THE INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES OF OUR JESUIT CHARISM by Pierre Jacob SJ

The Inspirational Sources of Our Jesuit Charism
by Pierre Jacob SJ, Maurice Dullard SJ

Sharing Ignatius' enthusiasm after making his Exercises his Paris companions sealed their lives in missionary vows that entailed an ever greater search for God and eventually led them to Rome. There they refined their collective experience by deliberations that culminated in the papal foundation of the Society of Jesus, the insertion of their private apostolate into the official mission of Christ and his church. Paul III asked them to continue their searching by electing a superior and writing Constitutions to "unpack" his "Regimini Militantis Ecclesiae" or foundational document. They elected Ignatius as their superior and commissioned him to write Constitutions that they then would all revise.

We are fortunate to possess enough documents of those early years to trace the ferment of the charism on this group. This book traces the history of their corporative search for God. Naturally it focuses on the Constitutions for there Ignatius has more profoundly articualated the Society's charism without, however, stifling it. He does this because his Constitutions are not rules but indications for the on-going discernment of generous men on mission in the vagaries of the history of the church and the world, hence guidelines for ever changing circumstances that throw out new challenges, new opportunities so that his charism will inspire. his men to embark on new ventures, to be ever daring but docile because guided by what Ignatius called "caritas discretea", or "discerning love". The experience of such a history together with prayerful understanding of Ignatius' charism and guidelines still helps the Society of Jesus to be a pliant instrument in the hands of Christ and his Vicar.