The Jesuits and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Now that I've digested Leo XIII, Annum Sacrum and Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas, I read the letter Pope Benedict XVI wrote on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Haurietis Aquas. This letter reaffirms that this particular devotion hold importance in the lives of Christians. 

What interested me was that this letter was addressed to the Superior General of the Jesuits.  Why?  There are religious orders that arose to honor this particular devotion. The Fathers of the Sacred Heart, for one.  There are others.  Why was this letter addressed to the Jesuits?

After some google research, I learned that the Jesuits have been the historical custodians of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.  Also, in one of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions, she mentions the Jesuits in particular, to spread the devotion.  Of course, Jesus' Sacred Heart is for all.

Today we need to draw closer to His Heart.  There are Divine treasures of grace bestowed on those who unite themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, come into our hearts!

How Jesuits Elect

Jesuits explain their process for electing new superior general: ROME (CNS) -- The Jesuits have a murmuratio.
unique process for electing a superior general for their order, a process that takes four days of conversation--

Democracy?

Two Different Schools of Thought

This is not a book review.  I'm only on page 7.  But I came across something, that I've been thinking about all night.  Certainly, there will be a book review, and what I'm posting about now, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the theme of Alive by Piers Paul Read.  But I can't get it out of my mind.

The Irish Province of Christian Brothers was invited to set up a school, as an alternative to the Jesuit run schools.  Why?

Aye, that's why I'm posting.

The reason is because the Jesuits train minds, whereas the Christian Brothers form character.

Why do I find this interesting?  Because I can see where they're coming from.  Isn't this the difference between public schools and parochial schools?  And isn't this why children are home schooled?

You might say that parents teach character.  I will respond with the question, "When?".  Children are in school 6-8 hours a day.  Add in transportation to and fro, extra curricula activities, lessons, CCD, etc.  Parents spend all too few hours with their children, if they're not home schooled.

So where are children getting their character formation?

TV, music videos, video games, movies, friends--the culture.

Let's bring back the Christian Brothers.

Jesuitical Decision Formula

St. Ignatius Loyola is the founder of the religious order, known as the Jesuits.  He was a noble knight. While recuperating from wounds, he had a religious conversion.  The rest is history.  

It was immediately after Ignatius' conversion that he was traveling to meet with his confreres regarding his new religious order.  It's the sixteenth century; so his mode of transportation was a mule.    While traveling, Ignatius met a man also riding on a mule.  In the course of their brief conversation, the man insulted the Virgin Mary and then quickly took off.  Now, mind you, Ignatius is still new in his religious conversion.  His first reaction was to run the man through with his sword.  But the man took off.  He still wanted to chase him down and then kill him.

As he trotted or rambled, whatever mules do, Ignatius fumed.  His good angel said let God handle the insult.  His bad angel said murder was justified.  Try as he might, he was unable to decide whether he should kill the man or not.  At that moment he reached a (literal) fork in the road.  Ignatius decided to leave the fate of the blasphemer up to his mule.  As Ignatius wrote in his autobiography, "If the mule took the village road, I would seek him out and stab him; if the mule did not go toward the village, but took the highway, I would let him be."  Fortunately for all concerned, the donkey chose the highway.

The moral of the story: "Ever since then, asses have been making decisions in the Jesuits."


Source: Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life by Fr. James Martin, s.j.