The Jesuit Guide To (Almost) Everything - James Martin [10]
In the process, he consulted with some of his original companions about the best course of action. So the Constitutions are a result of his own experience and prayer as well as the advice of trusted friends. Thus, they reflect an eminently sensible spirituality. André de Jaer, a Belgian Jesuit, says they embody “a spiritual realism, ever mindful of the concrete and practical.”
Here’s an example of that practicality: while the Constitutions lay out precise rules for life in Jesuit communities, Ignatius recognized the need for flexibility. After a lengthy description of what was required for community life, he would add a proviso, knowing that unforeseen circumstances always call for flexibility: “If something else is expedient for an individual,” he writes about Jesuits studying a particular academic course, “the superior will consider the matter with prudence and may grant an exemption.” Flexibility is a hallmark of this document.
Much in the Constitutions is concerned with the daily running of the order. But you’ll also find suggestions about living a simple lifestyle, making decisions, working toward a common goal with others, and relying on friends. So it is a great resource not only for Jesuits but for everyone interested in the Ignatian way.
LETTERS, ACTIVITIES, SAINTS, LIVING RULES, AND EXPERTS
The Autobiography, the Spiritual Exercises, and the Constitutions are three of the main sources for Jesuit spirituality. But not the only three. Several other resources can help us understand the way of Ignatius.
The first is his vast series of letters. During his lifetime he wrote an astonishing 6,813 letters to a wide array of men and women. He was one of the most prolific letter writers of his age, writing more than Martin Luther and John Calvin combined, and more than Erasmus, one of the great letter writers of the time. Between managing a new religious order, opening schools at a breathtaking clip, receiving Vatican officials and European ambassadors, requesting permissions from church and state authorities, praying and celebrating Mass, as well as corresponding with men and women—Jesuit priests, sisters, lay men and women, members of royal families—around the world, Ignatius must have been one of the original multitaskers.
These were not e-mails written on the fly. Some of his letters are minor masterpieces of the genre, combining encouragement, advice, a little news, and heartfelt promises of support and love. Like many public figures of the sixteenth century, Ignatius saw letter writing as an art. And like many religious figures, he saw it as a ministry. He advised Jesuits in official positions, particularly missionaries, to write two letters in tandem: the first would offer information for public consumption, “edifying” stories for fellow Jesuits and the public. The second would contain more personal news; these he referred to by the Spanish word hijuela, or “little daughter.” In those letters, “one might write hurriedly out of abundance of the heart.”
In this way Ignatius kept in touch with people from all walks of life from across Europe (and, later, with missionaries overseas), considering their questions and problems and answering them with care. His letters were a way to love and serve others. From them we can glean some of his spiritual insights too.
Another resource for understanding the Ignatian way is Jesuit activities. In The First Jesuits, John W. O’Malley, S.J., points out that to understand Ignatian spirituality, it is important to look not simply at what Jesuits wrote, but also at what they did. “That source is not a document,” writes O’Malley. “It’s the social history of the order especially in its early years.”
What Does S.J. Mean?
After every Jesuit’s name come the letters S.J. Abbreviations like this are traditional ways of identifying members of a religious order. Benedictines use O.S.B. for the Order of St. Benedict. Franciscans, O.F.M. for the