Ignatius of Loyola used the expression “ friends in the Lord” to describe the relationship members of the Society of Jesus have to one another. Something of the meaning of this expression has come to new life as the tertians continue to share their experiences, to engage in study and reflection and begin to look to the missions they will take up or resume in the coming months. The week began with the sharing of reflections on the previous week, hearing from each person in turn. The discussions which followed addressed the topic of poverty and continued to look at the Jesuit constitutions.

Friday’s two sessions were collaboratively presented by David Ford and Micheál Ó Siadhail. The theologian and poet have been friends since meeting in Trinity College And have remained in close contact since. Their presentation evidenced an interplay of inspirations and demonstrated our friendship affirms, challenges and enables the expression of truth. They began by highlighting the importance of gratitude, indicating the influence of teachers and mentors and then went on to consider how friendship enriches life.

Using the lens of friendship, David Ford spoke about interfaith dialogue as representing an invitation to have daring friendships – ones which do not necessarily involve agreeing with people. “We need to be open to fundamental surprises of who God wants us to relate to,” he said. David described Scriptural Reasoning, talking about his engagement with this emerging discipline.

Micheál  offered perspectives on the themes that he and David had chosen  by  offering a selection from his extensive work, introducing and reading some poems to which responses were also invited.

The tertians resumed life in Dublin during Easter week. There were many stories to tell as the twelve returned from the various assignments with which they had been occupied since January. Time was taken during the week to reflect on these experiences as each person described how his expectations and hopes had been realised and offered an insight into his personal reactions. The comparisons and contrasts helped the tertians to recognise how the Spiritual Exercises are lived out in diverse situations.

• Alban Massie stayed at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem and worked at the Hôpital Saint Louis.
• Andrzej Batorski spent his experiment in Rome with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Centro Astalli.
• Brendan McManus was in Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester, MA, where he assisted in the directing of retreats.
• Danang Bramasti and Pavel Bačo stayed at the Jesuit community in Edinburgh and worked in the project for the homeless run by the Sisters of Mercy.
• Earl Barredo lived in Hull where he was engaged with the Apostleship of the Sea.
• Fortunatus Parwoto lived and worked in Corrymeela in County Antrim, helping with the work of the Reconciliation Centre.
• Gabriel Pigache went to Algiers where he was involved with the Ciara project.
• Jarosław Paszyński lived with the Missionaries of Charity in Spitak, Armenia, working in an orphanage and in the locality.
• Lourenço Eiró spent the time of the experiment in pastoral work in Saint Bridgid’s Parish, Belfast.
• Piaras Jackson lived at the Saint Aloysius Jesuit Community in Malta while working with Jesuit Refugee Service there.
• Róbert Gočala lived and worked at the Legion of Mary’s Morning Star Hostel in Dublin.

Every Tertian has had a range of pastoral experiences during his earlier Jesuit formation. Tertianship allows further exploration of his adaptability and aptitude for different kinds of work. This help him to test his apostolic availability, the better to know how he might offer the fullest service to the Lord.

The Tertians left Dublin during this week for their placements – “Experiments” – and are now settling in to different surroundings in Israel, Armenia, Italy, Malta, England, Scotland, Algeria, the United States and Ireland. They will work in different settings ranging from interreligious dialogue, pastoral care, directing retreats, chaplaincy, and assisting people who are sick, seeking asylum, homeless or migrants.

The map shows the places the Tertians come from (upper rows) and the places to which they have been sent (lower group of 11 locations).

Brendan Callaghan, a Jesuit psychologist of the British province, gave a number of presentations to the group on Monday and Tuesday during which he addressed the area of affectivity through talks, discussions and case studies. Anne Codd, a Presentation Sister and Development Resource Person at the Irish Episcopal Conference, led the group to engage in some organisational and pastoral reflection on Wednesday. Finbarr Clancy of the Irish province offered models of priesthood on Friday in an analysis which delineated some developments in the understanding of the ministry of the priest.

The Tertian learns, not just through the variety of content, but also in the reflection and discussion that takes place long after the various speakers have departed. The cultural and professional diversity of the tertian group enables a range of observations to be offered. These reflections help each to consider his own practice and aspirations and to review what presumptions, teaching style, and group skills are most appropriate to him.

