The Jesuits and their charism?

[choliks]

After Vatican II, a question arose in the Society of Jesus on how to live a life of a Jesuit. While most religious orders and congregations in the Catholic Church have focus on how to go about their particular charisms, the Society has always used their member’s talents and encouraged them to be expressed, in the belief that God can be glorified in this manner. That’s why a lot of Jesuits are in multitude of professions from theologians to astrophysicists to teachers to artists and canon lawyers. This however made it challenging for them to establish a single focus.

 

[JReducation]

After Vatican II, a question arose in the Society of Jesus on how to live a life of a Jesuit. While most religious orders and congregations in the Catholic Church have focus on how to go about their particular charisms, the Society has always used their member’s talents and encouraged them to be expressed, in the belief that God can be glorified in this manner. That’s why a lot of Jesuits are in multitude of professions from theologians to astrophysicists to teachers to artists and canon lawyers. This however made it challenging for them to establish a single focus.

They’re not supposed to have a single focus. That’s their charism, their unity in diversity. Remember what I said. Ignatius gave them the same vows as those of friars, but petitioned the Holy See to dispense them from all of the obligations that the friars have. Rome granted the request. This was necessary in order to bring a multitude of gifts to the table, use them all at the discretion of the gift bearer rather than the discretion of the superior as it common with friars.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:

 

[YoungCanRCMale]

Hello Brother JR, OSF

It seems you are the Jesuit expert of the hour. You are clearly aware of their history as well as their faults. So I gotta ask you as the main person here answering queries:

What say you on Bernard Longergan, S.J. and his branch of theology, Lonergan theology? His branch of theology seems to be popular here in Canada, with a few institutions here and also in the states offering studies, courses, and even degrees in that branch of theology.

I have been in contact with a couple of people who study this and the experience has not been very positive to me and seem almost defiant of church teachings/the Catechism (e.g. mass rejection of encyclicals of the laity and clergy in church = not doctrine or Chruch teaching needed to be followed, a rejection of the old concept of “gradations” of sin, that is venial vs. mortal).

If you are not aware I’ll try to find some links that may shed a little light.

 

[JReducation]

Hello Brother JR, OSF

It seems you are the Jesuit expert of the hour. You are clearly aware of their history as well as their faults. So I gotta ask you as the main person here answering queries:

What say you on Bernard Longergan, S.J. and his branch of theology, Lonergan theology? His branch of theology seems to be popular here in Canada, with a few institutions here and also in the states offering studies, courses, and even degrees in that branch of theology.

I have been in contact with a couple of people who study this and the experience has not been very positive to me and seem almost defiant of church teachings/the Catechism (e.g. mass rejection of encyclicals of the laity and clergy in church = not doctrine or Chruch teaching needed to be followed, a rejection of the old concept of “gradations” of sin, that is venial vs. mortal).

If you are not aware I’ll try to find some links that may shed a little light.

Fr. Lonergan’s theology is different from Christian Spirituality. My area is Christian Spiritual Theology. I’m very familiar with the Spiritual Masters and their work, including St. Ignatius of Loyola. Fr. Lonergan is not in my area of expertise, because his area is really a type modern Christian Anthropology. Don’t get me wrong. There is a whole field out there in Christian Anthropology that concerns itself with the Christian man. That’s not my area.

My area is the relationship between God and the soul and the fruits of that relationship.

I wish that I could have been more helpful.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Melchior_1]

Hello Brother JR, OSF

It seems you are the Jesuit expert of the hour. You are clearly aware of their history as well as their faults. So I gotta ask you as the main person here answering queries:

What say you on Bernard Longergan, S.J. and his branch of theology, Lonergan theology? His branch of theology seems to be popular here in Canada, with a few institutions here and also in the states offering studies, courses, and even degrees in that branch of theology.

I have been in contact with a couple of people who study this and the experience has not been very positive to me and seem almost defiant of church teachings/the Catechism (e.g. mass rejection of encyclicals of the laity and clergy in church = not doctrine or Chruch teaching needed to be followed, a rejection of the old concept of “gradations” of sin, that is venial vs. mortal).

If you are not aware I’ll try to find some links that may shed a little light.

My neck of the woods when it comes to non-diocesan priests it’s pretty much Dominicans, Franciscans, Companions, and FSSP. I’ve actually never heard of this guy, and our Bishop is a Jesuit!

Time to do some research I guess.

 

[JReducation]

My neck of the woods when it comes to non-diocesan priests it’s pretty much Dominicans, Franciscans, Companions, and FSSP. I’ve actually never heard of this guy, and our Bishop is a Jesuit!

Time to do some research I guess.

Fr. Lonergan’s area of expertise is Systematic Theology, which is the same area as St.Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, St. Robert Bellarmine, Bl. John Paul and many others.

Systematic theology uses philosophy very heavily. Unlike my area, which is spiritual theology, we use scripture and liturgy more than philosophy, but some philosophy too.

From the titles that I have sen of his work, I see that he started writing about subjects and questions that are purely those of Systematic Theologians, such as the two natures of Christ. These are subjects that still baffle the Church today. She’s still trying to explain such points in a clearer manner.

However, I have also seen excerpts from some of his other work and it looks like he took an interest in the social order and the nature of man so that his writing becomes a type of Christian Anthroplogy, which is really a dialogue bewteen the social sciences and systematic theology. That’s a very specialized field of study. It’s out of my league.

You have to be a doctoral student of theology to understand it. I’m no longer a student. But that’s Father’s area of interest. It is tangentially part of the Jesuit school, because it’s proponent is a Jesuit. But it’s roots are in systematic theology and social science.

I will say this, “Remember Freud.” He made many mistakes. Had someone not got the ball rolling, we would not be where we are in the treatment of mental illnesses. It’s too easy to kick someone to the curb, because they make a mistake, when the better thing to do is to build on their work. Keep what works and fix what is broken.

You see this a lot between the great doctors of the Church. Aquinas and Bonaventure completely messed up on the Immaculate Conception. John Duns Scotus did not throw away everything they had written. he carved out what they had said about the Immaculate Conception and corrected it.

Aquinas blew it when it came to sexual reproduction. The Church simply came later and Pope Paul VI started to fix it and Pope John Paul completed it.

We have to be careful with anything new. Keep what works and fix what is broken. St. Ignatius would say this.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF