers of which are moved about by their superiors without being attached to any particular convent, and recognize a hierarchy of local, provincial, and general superiors. The order, or at least the province, takes the place of the monastery. Other important points may be noticed: the mendicant orders are founded only by favour of an express approbation of the sovereign pontiff, who approves their rules or constitutions. They adopt the form of vows which relates explicitly to poverty, chastity, and obedience”
Definitely something I want to be a part of.
