Ignatian Wisdom
Becoming artisans of a new humanity by Gordon Rixon, SJ
O
n the day Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, the television networks searched for Jesuits to comment. I found myself facing the anchor of the 6 o’clock news of one of the national networks as he asked me, “What will Pope Francis do in the first 100 days of his pontificate to maintain his popularity?” I responded, “I don’t think Francis will be too concerned about his popularity. Whether we are Roman Catholic, Christians from other denominations, believers from other religious traditions, or simply other people of goodwill, I think he will remind us that we are to be the artisans of a new humanity.” In retrospect, I think this has been Francis’ constant guiding principle: to build up our human capacities to contribute to a project more significant than ourselves and perhaps even beyond the grasp of any one faith tradition. As Francis has taken this approach, sometimes he has been criticized for pointing out new possibilities of inclusion and compassion. He avoids approaches that divide and isolate. Yet, despite the perplexity he evokes in some, Francis is far from being rudderless. His approach is deeply grounded in the “Foundation Exercise” of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. He draws deeply from the Foundation’s three taproots: gratitude in acknowledging creaturehood before the creator, freedom in the use of gifts
and talents, and commitment to praise, reverence, and serve God and neighbour. The liberating key to Francis’ thought and the Spiritual Exercises is recognizing that we, human beings, are not the center of the universe. Nonetheless, we are the beloved of God and invited to participate in the divine project of building a more just world that preserves, enhances, and celebrates the beauty of all creation, including the bounty of diverse peoples and their cultures. We draw on our most profound source and approach our true summit when our lives become free, creative expressions of this divine artistry. Yet, we know that serious environmental denigration, abject hunger, social exclusion, political corruption, cultural arrogance and religious idolatry plague the planet and its peoples. Racism, colonialism and sexualized violence distort the possibility of human thriving. Such distortions misshape our spontaneous attractions and aversions and the patterns of social interaction that recast mutual interdependence as exploitation and domination. Sometimes even laudatory talk about the common good cloaks the exclusion of entire groups of people from those who contribute to and benefit from the bounty of creation.
Illustration by Carlos Saenz de Tejada, Wikiart
34 CANADIAN JESUITS