We were also visited this week by two US Jesuits  – Mike Harter and Charles Moutenout. Their discussions with the Tertians and instructors took place as they prepare to establish a new US Tertianship in Oregon.

Jesuits from every province have been meeting in recent months to elect a member to attend a conference in Nairobi during summer of 2012. This will be 70th Congregation of Procurators of the Society of Jesus and will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, beginning on 9 July 2012. The Irish province meeting (‘Congregation’) took place during the past week, preceded by a one-day meeting of Jesuits with those who work with them. The theme of this Assembly was working in a time of change and was attended by Tertians were glad of the opportunity to see something of the Irish province in action.

Life in the Tertianship returned to normal on Wednesday with sessions in the morning considering the vow of obedience through presentations, recommended readings and discussion. Ignatius of Loyola expected obedience to be a characteristic of the Jesuit and his 1553 letter on the topic continues to inspire and challenge. Best understood, it respects our human maturity and Christian freedom and endeavours to apply the talents of Jesuits by engaging them in dialogue with one another and with the situation of their mission.

John Dardis, president of the European Jesuit Conference, visited on Friday, celebrating mass and spending some time with the Tertians. He described his work and listened to the experience of the European Tertianship, a work under his aegis.

All in the Tertianship wish you a happy Christmas and every blessing in 2012.

In the Spiritual Exercises we are invited by Saint Ignatius to visualise and engage with the nativity scene, the better to understand the incarnation and to grow closer to Jesus:

See, with the eyes of the imagination, the people, that is to say Our Lady, and Saint Joseph, and the servant girl, and the child Jesus after his birth. Making myself into a poor and unworthy little servant, I watch them, and contemplate them, and serve them in their needs as if I were present, with all possible submission and reverence: and afterwards I reflect within myself to derive some profit.

Jesuit Paul Coutinho is the author of How Big Is Your God? The Freedom to Experience the Divine and writes about ‘The Contemplation to Attain Love’ – a final element of the Spiritual Exercises.

The first step in this exercise is to recall the gifts of your life: your birth, baptism, family, children, redemption, grace, qualities, and talents—anything and everything you have to be grateful for. In gratitude for these gifts that God has given you—and that includes the Divine himself—you offer it all, including yourself, back to God.

Continue reading on Ignatian Spirituality where you will also find other articles about the Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises once he had found that certain meditations and contemplations–“Exercises”–were helpful to others in coming to a clearer image of God, themselves and their place in the world. While the text is widely published, the Exercises are a more a set of “director’s notes” used to guide a person during a month-long retreat than a text to be read alone. The ‘weeks’ described in the Exercises refer to the four main phases.

Every Jesuit does the Spiritual Exercises during his initial training and again during Tertianship. Please pray for the Tertians in Dublin who will be doing the exercises from 19 November to 20 December.

During this week we are asked to bring the encounters of the Risen Jesus with the disciples to focus in our prayer.  We do this so that we can more clearly see how it is that we, in our  ordinary lives,  can meet with Jesus and recognise his presence.  We seek to draw strength, consolation and hope from Jesus presents to us, the better that we may inspire and encourage others in our ministry.

See Ignatian Spirituality for more about the Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises once he had found that certain meditations and contemplations–“Exercises”–were helpful to others in coming to a clearer image of God, themselves and their place in the world. While the text is widely published, the Exercises are a more a set of “director’s notes” used to guide a person during a month-long retreat than a text to be read alone. The ‘weeks’ described in the Exercises refer to the four main phases.

Every Jesuit does the Spiritual Exercises during his initial training and again during Tertianship. Please pray for the Tertians in Dublin who will be doing the exercises from 19 November to 20 December.

The third week of the Exercises draws us into union with Christ. We come to realise that to follow Christ is to be united with him, not just on the road of discipleship, but in his suffering and death. We pray not only that we have deep sorrow for sin, but that we have deeper compassion for the world in which God still suffers. Even in the shadow of the cross, we pray that we may discover a joy in being united with Jesus. We pray for a deeper desire to live our lives fully in response to God’s love.

