2008 Woodie Awards
Ignatian Corner: Forget about Melody; Dead Jesuits explain it all
Daniel Joyce, S.J.
Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: Features
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If eHarmony.com and Dr. Phil are not resources that are working for you, then try seeking the advice of dead Jesuits.
No, "dead Jesuits" is not a new musical group. This is just a very blunt way to name the plethora of advice about relationships that comes from some wise Jesuits who have gone on to their eternal reward and have left us a few nuggets of priceless wisdom.
Does this Valentine's Day make you think about that "special someone" who is no longer all that special in your life? Well, just ponder the words of St. Claude.
"It is one of the most firmly established and most consoling of the truths that have been revealed to us that (apart from sin) nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so." Claude de la Columbiere, S.J, was a 17th century Frenchman who understood that things happen to us that initially seem like very bad luck.
However, as time goes on, we begin to understand that a bad relationship or the first date that should have never happened was an experience that taught us something about ourselves. St. Claude understood this as he worked closely with people who had complicated relationships.
For a while he was the personal advisor to the Queen of England, Maria d'Este of Modena, the wife of James II. He had to help her deal with an unfaithful husband and the enmity of the British people, many of whom did not like the fact that she was a Catholic.
The extraordinary ability to listen to the pain of others was seen as a gift of the French Jesuit when gave a fair hearing to the spiritual insights of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a young nun who was ridiculed by her community for claiming that God was asking them to renew their hearts for a more perfect love of others.
Claude fought for Margaret Mary's right to share her spirituality with others. The feast of St. Claude de la Columbiere is Feb. 15. For many of us, the day after Valentine's Day may be the best time to be reminded of Claude's advice that most experiences are part of God's plan and that the loving care of God is real.
No, "dead Jesuits" is not a new musical group. This is just a very blunt way to name the plethora of advice about relationships that comes from some wise Jesuits who have gone on to their eternal reward and have left us a few nuggets of priceless wisdom.
Does this Valentine's Day make you think about that "special someone" who is no longer all that special in your life? Well, just ponder the words of St. Claude.
"It is one of the most firmly established and most consoling of the truths that have been revealed to us that (apart from sin) nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so." Claude de la Columbiere, S.J, was a 17th century Frenchman who understood that things happen to us that initially seem like very bad luck.
However, as time goes on, we begin to understand that a bad relationship or the first date that should have never happened was an experience that taught us something about ourselves. St. Claude understood this as he worked closely with people who had complicated relationships.
For a while he was the personal advisor to the Queen of England, Maria d'Este of Modena, the wife of James II. He had to help her deal with an unfaithful husband and the enmity of the British people, many of whom did not like the fact that she was a Catholic.
The extraordinary ability to listen to the pain of others was seen as a gift of the French Jesuit when gave a fair hearing to the spiritual insights of Margaret Mary Alacoque, a young nun who was ridiculed by her community for claiming that God was asking them to renew their hearts for a more perfect love of others.
Claude fought for Margaret Mary's right to share her spirituality with others. The feast of St. Claude de la Columbiere is Feb. 15. For many of us, the day after Valentine's Day may be the best time to be reminded of Claude's advice that most experiences are part of God's plan and that the loving care of God is real.
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