Jesuit wisdom

After I heard that the new pope was a member of the Jesuit order I looked up the internet to find a succinct summary of Jesuit wisdom. I found the following...

Fr James Martin SJ suggests the following five points to summerise Jesuit wisdom...

“Allow yourself to be human.  You’re a human being with a body, after all, and sometimes bodies get sick.  So why not just allow yourself to be human?”

“You don’t have to be someone else to be holy. Just be yourself.  That’s the person God called into the Jesuits, after all.” 

“You’re not married to everyone. There’s no need to please everyone.  Plus, you couldn’t if you tried.  Just be kind and generous and the rest will take care of itself.” 

“Don’t let anyone prevent you from becoming the person you want to be. God desires you to become loving and charitable.  Don’t let the way anyone else is distract you.” 

“You’re not Jesus. No one person can do everything.  And even Jesus didn’t heal everyone in Palestine.  Accepting your limitations helps you to do your best and leave the rest up to God.”

This was written by American priest James Martin, SJ, who is a contributing editor to America magazine and author of "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life," and "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything." 

 Image courtesy of  xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net