Per la santa Chiesa di Dio nel mondo: possa annunciare coraggiosamente il vangelo della salvezza e testimoniare con gioia il Cristo crocifisso e risorto, che ha dato la vita per amore del mondo. Per il Santo Padre Francesco: sostenuto dalla nostra preghiera nel suo ministero a servizio dell’unità e della misericordia, ci confermi nella fede, ci rinfranchi nella speranza e ci … [Leggi...]
Gratitudine – sorgente di gioia
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your … [Leggi...]
Communitas ad dispersionem
“In their own communal apostolic discernment which led to the founding of the Society, Ignatius and his companions saw this as their unique call, their charism: to choose to be with Christ as servants of His mission, to be with people where they dwell and work and struggle, to bring the Gospel into their lives and labours. As pilgrims on Christ’s mission, we are ready to be … [Leggi...]
Consigli di Ignazio per un dialogo fruttuoso
From a letter of Ignatius to the Jesuits attending the Council of Trent. He gives instructions to Jesuits, so that interventions in big assembly can be more fruitful: Be slow to speak. Be considerate and kind, especially when it comes to deciding on matters under discussion, or about to be discussed in the council. Be slow to speak, and only after having first listened … [Leggi...]
Collaboratori di Dio
On the day of the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the mother of all churches let us contemplate on being co-workers of God‘s grace. A text of Blessed Oscar Romero can help us. He gives a vision of our work in the Church which is not perfect and has not to be perfect, because we are not perfect. But in beeing sober it frees and motivates us to be creative, … [Leggi...]
Shalom
Father Ignatius to the townspeople of Azpeitia about real peace (1540): Let me repeat that there is no desisting in my earlier desires that you continue to enjoy in this life peace and quiet of heart in the true peace of our Lord, not in the peace of the world. In the world there are many princes, great men and little men, who make truces and treaties in their external lives … [Leggi...]
Spirito santo – Consolator optime
Ignatius about spiritual consolation: „By this kind of consolation I mean that which occurs when some interior motion is caused within the soul through which it comes to be inflamed with love of its Creator and Lord. As a result it can love no created thing on the face of the earth in itself, but only in the Creator of them all. Similarly, this consolation is experienced … [Leggi...]
Santi – formati dalla grazia di Dio
„There are very few people who realize what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves entirely to His hands, and let themselves be formed by His Grace. A thick and shapeless tree trunk would never believe that it could become a statue, admired as a miracle of sculpture ... and would never consent to submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor who, as St. Augustine … [Leggi...]
Disponibilità – la forza della nostra missione
Availability is the strength of our mission: “Availability is to be an attitude of the individual Jesuit and a characteristic of the whole Society: mobile, agile, responding to the needs of a fast-changing world.“ GC34, D21,1 “To be joined with Christ as his companions in obedience to the will of the Father allows us to become servants of his mission of evangelization. … [Leggi...]
Audacia – Un frutto che viene dalla fiducia nella volontà di Dio
Today we celebrate Blessed Rupert Mayer, a German Jesuit who lived and worked mainly in Munich. In his town he was well known as helper of the poor, as a brave preacher against the Regime of the Nazis and as a defender of the freedom of the Church. For this he was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo, and then sent to a concentration camp. Later he was transferred to a … [Leggi...]
Commemorazione dei defunti
The encounter with Christ is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives … [Leggi...]
Santità – una via dell’incarnazione
In the early church “All Saints“ was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. So “All Saints“ was understood as an Epiphany of Pentecost. The Saints are fruits of the Holy Spirit, of his work of incarnation which is described by Teilhard de Chardin. This can be seen as an introduction into the meditation of the Beatitudes: “You can only convert that which you love: if a … [Leggi...]
Per i fratelli della Compagnia
From the beginnings the Society had conceived of itself as a universal “body”. This Pauline methaphor cf. 1 Cor. 12,12ff, much loved by Saint Ignatius and used frequently in the Constitutions to refer to the entire Society, expressed his idea of our vocation as both one and diverse. GC 34, D 7, 4 On the Feast of our Saint Brother Alphonsus Rogríguez we pray especially for our … [Leggi...]
I gesuiti – Al servizio della gioia
Pope Francis said to us at the beginning of this week: “The Jesuit is a servant of the joy of the Gospel.” and “The Good News ought not to be given with a sad face, but rather, with joy!” Furthermore he said: “Joy is not only decorative, it is also a clear indicator of grace, it shows that love is active, working and present.” But how do we find this deep Joy? Pope Francis … [Leggi...]
