//Governance in the Society of Jesus

Governance in the Society of Jesus

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Cordial, committed and creative (productive) communities make province governance a pleasure. Spending time with the communities, motivating them to live the Jesuit way of life as wholeheartedly as possible, and collaborating with other religious, lay groups and congregations were my top priority. With improvement in Jesuit religious life there is evident improvement in our apostolic life as well.

Since there was a feeling that we needed renewal in our life and mission, we divided the Province into four zones and had two rounds of coming together as ‘friends in the Lord’ spending a day in spiritual conversation. After the first such togetherness all of us felt the need to come together at least twice a year; so we have made it a six monthly programme.

Many times I felt helpless and by God’s grace, instead of becoming frustrated, I turned to Him and found solace, comfort and inspiration. The helplessness inspired me to rely more on God than on myself. This has made me more humble. I started looking at people and events from the perspective of my helplessness and God’s own timely interventions. I began to understand the struggle my brothers go through and started empathizing with them. It made me seek God’s help in all my decisions as I came to realize that the Society has given me this responsibility to do God’s work and help bring about God’s kingdom; my part is only to facilitate God’s Spirit who acts in and through us.

Multi-culturality is a boon as well as a curse. It makes us sensitive to feelings, emotions, thought patterns and behaviours unfamiliar to us. It also makes us creative and much more human. But at the same time, it can be a cause for worry and tension. There are times when you have to deal not with individual but group feelings and interests. At such moments it is not easy for people to practice indifference and discern God’s will. Such situations have taught me to rely on God.

Discerning the signs of the times and acting on them is much more difficult than we imagine. Communitarian discernment may not always come to clear resolutions that lead to action. All the participants in the discernment process may not be of the same mind and heart, and detachment or Ignatian indifference may not be then very visible. Hence implementation becomes a problem as all may not own up the result of the discernment process. This is what I find most difficult. When we go through the process, all say ‘yes’ to the given resolution. But even after repeated reminders things do not change.

Careerism has crept into our lives in a big way. The idea of vocation is not clear in many minds. Media influence may be one of the reasons for this. But shrewd Jesuits know how to convince superiors to get what they want, and they make sure that they get it by any means.

Looking back, I find these years very valuable. Being a Provincial taught me many lessons which otherwise I would not have had a chance to learn. Finally, it is pure gratitude and thanks that fill my heart.

  • The author is Provincial of Dumka-Raiganj Province.
  • Contact: dumprovsj@gmail.com

When I think of my Jesuit superiors their ever smiling face makes me proud. They brought light into my life and I can’t help but whisper a big ‘thank you’ with eyes filled with tears of gratitude. The words of Arundhati Roy ring in my mind. Dedicating the Booker prize winning novel The God of Small Things to her mother she says: “For Mary Roy, who grew me up, who taught me to say ‘excuse me’ before interrupting her in public, who loved me enough to let me go.” Most of the qualities that we expect from a good Jesuit superior have been described perhaps in the briefest and best way possible by Ms. Roy. There are three key phrases that I would like to focus on from there namely, ‘grew me up’, ‘excuse me’ and ‘loved me enough to let me go.”

 ‘Grew me up’ make us think deeply and gratefully how certain Jesuits have been and continue to be instrumental in our ongoing process of growing up into homo sapiens, literally, ‘wise men.’ ‘Excuse me’ encompasses everything a human being has to do in order to become morally and spiritually a sound ‘social being.’ From taking care of one’s personal needs to recognizing the sacredness of the other who is around. Since most Jesuits join at a very young age, it is important that we have able superiors who can guide our young men not only to say ‘excuse me’ but also to make them live the spirit of these words. 

‘Loved me enough to let me go’ is essentially for love and freedom. Richard Bach in his bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull makes the following comment: “The gull that flies the highest is the gull that can see the farthest.” Only a gull who is free can fly high. And only a gull that has experienced the joy of flying high and looking at the ever widening horizons can let other gulls know what it means to be ‘up there in the sky.’ My superiors have loved me enough to trust me and let me go.

After my master’s degree as I came back to the Province for my regency, I was blessed to have Fr. Xavier Veliyakam as the one in charge. He knew that I was passionate about arts and theatre. One of the first things he told me was (the words reverberate in me still): “I don’t want to cut off your wings… I want you to fly.”

I often marvel at the freedom I have enjoyed in the Society. It is neither with rules and norms, nor with dos and don’ts, but with love and compassion that the Society has been moulding me. I am grateful that I had great superiors – persons who loved, cared for, taught, corrected and freed themselves and others to soar higher and higher, for His Greater Glory.

  • The author is Director and Editor of Snehasena and TikTik Life.
  • Contact: sheisep@gmail.com