Although, according to Sir Francis Bacon, ‘jesting Pilate’ would not ‘stay for an answer’ after he had questioned Jesus about the nature of truth, in fact Jesus had already offered his response. Earlier, in the eighth chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus had told his disciples that, if they held to his teaching they would know the truth, a truth that would set them free. Much growth in the Christian life is rooted in discovering and acknowledging truths—truths about ourselves, about the rest of creation and about God—and allowing our lives to be shaped in relation to what we discover. This issue of The Way bears witness to such a process of discovery and response, in different eras and widely dispersed locations, and to the freedom that it brings.
Brian O’Leary, ‘‘The More Universal … the More Divine’: Ruminating on an Enigmatic Dictum’, 7–18
If the Spiritual Exercises illustrate Ignatius of Loyola’s view of how an individual can best discover and be open to the will of God, his Jesuit Constitutions show the corporate dimension of this search. Here Brian O’Leary tries to understand one of the chief criteria for choosing between possible apostolic works according to the system Ignatius presents.
Philip Shano, ‘The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Society of Jesus’, 19–30
In recent years the Roman Catholic Church has tried, in different parts of the world and in different ways, to address the scandal of the abuse of children who had been committed to the care of its institutions. In Canada this was done by the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Philip Shano describes how it went about its work, and in particular how the Jesuits of Canada responded to it.
Robert E. Doud, ‘The Way of Life in a Retirement Community’, 31–39
Improved health care has led to increased life expectancy in much of the developed world in recent decades, with the result that more people than ever will need to make significant changes to their way of life in retirement. For Bob Doud, a regular contributor to The Way, and his wife this has meant selling their home and moving into a retirement community. Here he reflects on this experience.
Philip McParland, ‘A Contemplative Path for All’, 41–47
The word ‘contemplative’ can summon up an image of cloistered monks and nuns, high-powered and wholly dedicated experts in the spiritual life. Philip McParland is, by contrast, an active Christian layman who runs a ministry called Soul Space, based on the conviction that: ‘The contemplative path is a spiritual path that can be lived by anyone in any situation and context’. In this article he makes good this claim.
Carol McDonough, ‘Evagrius the Solitary among the Abbas of Kellia: A Fourth-Century Life of Prayer and Hospitality in Trinity’, 49–61
The Desert Fathers of fourth-century Egypt were among the first to try and trace out common patterns of growth in Christian prayer. Often though, their thought has come down to us only in fragmentary writings. Evagrius Ponticus was one such hermit monk, whose example inspired many others to follow this path. Carol McDonough offers an assessment of his life and legacy.
Riyako Hikota, ‘A Charism Inseparable from Catholic Faith:Hans Urs von Balthasar on Humour’, 63–72
Hans Urs von Balthasar was undoubtedly one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, but he is not normally celebrated for his sense of humour. Yet his own belief was that humour and faith are inseparable. Here Riyako Hikota shows how Christian life has to hold in tension the two poles of humour and tragedy, demonstrating that, in von Balthasar’s view, one specific characteristic of the Church is to make this possible.
Oscar Momanyi, ‘The Children of Sarah, Hagar and Mary: A Feminist Perspective on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam’, 73–87
The three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Islam and Christianity—are frequently thought of as patriarchal religions, privileging the thought and experience of men over those of women. Nevertheless there are scriptural texts, foundational to the three religions, that do place women’s experience centre stage. Oscar Momanyi reflects on these texts in the light of his own encounters with Jewish, Muslim and Christian women in Israel-Palestine.
Jane Khin Zaw, ‘The Spirit Blows Where it Chooses: Simone Weil, the Church and Vatican II’, 89–110
In unexpectedly summoning the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII wanted to let the Holy Spirit flow into and direct the Church as God saw fit. Jane Khin Zaw believes that, two decades earlier, Simone Weil, a French philosopher of Jewish descent, was arguing for a similar renewal. Here Zaw revisits Weil’s writings on the Spirit in the light of the Council.