Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ is inviting Jesuits, companions, and all those who share in the mission of the Society of Jesus worldwide to an Ignatian examen to deepen personal conversion, community, and the institutions of the Society’s apostolates. This invitation is a response to the call of the 36th General Congregation, which states: “This Congregation is deeply convinced that God is calling the entire Society to a profound spiritual renewal” (Decree 1, 18).
“We are going to dedicate this year from now on 31 July 2023 until 31 July 2024, to do calmly, with devotion, with the participation of all who are committed to the mission, the examen,” said Fr General Sosa in a recorded video announcing the official release of De Statu Societatis 2023 on the feast of St Ignatius Loyola. The document opens with the line: “The Holy Spirit continues strongly to call the Society of Jesus to deepen the personal, communal, and institutional conversion begun for the whole Church by the Second Vatican Council.”
De Statu Societatis 2023 is the fruit of the preparation and discernment process of the 71st Congregation of Procurators of the Society, and the fruit of the reflections of the worldwide Society. Father General encourages all Jesuits and companions in mission to do a spiritual reading of the 50-page document, although it may seem overwhelming at first. “It’s not a novel; it’s a reading to be done slowly. So, the first thing for us to do is to take the time to read it,” he said.
He offers several ways that the document can be used. For instance, as the subject for the Spiritual Exercises, which can be done as an individual or in groups, either as a province or as a community, or with others who share the mission, lay men and women or religious. The document, he said, is good material for an eight-day retreat. The text can also be used to organise community meetings, with its seven chapters providing a structure for spiritual conversations throughout the year and fostering a communal understanding of the text.
Father General emphasises the importance of sharing the experiences or emotions that arise from the spiritual reading of De Statu Soceitatis. He urges each province to think of the best way to take advantage of the document. “Don’t keep silent about what you receive from the text…. It is about us sharing what our experiences are,” he said.
In introducing the document, Father General highlights the change of epoch as the context in which the Spirit is calling the Society to be agents of reconciliation. He points out that forced migration is one of the strongest signs of this “change of era”, noting as well the prevalent issues of violence, war, climate change, poverty, and growing inequality. Despite these challenges, Fr Sosa also sees opportunities, such as the way the digital culture has facilitated conversations in many ways and forms, creating an enormous possibility of intercultural relationships between generations of people.
It is in this context in which the Society’s mission develops that the document also addresses the questions that are often asked, especially by young Jesuits in formation: Who are we, the Jesuits?” and “Who are these other people called to contribute to the mission that is under the responsibility of the Society of Jesus?”
The vocation to the Society is a process, said Fr General Sosa, and the Jesuit identity is not something that is figured out at once. He reminds his brothers of what St Ignatius constantly repeats in his Spiritual Exercises: “We follow Jesus poor and humble.” The Jesuit identity is a gift received for the service of the Society, the Church, and the world.
Another significant dimension of the Jesuit identity, explored at length in De Statu, is that of collaborators. Father General highlights that it is not merely about fast-paced cooperation, “but rather to make us aware that our vocation IS collaboration. We are collaborators. And we want to collaborate in the Church,” he said.
An entire chapter in De Statu is dedicated to collaboration. The Society acknowledges that the fire that lights another fire, prominent in the 35th General Congregation, comes not only from Jesuits but also from other people who have made themselves part of this fire that wants to start other fires.
Fr Sosa notes the tension between having a greater diversity of collaborators and a decline in the number of Jesuits. He assures that, “We are collaborators on the same mission. A part of that mission is entrusted to the Society because we are responsible for the care of the Ignatian charism, and others want to collaborate with us in the Lord’s mission.” This collaborative approach is an important element of what is now referred to as synodality.
The decline in numbers has become a source of concern for many Jesuits and other people related to the Society. Fr General Sosa invites Jesuits to reflect on what this reality is telling them. He reminds his brothers that the Society’s spirituality is not tied to numerical strength because it relies on God’s grace, achieved through prayer and fidelity to their vocation.
At the same time, he underscores the importance of praying for vocations. “It is the Lord who calls. But the Lord expects us to ask. Help, on your part, to have companions in this Society: brothers, elders, dedicated according to his charism to the mission,” he said.
In admitting men and forming Jesuits in the Society, Fr Sosa raises the importance of accompaniment. “We cannot lower the level of expectation during probation and formation. We cannot let the body weaken in that sense,” he said. “We have discovered that the key for this process to be successful is ‘accompaniment’…. Accompaniment is what makes possible the existence of the community and the existence of the Society.”
Fr Sosa also touched on the renewal of the sense of poverty associated with the Jesuit identity, and the difficult tension between poverty like that of the Lord, which is detachment and the ability to be austere, and also having the necessary resources for apostolates that require them. This theme of evangelical poverty is explored in De Statu, and Father General encourages Jesuits and partners to read and talk about it in community.
Another theme that is addressed in the document is the impact that the abuse scandal has had on the Church and the Society’s involvement in the abuses. Father General stresses the need to strive for reconciliation and justice, going beyond legal measures to embrace the justice of the Gospel, which is rooted in mutual love
He acknowledges that it can be a challenge, and points out two things that are necessary: trust and transparency. “If we don’t trust in each other, if we do not trust those who are by our side collaborating in the mission, it is not possible to change the structure. It is not possible to improve our apostolate. Trust leads to transparency,” he emphasised.
All of these efforts require good formation for Jesuits and collaborators, ensuring equal access to opportunities and fostering solidarity. Fr Sosa stresses that resources should be used for the universal mission of the Society rather than reserved for a small group. “Solidarity, together with trust and transparency, will make possible much more effective forms of governance,” he said.