Per le vocazioni
Pedro Arrupe said to a young man who wished to join the Society of Jesus: "Stay at home if the idea of becoming a jesuit makes you unsettled or nervous. Do not come to us if you love the Church like a stepmother rather than a mother. Do not come if you think that in so doing you will be doing the Society of Jesus a favour. Come if serving Christ is at the very centre of your … [Leggi...]
Per i nostri superiori
El sentido comunitario ha sido esencial en la Compañía desde el mismo momento de su nacimiento. El grupo inicial de Ignacio y de sus “amigos” en el Señor se amplió de inmediato con otros que quisieron seguir el camino que ellos habían tomado. Pidamos para nosotros, sus sucesores en la llamada de Dios, el sentido verdadero y la estima profunda de la vida comunitaria en … [Leggi...]
Vita di comunità
A group of students intending to enter the Society had formed a community in Louvain. Ignatius wrote them a letter in 1547. In his letter we read about community life: „You have laid upon yourselves a heavy obligation to live holy and pious lives: having separated yourselves from others in your residence and way of life, you will be under everyone’s observation and on … [Leggi...]
Fammi uno strumento della tua pace
Saint Mother Teresa had all her life a deep relationship to ignatian Spirituality. As a Business Card she liked to distribute the following words, which can be seen as an unfolding of the contemplativus in actione: The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace. Saint … [Leggi...]
Il buon pastore
Franz van de Lugt SJ, a member of the Near East Province, lived and worked in Syria, mainly in Homs as spiritual guide especially for the youth. He was killed on the 7th of April 2014, aged 76. In him we have the image of a Good Shepherd: his hope in the resurrection strengthened him in his ministry. In March 2014 he wrote: “Just as I have shared with the Syrian people their … [Leggi...]
Magnificat
When God is in the midst of people, relationships are full of life. We see this in the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary: there is so much joy, appreciation, sharing, understanding, movement, life, freedom, peace and uplifting of the soul to praise God. There is no room for envy, jealousy, hate, violence, numbness, narrowness... We find the same dynamic of uplifting the … [Leggi...]
Miserando atque Eligendo
GC32 states: "What is it to be a Jesuit? It is to know that one is a sinner, yet called to be a companion of Jesus." D 2,1 These words are echoed in the answer Pope Francis gave to the question „Who is Jorge Mario Bergolio: "The best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And the Pope … [Leggi...]
L’eredità di Arrupe
After his resignation was accepted Fr. Arrupe gave a final message to the Society. Let us listen to those concluding words, expressed by Fr. Pedro before he entered into the silence of his personal surrender to God. "To each one of you in particular I would love to say – tantas cosas: so much, really. From our young people I ask that they live in the presence of God and grow … [Leggi...]
Ite, inflammate omnia
Legend has it that Saint Ignatius, when he sent Saint Francis Xavier to the East, told him: “go, set the world alight”. With the birth of the Society of Jesus, a new fire was lit in a changing world. A novel form of religious life came about, not through human enterprise but as a divine initiative. The fire that was set alight then continues to burn in our Jesuit life today, … [Leggi...]
Uno strumento del Signore
The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew. I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, … [Leggi...]
Imprimi il tuo nome nei nostri cuori
Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. Traditional iconography depicts him holding a heart, which is inscribed with the golden letters “IHS.” Iñigo got to know the martyr bishop during his convalescence in Loyola while reading the lives of the Saints. One legend about this bishop that Iñigo was bound to have come across would have been when … [Leggi...]
Preghiera universale – Messa dello Spirito Santo
Rivolgiamo in alto la nostra preghiera comune al Padre affinché lo Spirito santo possa guidare e illuminare le menti e i cuori di coloro a cui ha affidato il suo lavoro di santificazione. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Perché attraverso lo Spirito di forza e di saggezza, tutti i battezzati trovino il coraggio di proclamare che “Gesù è il Signore” così che il messaggio di … [Leggi...]
Come l’ago della bilancia
“It is necessary to keep as my objective the end for which I am created, to praise God our Lord and save my soul. Furthermore, I ought to find myself indifferent, that is, without any disordered affection, to such an extent that I am not more inclined or emotionally disposed toward taking the matter proposed rather than relinquishing it, nor more toward relinquishing it rather … [Leggi...]
