A Fire that Kindles Other Fires
Decree 2 of the general congregation of the Society of Jesus, entitled “A Fire that Kindles other Fires,” focuses on Jesuit identity today. It begins by saying that any organization that is nearly five-hundred years old needs to keep the fire of its original inspiration alive and find a “living narrative” that enables it to give meaning and focus to its life and work in a fragmented world. How does this decree understand Jesuits today? Intermission hosted a discussion between two notable scholars on campus, Professor Lisa Cahill of the BC Theology Department and Dean Richard Clifford, S.J., of the School of Theology and Ministry, regarding this new decree and its impact on Boston College and Jesuit institutions in general.
Clifford began by framing the historical and cultural context of Decree 2. Before the 1960s, identity was not an issue for Jesuits. They were part of an international Catholic culture and it was easy for them to take their place in it as a given. During the cultural shifts that began during the 1960s and 1970s, however, Jesuit identity was no longer framed by this context and identity became an issue. Clifford, who was involved with Jesuit formation at that time, remembers that it was difficult to explain what Jesuits were called to be, and it was not until the 1970s and 1980s under the influence of Pedro Arrupe as superior general that Jesuit identity and mission began to have clarity again.
Both Cahill and Clifford agreed that four major factors contributed to this new clarity. Source documents on early Jesuit history and spirituality provided a foundation for a fresh understanding of Jesuit identity. Lay men and women entered church ministry in great numbers, became colleagues of Jesuits in their institutions, and broadened Jesuits’ understanding of their lives and work. The global and intercultural realities of Jesuit ministry reshaped Eurocentric ways of thinking. And—in the vivid, even poetic language of Decree 2—Jesuits realized anew that their work is to call others to see and love the world as Jesus did and that they themselves are called to a similar, ongoing conversion.
Cahill, noting that she has taught her entire career at Boston College, reflected on the ways in which the decree explains the role of Jesuit identity in an intellectual community such as Boston College. She sees it in a spirit of dialogue between people of different faith traditions, in offices on campus that bring to light elements of Jesuit identity that people value regardless of their faith traditions, and in retreats and other programs that invite people of all backgrounds into a deeper understanding of Jesuit identity and its cross-cultural and inter-traditional values. The decree, she points out, reminds Jesuits that they are called to see God in all things, not in some fake, rosy way, but rather a God laboring to transform all the sad and difficult elements of reality into something new. Transforming reality requires action, creativity, and flexibility. Decree 2 says that Jesuit-inspired action should be like Christ: "perpetually in motion." The future may not always be what we expect.
Clifford concurred with Cahill and pointed to the image that provides the title of the decree: Jesuit identity should be a flame, not something hidden or elusive. And, though it is inherently Catholic, it is not outside the experience of other religions and cultures. Every faith tradition, for example, believes that there are bad elements in human culture that must be resisted, and that transformation or conversion is a necessary process for a fully lived human life. Justice, faith, and transcendence are important concepts to wrestle with, regardless of one’s faith tradition.
Cahill mentioned that one of the greatest commonalities she has encountered in her many experiences of dialogue between faith traditions is the element of social justice in Jesuits’ understanding of their mission. Ethics and social responsibility have many parallels among faith traditions. She also mentioned that newer generations of students seem to have a great attraction to the contemplative aspect of faith, and that spirituality is a large constituent of their identification with Jesuit mission and identity. Clifford agreed, conjecturing that students are seeking a center in a fragmented world, a place of peace to rally forward again. The key is finding a balance between the contemplative and the social dimensions of the Jesuit Catholic identity and mission.
Inter-religious dialogue is a difficult issue, Cahill noted, and the Catholic church as a whole takes different stances towards it. Jesuits often have a better idea of how to go about this dialogue because of the inherently mission-oriented and intercultural nature of their work. They have been in dialogue with other religions for a long time. Clifford explained that the primary focus of inter-religious dialogue should consist in establishing relationships of trust and learning from the other about their practices and beliefs. Several church documents support this understanding of dialogue, while others emphasize the differences between the Catholic church and other religious bodies. One of the strengths of the decree, in Cahill’s view, is that it stresses the role of dialogue and of establishing relationships in understanding the differences among faith traditions. She said that her own experiences in the Catholic Peacebuilding Network have shown her that many conflict situations globally trace their roots to a breakdown of dialogue and understanding between religions. The shared pursuit of justice leads to better dialogue and understanding in such situations.
Clifford ended by noting that the decree stresses the importance of having an identity from which to dialogue. Partners in a dialogue have to know themselves well enough to represent themselves truthfully. The decree sets an excellent tone by grounding all dialogue in relationships and in a religious view of what is happening. When a person entering into dialogue with another understands that dialogue is a relationship and sees the other as a child of God, the groundwork is laid for a productive and enriching interaction.
Decree 2 not only helps clarify the most important features of Jesuit identity but also invites those who share in that identity to an ongoing conversion to see and love the world as God does, to enter into dialogue with that world and learn from it how the Spirit is at work there, and to work towards transforming its brokenness into the true image of humanity that God created.
January 2009
In This Issue
A Fire that Kindles Other Fires
Student Affairs at a Jesuit Institution
Office of the Vice President of Mission and Ministry
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