See Ignatian Spirituality for more about the Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises once he had found that certain meditations and contemplations–“Exercises”–were helpful to others in coming to a clearer image of God, themselves and their place in the world. While the text is widely published, the Exercises are more a set of “director’s notes” used to guide a person during a month-long retreat than a text to be read alone.  The ‘weeks’ described in the Exercises refer to the four main phases.

Every Jesuit does the Spiritual Exercises during his initial training and again during Tertianship. Please pray for the Tertians in Dublin who will be doing the exercises from 19 November to 20 December.

The first week of the Spiritual Exercises begins with a consideration of the First Principle and Foundation, when we bring to the centre of our prayer a desire for greater freedom so that we can appreciate God’s continuing creative and unconditional love. There is a theme of letting go in this week, a prayer for the ability to leave behind and shed what is not helpful. The week goes on to help us to look at global and personal sin as we are led to accept our need for healing from anything that holds us back from a full conversion. We pray that we might have deeper faith in Christ, knowing deeply that we are forgiven. With that deepened desire to be a disciple, we attend to the ‘Call of the King’ – hearing Jesus’ invitation to follow and accept him as leader.

See Ignatian Spirituality for more about the Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises once he had found that certain meditations and contemplations–“Exercises”–were helpful to others in coming to a clearer image of God, themselves and their place in the world. While the text is widely published, the Exercises are more a set of “director’s notes” used to guide a person during a month-long retreat than a text to be read alone.  The ‘weeks’ described in the Exercises refer to the four main phases.

Every Jesuit does the Spiritual Exercises during his initial training and again during Tertianship. Please pray for the Tertians in Dublin who will be doing the exercises from 19 November to 20 December.

The Tertians concluded the presentations of their personal stories during this last week before the long retreat. These helped us, individually and collectively, to grow in appreciation of how variously God works in our lives. We took some time on Thursday and Friday to draw together some themes that have arisen in the last few weeks in anticipation of the month’s prayer, silence and reflection that the retreat entails.
Brian Grogan, former novice master, teacher of theology and currently acting director of Sacred Space, visited us on Thursday night to talk about his life as a Jesuit, his inspirations and struggles. It was another helpful insight for us into how a Jesuit seeks balance between reflection and action in the changing circumstances and situations that his vocation brings.
The following posts will be automated, scheduled to appear each Monday, as the retreat involves switching off from the world, the better to tune into God’s working in our lives. We don’t so much turn aside from the created world; it is more that we we remind ourselves of its origin, purpose and destiny. We bring everything we have experienced to our prayer, trusting God to show us more clearly why and how we engage with everything God has created.
We invite you to pray with us during these coming weeks and to pray for us as we engage in the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

For more information on the Spiritual Exercises,  visiting ignatianspirituality.com

The Tertians spent some time during the last number of weeks working on their autobiographies. Guided by a series of structured questions, each person was asked to review his life story to recognise again how God has been at work. This week saw opportunities for to begin to hear something of the various stories. The presentations that emerged might be described as a series of rich tapestries depicting how God is discovered in a variety of human situations. The range of cultural and geographical backgrounds in the group meant that there was considerable variety in the content and presentations – a rich expression of the diversity of the church.

As the long retreat approaches, the timetable begins to address aspects of prayer in remote preparation. Paddy Greene presented two sessions on Monday about the bible, dreams and imagination. He described the importance of dreams in the bible and in tradition and stressed that dreams are at the service of health and wholeness; every dream having a message which only the dreamer can identify. Some discussion followed on dreams offered by individuals, using a proven method of interaction with them. Tuesday saw a lot more discussions over breakfast!
On Tuesday, Seamus O’Connell of Maynooth offered three sessions on Lectio Divina. While relying on a scholarship, Seamus used to practised method to draw attention to the simplicity required for reading the word of God.
Orlando Torres, the General’s Assistant for Formation, arrived on Wednesday night and took two sessions on Thursday and Friday mornings. He spoke on a range of issues, describing their importance for the Church and for the Society. On Friday morning he addressed many questions that had been prepared by Tertians. His visit was welcomed by the Tertians: he was very generous with his time and was interested in hearing from various the countries and apostolates, his long experience in Rome having given him much insight into how the Society fulfils its mission.
A group went Glasnevin on Saturday morning, to pray for the dead at the Jesuit plots in the cemetery.