叠测听
鈥淒on鈥檛 worry,鈥� I said. 鈥溙齣sn鈥檛 about you.鈥� A beat. Then, 鈥淏ut we听do听need a main character.鈥� Another pause. 鈥淎nd that听is听going to be you. We鈥檙e flying halfway across the world to see you, after all.鈥�
This was the creative paradox with which we journeyed to Kenya. The paradox we handed to our friend,听, then a Jesuit regent serving as the research and policy analyst for the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network in the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar.
I think, in a not-so-insignificant way, that鈥檚 the paradox of Jesuit formation at large.
The formation of a Jesuit 鈥� the many years spent in prayer, study, community and ministry 鈥� is necessarily听about听that Jesuit.听He听needs to gain the skills, hone the disposition and discern his own unique vocation.
At the same time, 蜜桃视频 are formed to serve the Church, to respond to the needs of the world: the cries of the earth and the poor. Jesuit formation is necessarily about听others.
And yet Jesuit formation isn鈥檛 simply about what the听Jesuit听in question can do for others. The community in which he finds himself is essential in helping that Jesuit realize who he is and who he can be. It鈥檚 not a mere exchange of skills and knowledge; it鈥檚 a deepening of relationships. Mutual sharing. True encounter.
The planting of seeds that bear the fruits of the Ignatian charism: to love and serve in all things 鈥� and to meet God therein. Those fruits flourish in the Jesuit as much as in the women and men that accompany him.
A final note: Our journey to Kenya confirmed what is likely abundantly obvious. The process of听formation听鈥� and that鈥檚 not limited to 蜜桃视频; we all are formed in our unique vocations 鈥� bears good fruit听throughout听its unfolding. We鈥檙e tempted, I think, to assume that we cannot contribute, we cannot lend expertise, we cannot give of ourselves in meaningful ways until听after听our proverbial formation is complete.
But we are always being formed, always drawing nearer to the person God invites us to become. Always given new opportunities to go deeper. And from that very place of听formation, we give of ourselves听鈥斕齛nd receive from others.
For Bryan Galligan 鈥� who I hope you will take a moment to听听鈥� Jesuit formation continues. He鈥檚 returned from Nairobi to continue his studies in the States. But the impact his听formation听had on the communities he served across Africa is undeniable. And the impact those same communities had听on him听has proven to be just as significant.
But this story isn鈥檛 about Bryan, even if the video kinda sorta is. This story is about each of us, the people and places we affect and are effected by in the working-out of our own unique vocations.
I hope you鈥檒l take time in these days leading up to the Feast of St. Ignatius to reflect upon yours.
Are you or someone you know interested in discerning Jesuit life? Visit to learn more and get in touch with a vocation promoter!
Finally: What’s in the photo at the top of this email? That’s the building that houses the Jesuit community in Malindi, Kenya!
This reflection is part of the听award-winning听weekly email series,听鈥淣ow Discern This.鈥�听If you鈥檇 like to get reflections like this one directly in your inbox every Wednesday,听sign up here.
Eric A. Clayton听is the award-winning author of听听(Loyola Press) and the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. His essays on spirituality, parenting and pop culture have appeared in听,听,听听听and more, and he is a regular contributor to Give Us This Day,听听and听, where he blogs about Star Wars. His fiction has been published by Black Hare Press, the World of Myth Magazine and more. He lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife, two young daughters and their cat, Sebastian.
