Jesuit identity today is very much rooted in the charism of St Ignatius of Loyola, the principal founder of the Society of Jesus. General Congregation 32 (GC, the highest legislative body of the Society) articulates eloquently a classic formulation of this identity within a decade after Vatican II:
What is it to be a Jesuit? It is to know that one is a sinner, yet called to be a companion of Jesus as Ignatius was…. What is it to be a companion of Jesus today? It is to engage, under the standard of the Cross, in the crucial struggle of our time: the struggle for faith and that struggle for justice which it includes (Decree 2).
God first
A Jesuit belongs to a group of companions that bears the name “Jesus”. The focal point of his entire life is to be with Jesus poor and humble. The Formula of the Institute approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 (Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae), subsequently revised and confirmed by Pope Julius III in 1550 (Exposcit Debitum), declares, “let any such person (who wish to be in the company of Jesus) take care, as long as he lives, first of all to keep before his eyes God and then the nature of this Institute which is, so to speak, a pathway to God…”.
In a word, a Jesuit is to be centered on God first, not on works or plans no matter how noble they may be. It is a lifelong focus on God, not only during moments of deep religious encounters with the Lord, not only during significant events in the life of a Jesuit (e.g., First Vows, ordination [for priests], and Final Vows), and certainly not only when one is young, healthy and productive in ministries. It is to hold even when failures, uncertainties, and diminishments kick in, when things don’t go as planned. The Institute is a pathway to God, a means to attain God’s desires for us. Through discernment, a Jesuit is always clarifying this pathway that leads to God.
In an interview in 1981, the French Jesuit Jean-Claude Dietsch asked Fr Pedro Arrupe: “For you, who is Jesus Christ?” Arrupe’s response was instantaneous: “For me, Jesus Christ is everything!” Arrupe’s reply characterized his life: always centered on Christ, even amid criticisms for pushing the faith-and-justice mission of the Society, and for enabling the Society to respond to the reforms rolled out by Vatican II. In health and sickness, for him, Christ is everything. Arrupe’s life was an embodiment of “God first.”
Discernment
At GC 36, when Jesuits who had vowed obedience to the Pope pressed Pope Francis for marching orders, he did not comply with a list of tasks. Instead, he pointed us back to the basics: to discern the promptings of the Spirit. Rather than tell us what the mission was, he re-emphasized for us how to find it. Thus the decrees of GC 36 highlight the need for discernment—personal, communal, and institutional.
Discernment is possible insofar as one is free from disordered affections and distractions. Inner freedom allows a Jesuit to feel, see and act as God feels, sees and acts. Only with inner freedom can a Jesuit listen attentively to the call of the Holy Spirit, which often is revealed in prayer, one’s own and that of others. One cannot discern the will of God without keeping in mind the ways of Jesus poor and humble, who is completely free in self-giving.
Fr Adolfo Nicolás exemplified one who is free. He left Spain to become a missionary in Japan. At the GC that elected him, he did not want to become Superior General because, as he told people, he was too old for the job. But he accepted it. After fulfilling this role for 8 years, he resigned as Superior General due to failing health and was missioned to Arrupe International Residence and East Asian Pastoral Institute inside the Ateneo de Manila campus. During his time with us in Manila, he was clearly much loved by many and quickly found a home.
In a couple years, illness and other considerations convinced Fr Nicolás that it was time to return to his home-province of Japan, despite our pleas for him to stay. At the height of the pandemic, as his illness progressed, he died in Tokyo with very minimal contact from friends and his brother Jesuits. In an address he made in 2012 to the Society at the 70th Congregation of Procurators, he said: “I am convinced that the key for determining the spiritual health of the Society depends on whether Jesuits continue to have the ability to give absolutely everything to the Lord, as Ignatius did and so many after him till the present day.” I think he was inadvertently describing himself: completely free to give himself totally to the Lord.
Led with others by the Spirit
A discerning Jesuit is Spirit-led as an individual and as a member of an apostolic body. He is familiar with discernment in a community, which includes those from other religious traditions or those without explicit faith expressions, since the Spirit is active not only in the Church. A discerning Jesuit is eager to dialogue and collaborate with others. He is humble enough to realize that he is a co-laborer with God and a co-laborer with others. Such a stance takes shape when one fosters friendship and builds confidence with others. Being Spirit-led, one becomes comfortable with collaborative discernment and co-responsibility, embracing uncertainties and ambiguities.
To be Spirit-led frees one to imbibe the universal character of the Jesuit vocation. The Jesuit becomes open to being sent on any mission. He welcomes with some sense of humor the infinite surprises of the Spirit. He becomes less controlling and less prone to individualism, triumphalism, careerism, and clericalism. He grows to be suspicious of “the dictatorship of doing” as Pope Francis cautions against (Angelus Address, St Peter’s Square, 21 July 2024). Acknowledging his own vulnerabilities, he commits to ensuring safety in ministries, especially for minors and vulnerable adults.
A Spirit-driven Jesuit participates in whatever way he can to promote a synodal Church. After all the Society of Jesus was created “to serve the Lord alone and the Church, his spouse, under the Roman Pontiff…” (Exposcit Debitum). Thus, a Jesuit strives to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Church and with others in pursuing the missio Dei, with eyes always fixed on God first, in and out of season.