tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post6212572647924126136..comments2023-09-02T06:15:58.305-05:00Comments on Under A Chindolea: GC 35: Decree 1Nathan O'Halloran, SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08672001160647592501noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-12694920951281571012008-06-30T16:26:00.000-05:002008-06-30T16:26:00.000-05:00"sorry, I meant should NOT result in impotent feel..."sorry, I meant should NOT result in impotent feelings of guilt"<BR/><BR/>Phew!! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-9858533053927313992008-06-30T15:06:00.000-05:002008-06-30T15:06:00.000-05:00sorry, I meant should NOT result in impotent feeli...sorry, I meant should NOT result in impotent feelings of guiltNathan O'Halloran, SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672001160647592501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-26982738513766627832008-06-30T10:31:00.000-05:002008-06-30T10:31:00.000-05:00Thank you. Dostoevsky said that we are all respon...Thank you. Dostoevsky said that we are all responsible for all. He didn't feel that way, as you correctly point out, that is just how things are, and even more so in a group where men make a commitment to one another and to God. This should result in impotent feelings of guilt, but rather in acts of penance and prayer. Such acts renew religious life. Without the feeling of responsibility, they will not be done. <BR/><BR/>I do think and know that the Society is an immense source for good in the world. I have no doubt about that, and I apologize if that sense came across.Nathan O'Halloran, SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672001160647592501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-84724629059368971502008-06-30T04:04:00.000-05:002008-06-30T04:04:00.000-05:00"If my brother or sister in my family were to comm..."If my brother or sister in my family were to commit a crime, I would not be legally guilty, but I would feel responsible to some degree for what took place."<BR/><BR/>Well, Markel SJ, there is a difference between FEELING responsible and actually BEING responsible. A wise old person once advised me never to accept responsibility without the necessary accompanying authority. Feeling responsible, but helpless to effect change, is a recipe for debilitating guilt trips.<BR/><BR/>If I know that someone is acting erroneously, I think I should have the courage to speak up (with all due discretion) and point out the fault, to the person concerned and, if necessary, to a competent authority. Unless I have formal authority to do more than this (e.g., by virtue of being a designated religious superior), it would be pointless for me to feel responsible should the person at fault decide to ignore my counsel. I may well feel disappointed or sad, but I should not feel responsible.<BR/><BR/>At this stage of your Jesuit training, I am not sure how wide an experience you have of the worldwide Society. Having had the good fortune to witness Jesuits at work in several continents, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Society is an immense force for good in the Church and the world. Where there are serious problems, the main cause may well be ill-chosen superiors.<BR/><BR/>Having said all of that, your concerns are admirable, and I wish you every blessing in your vocation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-79224968326562886822008-06-29T21:41:00.000-05:002008-06-29T21:41:00.000-05:00Semper Fidelis,I am not so optimistic as you. The...Semper Fidelis,<BR/><BR/>I am not so optimistic as you. The longer my short time in the Society grows, the more I believe that there are grave theological separations that undergird our unity. As you well know, the unity of the Society is well served semantically by a large number of slogans and words. One such phrase, for example, is "the evil spirit." In the novitiate, it was explained to me that by this phrase I could understand the devil, i.e., a personal evil force, a dark part of human nature, a psychological phenomenon, etc. Semantically, we remain united, but we often mean very different things by these terms that serve to unite us. <BR/><BR/>Things are much worse when it comes to sexuality. I have not lived in a community yet where the majority of Jesuits held to the Church's teaching on sexuality. And so when GC 35 makes a statement of fidelity as it does in this first decree, requiring all Jesuits to council in accordance with the Church's teaching on sexuality, I have little optimism that the congregation Fathers will be heard. Jesuits think what they want to think. They don't listen well in my experience. They are not trained to listen, since when they are young in the Society, they are not given superiors with backbones. <BR/><BR/>I use "we" because I think it's high time we get away from the idea that we are not guilty somehow by association. Too many "orthodox" Jesuits separate themselves ideologically and geographically from their brothers, as if they were not members of the same family. If my brother or sister in my family were to commit a crime, I would not be legally guilty, but I would feel responsible to some degree for what took place. And I would say that "we" as a family had somehow failed. It is time for faithful Jesuits, however hard it may be, to say "we" when other Jesuits screw up and stop acting as if they form another club, with their own mass e-mails, gatherings, etc. That does not help our Least Society.<BR/><BR/>Markel, SJNathan O'Halloran, SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672001160647592501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-28172505558360644282008-06-29T20:34:00.000-05:002008-06-29T20:34:00.000-05:00"Sadly, we are causing much dissension...."Who, ex..."Sadly, we are causing much dissension...."<BR/><BR/>Who, exactly are "we"?<BR/><BR/>I know of many Jesuits, in various parts of th world (including the U.S.A.) who have placed their energy and talents at the service of the poor and marginalized, who live in genuine Evangelical poverty, who are guided and inspired by the Spiritual Exercises, who offer integral and excellent formation to all who desire it, irrespective or social class or condition, and who exercise their ministry in complete fidelity to the Magisterium. <BR/><BR/>It is unfair to deem these faithful Jesuits guilty by association, collectivizing them as components of a problematic "we". <BR/><BR/>SOME Jesuits may be causing dissension, may be unfaithful to their religious vows, may live and work in a manner that is incompatible with the Spiritual Exercises, etc. Such 'lapsed' Jesuits need help. If they refuse to seek or accept the necessary help, their Superiors must have the courage to take whatever action is necessary in order to preserve the good character of the Society of Jesus. <BR/><BR/>Based on my experience of working with a wide range of Jesuits, I have no doubt that many (I hope the vast majority) will have no difficulty whatsoever in welcoming and obeying the GC35 decrees.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-59500834603222713022008-06-29T18:27:00.000-05:002008-06-29T18:27:00.000-05:00I have been away from the internet for a few days....I have been away from the internet for a few days. Thanks Joseph for the note. <BR/><BR/>Anonymous, I apologize for the speeling mstakes. I'll be sure to proofread more closely.<BR/><BR/>AMDG,<BR/>Markel, SJNathan O'Halloran, SJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672001160647592501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-89638602850995428842008-06-29T15:05:00.000-05:002008-06-29T15:05:00.000-05:00You might learn something about those three things...You might learn something about those three things yourself, Joe.<BR/><BR/>Also, the spelling, the spelling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3483274485929133507.post-29608320782633575222008-06-28T21:50:00.000-05:002008-06-28T21:50:00.000-05:00Thank you for your candor, good will and honesty.J...Thank you for your candor, good will and honesty.<BR/><BR/>JMJ<BR/>JoeJoseph Frommhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16759274486679530625noreply@blogger.com