Tag: Sacred Space

Chinese Jesuit Province launches prayer podcast

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People praying in Chinese now have a new prayer resource with the launch of a daily prayer podcast by the Chinese Jesuit Province. The audio podcasts are based on Sacred Space, which was begun by the Irish Jesuits and is today the world’s leading interactive guided prayer site with the daily prayers available in more than 20 languages. The Chinese language version of Sacred Space has been available since 2014.

On May 2, the Chinese Jesuit Province launched the podcast service, which combines narration of the daily Sacred Space prayer in Mandarin with soothing music to draw the person into contemplative stillness. Each episode or prayer session has six stages and each stage is designed as a meditation on God’s presence in our lives. Since it was launched, the podcasts have been played more than 4,600 times.

2018.07.Chinese-prayer-podcast-episode-565x400“Although this kind of service is not a first in the Chinese area, it is a new attempt by the Society of Jesus,” said Zoe Hsieh, an editor in the communication office of the Chinese Province, which comprises China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Chinese Jesuit Province launches prayer podcast[/caption]

“People strain their eyes by staring at the computer or mobile phone too much. Our eyes tend to get hurt by the blue light of the screen,” Hsieh explained. It is also easy to get distracted while looking at our computer or mobile phone, she added. “We need to quiet down to fully immerse ourselves in the spiritual experience.”

An elderly follower of the Chinese Province Facebook page said that she likes the prayer podcasts because she can enjoy a quiet moment of contact with the Lord Jesus every day. In addition to the daily scripture and reflection, she also appreciates the professional narration, music and accompanying pictures.

Another user likes that she can make use of commuter time to pray and isolate the noisy environment by using her earphones. By just listening to the recording, she also gets a moment to rest her tired eyes. Even if she is busy in the office, she can still listen to the podcast and do other things with both hands.

Fr John Chih-cheng Jao SJ, Province Communication Office Director, described the venture into podcasting as “a new attempt for evangelical mission, as well as to respond to the needs of the readers”.

“The traditional way of evangelisation combined with new web technology is able to reach not only the young Internet generation, but also wider audiences around the world,” he said

Ignatian Spirituality

"Ignatius writes the Spiritual Exercises in the cave at Manresa." Painting by Carlos Saenz de Tejada, 1897-1958.
“Ignatius writes the Spiritual Exercises in the cave at Manresa.” Painting by Carlos Saenz de Tejada, 1897-1958.

Finding God in All Things

Throughout much of the world, the Jesuits are best known for their colleges, universities, and high schools. But in a time when many are searching for greater meaning, another aspect of Jesuit life is attracting wide interest. And that is the unique spirituality introduced nearly 500 years ago by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

Ignatius was a Spanish soldier and aristocrat who discerned his calling after suffering nearly fatal wounds on the battlefield. He established the Society of Jesus in 1540, instructing the early Jesuits — to go out and “find God in all things.” That is the signature spirituality of the Jesuits.

Ignatian spirituality is grounded in the conviction that God is active in our world. As the great Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote: “God is not remote from us. He is at the point of my pen, my pick, my paintbrush, my needle — and my heart and my thoughts.” The spiritual path laid out by Ignatius is a way of discerning God’s presence in our everyday lives. And doing something about it.

The Jesuits have a handbook for this search. It is The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, composed by the saint before he was even a priest. Often described as Ignatius’s greatest gift to the world, these exercises unfold a dynamic process of prayer, meditation, and self-awareness. The basic thrust is to make us more attentive to God’s activity in our world, more responsive to what God is calling us to do. Ignatian spiritual directors accompany or guide people through the exercises in retreat houses, parishes, and other settings.

One of the most popular Ignatian exercises is the Daily Examen. It’s a spiritual self-review that involves prayerfully recollecting moments during the day and reflecting on how God was present at those times, followed by a decision to act in some way. The Examen is concrete: It focuses your mind on segments of time (no more than a day, preferably), and the feelings that stirred within you, at those specific moments. Walk through the five steps of the Examen here.

There are a number of outstanding resources devoted to Ignatian spirituality. Sacred Space is a popular prayer site run by the Irish Jesuits, and Jesuitprayer.org was created by the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus to provide daily online prayers and facilitate prayer requests. In addition, The Jesuit Post, founded by a group of Jesuit scholastics (those in the process of religious formation), provides a contemporary look at Jesus, politics, and pop-culture in our secular age.

Ignatian spirituality is not merely an inward journey, much less a self-absorbed one. It aims to bring people closer to God and more deeply into the world — with gratitude, passion, and humility — not away from it. Ignatius called on the Jesuits to be “contemplatives in action.” Today, Jesuits and their lay collaborators work with people in many walks of life, such as education and business. They help nurture “men and women for others.”