We are approaching the “season of goodwill to all” where many people, moved by the mystery of the incarnation seek to go out of their way to do some good deed for others. It is wonderful to see people who are normally so busy with their own lives looking out for the needs of others.
Jesuits, and those who are touched by the spirituality of St Ignatius are privileged to be able to make this an all year round activity. It is our calling to seek out and help those most in need, most neglected by others where the most good can be done.
But this means that we don’t just help the first needy person we come across. Members of the Ignatian family are constantly asking themselves questions: Why and I doing this work? Could I be doing this work in a better way? Could what I do be more effective? Could more people be helped if I did what I do in a different way?
Through a constant process of reflection and review, we can make sure that we are attuned to the promptings of the Spirit who helps us make “the greater glory of God” a reality in the particular circumstances of the world of today.
Anniversaries are a precious moment for doing this. Various works of the British Province of the Society of Jesus are celebrating important milestones, 100 years of the Amerindian Apostolate in Guyana and 150 years of St Aloysius in Glasgow are two important ones that occur this year. Obviously, these celebrations involve a lot of looking back with gratitude. We give thanks to God for the heroic work of those who have laboured before us.
However, anniversaries are also a time to look to the future. Our work needs to be constantly renewed. We know that outstanding Jesuits in the past have discerned how best to reap a rich harvest from their labours, but it is up to us today, in honouring their memory, to engage in the same process to make their work our and take it into the future.
As you read through the various articles that we have collected together for this issue, I hope that, like me, you are struck by the great generosity of many people. However, behind each story lies the deeper question of why this work was chosen and a prayerful reflection on how it can be continued.
Nadal, one of first Jesuits was asked who the Spiritual Exercises were for, he replied: “They are for Catholics, for Protestants, for Muslims, for everyone.” So this gift of being able to choose what good we should be doing is the gift we can share with the world.
Fr Tim Curtis SJ
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