Attingere all’audacia dell'”improbabile”
May the Lord grant you the grace, throughout your reflections and discernment, to be guided, to be brought to life, in this audacity to make explicit through your commitments, your words, your solidarity, the always unexpected voice of the One who hopes in the world, who overcomes death and establishes life, the One to whom you seek to give the greatest glory. (...) It is … [Leggi...]
Infondi il tuo respiro in me, o Spirito Santo
God, gather and turn my thoughts to you. With you there is light, you do not forget me. With you there is help and patience. I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me. Dietrich Bonhoeffer In regard to the qualities which are desirable in the superior general, the first is that he should be closely united with God our Lord and intimate with Him in prayer and … [Leggi...]
Silenzio – Adorazione
Come, You Spirit of Quiet. Guide me into your Stillness that I might hear in myself the Word you speak. Free me from all Fear hat all which binds me leaves me and leaves me to who I am. Open as a vast chalice I want Your wonders, Your fullness, Your holy presence gently to seize me. Come You Spirit of Breath, breathe your breath into my thoughts, into my feelings. Come and … [Leggi...]
La grazia del discernimento
“We decided to come together for some days before separating, to discuss with one another our vocation and manner of life. After doing this for several days, we were divided by different ideas and opinions concerning our state of life. There was unity of mind and purpose: to seek the gracious and perfect will of God according to the scope of our vocation; but there were various … [Leggi...]
La santa vergine Maria, madre della Compagnia di Gesù
God, gather and turn my thoughts to you. With you there is light, you do not forget me. With you there is help and patience. I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me. Dietrich Bonhoeffer For Ignatius the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary was an essential part of his spirituality. At crucial points in his life Ignatius had recourse to her … [Leggi...]
Rendi il mio cuore come il tuo
Our earliest companions, even though they considered themselves weak and fragile and originating from many different places, found the will of God together amid great diversity of opinion. What enabled them to find God’s will was their “decided care and alertness to initiate a completely open way” and to offer themselves fully to it for the greater glory of God. Thus they began … [Leggi...]
Amici nel Signore
Father, in the Holy Spirit, inflame the hearts of all your sons in the Society of Jesus with the fire that our three founding fathers, Ignatius, Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, drew from the Heart of Jesus, your Son, Our Lord, Saviour and King. Give us, Lord, the wisdom of our Father Ignatius so that we may recognise – and respond to – the call of the Spirit in our lives, … [Leggi...]
Alla ricerca del Magis
Those who wish to give greater proof in their love, and to distinguish themselves in whatever concerns the service of the Eternal King and the Lord of all, will not only offer themselves entirely for the work… but make offering of greater value and of more importance. Ex. Sp. 97 The magis is not simply one among others in a list of Jesuit characteristics. It permeates them all. … [Leggi...]
Il nome di Gesù nostra salvezza
Preghiera del mattino - 4 ottobre Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2,9-11) In the name of Jesus we are united in prayer, to praise … [Leggi...]
Veni Creator Spiritus
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, deepen our silence so we may seek and find you in all things. Spirit of right judgment and courage, breathe in us the desire and zeal to bring justice and mercy to your people. Spirit of knowledge and reverence, guide us in the footsteps of Jesus along the pathway of the Kingdom. Spirit of wonder and awe, open our eyes to the mystery of … [Leggi...]
Benedizione della nuova Aula della Congregazione
Il 22 settembre, a pochi giorni dall'inizio della #GC36, il padre Generale, alla presenza di un gran numero di gesuiti che lavorano nella curia generale, ha benedetto la nuova Aula appena ristrutturata. Ecco la preghiera che è stata usata per l'occasione. Nel nome del Padre e del Figlio e dello Spirito Santo. Amen. Pace a questa sala e a quanti vi si riuniranno. Il … [Leggi...]
Continuate a brillare!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVF0i5FHwnE … [Leggi...]
La preghiera per la CG36
Dio, nostro Padre onnipotente e misericordioso, tu hai mandato il tuo Figlio Gesù, tua Parola vivente, a salvare il genere umano con la sua vita, la sua croce e la sua risurrezione, e il tuo Santo Spirito ad animare e accompagnare la Chiesa, pellegrina sulla terra. Fiduciosi, noi ti preghiamo per la Compagnia, che porta il nome di Gesù. Ti chiediamo che la Congregazione … [Leggi...]