Jesuits: A Multibiography

Rating:
Summary: Jesuits: A Multibiography
Review: The Jesuits were members of the roman catholic church also known as the society of Jesus. It was found by Saint Iganatious, who was a very well educated pope in 1540 A.D. St. Iganatious had friends who also jooined the Jesuits. One of his friends was Francis Xavier. He was also a very well educated and talented man. He helped St. Iganatious run the group and he was one of the people who were on the hall of fame for the Jesuits. Jesuits are known throughout the world. People in the world join the Jesuits because the group was a very religious order of men and it helped people all over countries. Jesuits were also very famous for their excellence in their missions and the vows which were very reasonable. Jesuits' missions were fantastic because the missioinaries help out people who are in need and they give blessings to the poor and the weak. They try to live their lives just as Jesus did.

The most heretic leader or pope to me was propbably Francis Xavier. I admire his work in the group and in his missions. He was probably the best missionary the Jesuits had. He helped out everyone and was a fine leader. He was admired by his followers, leaders and people who were helped by him. Xavier set a great example to all of the members and people who were younger to him. Xavier was known as the father of the his people. Xavier made up the vows which every Jesuits would take. These vows helped the leaders of the Jesuits make certain that the members would be very faithful to them. The vows were very strict, but it helped the members a lot.

My favorite part in this book was when the book talked about the missions. The missions were one of the best things that the Jesuits did. They traveled on carvans, boats, or on foot. Being a missionary was really tough. The members would have to be trained hard for 10 to 15 years.The members needed great experience to travel out of their homes and spread the words. First, they would have to know the bible and the stories really well. This way the members would be able to answer hard questions which are asked by unbelievers. Next, the missionaries would have to go travel to differnet places for a while because they didn't want people toget home sick. Finally they would have to test the members every thing.

Rating:
Summary: reads like a novel...a wonderful book about jesuits
Review: This book, which the author did not intend to make comprehensive, is the best general history of the jesuits I've read so far...it is fair in it's assessments of the society of jesus; and it aims to be fair...it does not intentionally aim for the sensational yet entertaining writing of Malachi Martin's book-this is more serious reading; the author approaches the lives of select Jesuits throughout history, starting with the founder-Inigo de Loyola; and taking the book through Francis Xavier in Japan, Matteo Ricci in China, and my favorite part of the book: the Jesuits in south america among the guarani-for anyone who loved the film "the Mission"-this chapter is worth obtaining the book alone! However, the story of the Jesuits suppression is a gripping page turner as well as how the society survives under some surprising protectors of Orthodox and Lutheran backgrounds...the chapter on teilhard de chardin made me want to dig up some of his works right away....but where the book really touched me was with the new Ignatius-Pedro Arupe- the father general who was not dealt so kindly by the current conservative pope...the book also includes some black and white photos of well known jesuits which help in associating a face with the histories behind them...beautiful book, which may stir the reader in further jesuits readings to complete the subject that was tackled here with admittted ommissions...

Rating:
Summary: Critical but edifying: the enigma remains.
Review: What makes the Jesuits tick? No doubt the answer lies in the spirit of abnegation and service inculcated by the Spiritual Exercises, with the extraordinary sense of creative freedom that flows from it. Xavier, Ricci, Teilhard, the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador, and many other of Lacouture's subjects enact this gospel paradox before our eyes in his vivid pages. Yet, with a slightly irritating Gallic coyness, Lacouture also insinuates a darker side to the Jesuit experiment. Conscious of how naturally blind obedience comes to the human animal and how calamitous its role has been in recent history, Lacouture suggest that the glorification of obedience to the Pope and to the superior has been a tragic shackle on Jesuits and their church (particularly after the nineteenth century restoration of the Society, under the auspices of ultramontanism and political reaction). Lacking theological qualifications, Lacouture does not query the biblical basis of the cult of obedience, contenting himself with vague allusions to masochism. That dark strain in his narrative reaches a painful climax in his account of John Paul II's treatment of Pedro Arrupe. The Jesuit exclusion of women (even of Madeleine Sophie Barat's Sacred Heart Sisters, formed on Ignatian principles) also comes in for some judicious criticism. Apart from a knowing pen-portrait of De Lubac, the book does not pay much attention to the great line of Jesuit theologians and philosophers. Their external lives would add little color to this multibiography, yet their intellectual adventures were perhaps as exciting as anything recounted here. On all fronts the Society of Jesus represents a precious heritage of Christianity and of Western civilization, and one can only pray for whatever radical adjustments are required to prevent it being squandered.

Rating:
Summary: Critical but edifying: the enigma remains.
Review: What makes the Jesuits tick? No doubt the answer lies in the spirit of abnegation and service inculcated by the Spiritual Exercises, with the extraordinary sense of creative freedom that flows from it. Xavier, Ricci, Teilhard, the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador, and many other of Lacouture's subjects enact this gospel paradox before our eyes in his vivid pages. Yet, with a slightly irritating Gallic coyness, Lacouture also insinuates a darker side to the Jesuit experiment. Conscious of how naturally blind obedience comes to the human animal and how calamitous its role has been in recent history, Lacouture suggest that the glorification of obedience to the Pope and to the superior has been a tragic shackle on Jesuits and their church (particularly after the nineteenth century restoration of the Society, under the auspices of ultramontanism and political reaction). Lacking theological qualifications, Lacouture does not query the biblical basis of the cult of obedience, contenting himself with vague allusions to masochism. That dark strain in his narrative reaches a painful climax in his account of John Paul II's treatment of Pedro Arrupe. The Jesuit exclusion of women (even of Madeleine Sophie Barat's Sacred Heart Sisters, formed on Ignatian principles) also comes in for some judicious criticism. Apart from a knowing pen-portrait of De Lubac, the book does not pay much attention to the great line of Jesuit theologians and philosophers. Their external lives would add little color to this multibiography, yet their intellectual adventures were perhaps as exciting as anything recounted here. On all fronts the Society of Jesus represents a precious heritage of Christianity and of Western civilization, and one can only pray for whatever radical adjustments are required to prevent it being squandered.