Last winter I took my final required seminary course, Missiology. (Did you know that there is such a word? It's the study of the history, theology, and practice of mission ~ and it was a fabulous course.)
Our very energetic and very Presbyterian pastor-professor, as I knew from a previous class, is much enamored of the Jesuits for their passionate work in and reflection on global missions over the past 450 years. It's actually thanks to him and his insistence that we become more aware of global Christianity that I began to frequent the website of the Jesuit Refugee Service, from which the following is taken:
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"This November 14th we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Jesuit Refugee Service. We recall fondly Father Pedro Arrupe’s sound advice to “pray, pray much” as he encouraged the struggling first generation of JRS team members in Southeast Asia to bring the overwhelming challenges of their new apostolic work to the Lord in prayer.
Three decades later, we once again invite our JRS family — current and former staff members, Jesuits, friends and colleagues—to reflect prayerfully on the ways in which we discover the presence of God in our ministry with refugees and displaced persons.
In honor of our 30th anniversary, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA is introducing a free 30-day online retreat that links Ignatian Spirituality to the plight of refugees and vulnerable migrants. It’s an easy way for people to fuse spirituality and social justice into your day .
The retreat will go live on November 1, and will be prominently linked on our home page.
The retreat links the Spiritual Exercises to the plight of refugees and vulnerable migrants and provides an easy way for people to fuse spirituality and social justice into their days."
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If you've never prayed in this way, you might enjoy giving it a try. Do as many or as few days as you like. It seems to me that, particularly for those of us in the United States with our intense Election Day focus upon ourselves, today is a good one upon which to embark upon a equally intense focus upon the rest of the world.
This is a wonderful way to start preparing for Advent and Christmas. Thank you...
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