What can we expect of GC 36?
With General Congregation 36 commencing this month with meetings of Electors in their six respective Conferences, there is much curiosity about what a new Superior General will bring to the Society.
Recalibrating our response to the call of the Eternal King
Recently I was called to Rome for two meetings, the first was a two-week meeting of the Coetus Praevius (Preparatory Committee) for General Congregation 36, and immediately following that, the six Conference Presidents stayed on for our annual meeting with Fr General. The backdrop to our time in Rome could not have been more apt – Syrian refugees were arriving in Europe by the tens of thousands. What I heard from JRS Syria director, Fr Nawras Sammour, about the conditions in Aleppo, Homs and Damascus remains with me still today.
Reminded of who we are called to serve
Dear friends,
At last week’s assembly of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific the major superiors reflected on Laudato si’ and issued a declaration that seeks to animate a lively response in Asia Pacific. We urge all Jesuits in our Conference, our colleagues, and all those we seek to serve, to make a thoughtful and generous response to Pope Francis’ plea to reconcile with creation, which is one of our apostolic priorities.
Praying for Nepal and Micronesia
Dear friends,
These last weeks, we have seen and heard yet again of the destruction and devastation caused by natural disasters. Typhoon Maysak at the end of March caused severe damage throughout Micronesia, displacing thousands, ruining livelihoods and food supplies, and damaging infrastructure. And just days ago, on April 25, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake has caused widespread destruction in Nepal.
Reporting on the Jesuit Conference
What do Pope Francis’ visit to Korea, interreligious dialogue, social justice, Jesuit formation, and religious life have in common? They are some of the significant moments for the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific in 2014 and the ones we have chosen to highlight in our 2015 annual report. As is our practice, we also have a reflection from our President Fr Mark Raper SJ on the year that has passed.
Meeting Pope Francis
Some 40 Jesuits met with Pope Francis at the Nunciature in Manila during his Philippines visit. All were ecstatic at the invitation. I was privileged to be among them.
From the beginning, the meeting was very much that of brother Jesuits coming together. Provincial Tony Moreno SJ opened the meeting saying that Francis had been met by 40 elephants in Sri Lanka and here in Manila he was met by 40 Jesuits. To which Francis replied, “The elephants were more colourfully dressed.”
Allowing God to find us, know us and love us
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During Advent we are invited to remember that God came to us in Jesus. We are invited to live in hope and to remain alert for his second Coming at the end of time. The early Christians thought this second Coming would be soon, but we have been waiting for more than 2,000 years and perhaps some of us have become less alert to this possibility.
Yet God did come and is among us now. Between God’s historic coming in Jesus and the final coming of Jesus is the eternal now of God. God lives among us now, and He will come to bring this world to completion.
A Universal Body with a Universal Mission
At our annual meeting with Fr General in Rome this month, the six Jesuit Conference presidents identified significant strategies that are bearing fruit for greater solidarity among Jesuits and our colleagues globally, and planned new cooperative measures. Since the primary goal of conferences concerns mission, we dealt with questions such as restructuring of governance arrangements, solidarity in sharing resources across the Society, cooperation in the formation of Jesuits and promotion of studies in Ignatian spirituality.
Tragic irony – Peace and Restoration
During this month of September, many celebrate the World Day of Peace. At the same time we Jesuits and friends continue to give thanks that the Society of Jesus was restored 200 years ago. Both events would encourage us, despite seeming evidence to the contrary, that hope can be maintained even in the face of death.
Pentecost and World Refugee Day
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At Pentecost the believers celebrated that they were “no longer strangers and sojourners, but a dwelling place of the Spirit” (Eph 2:19-22). With World Refugee Day just a couple of weeks away on June 20, I am reminded yet again that the experiences of refugees, who long to be “no longer strangers and sojourners”, and the celebration of Pentecost find a common thread in the life of Jesus and the message he gave to the Church.