Sons of Ignatius Sons of Ignatius

Fr Niall talks with Fr Ted Penton SJ and Fr Mark Lopez SJ about the final stage of Jesuit formation which is called tertianship. For the last eight weeks or so Fr Ted has been ministering in Gardiner Street parish while Fr Mark has been in a nearby shelter for men experiencing homelessness which is run by the Legion of Mary.

In this third conversation between Fr Niall and Drs. Kevin and Ciara from JCFJ they talk about the connection between the care of the environment and Jesus. If Christians are to be ecologically responsible then the link between creation and Christ needs to be made very explicit.

Fr Niall, Kevin and Ciara get into some of the concrete demands of transitioning from an unsustainable to a sustainable lifestyle. On yer bike! They conclude that a sustainable life is actually more fulfilling and it’s just the changing which is hard.

Fr Niall sits down with environmental duo Dr Kevin Hargaden and Dr Ciara Murphy from the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ) to talk about Laudate Deum, Pope Francis’ recent letter on climate change. The tone of the letter is urgent and challenging but it still strikes a note of hope. Ciara is impressed by the quality of the scientific argument while Kevin insists that this is still a spiritual letter. Fr Niall wants to know how it ought to affect our daily lives and decisions.

Seán McMahon SJ is a second year Jesuit novice who has just finished his pilgrimage experiment. Even by Jesuit standards this pilgrimage was extreme! In our first episode after the summer break Fr Niall catches up with Seán to talk about the physical, geographical and spiritual highs and lows of his pilgrimage walking over 500 kilometres from Zurich in Switzerland to Paray le Monial in France. Epic stuff.

Often we think we have to earn God's love but when we get something in return for our good behaviour that's a reward - not a gift! God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live the Christian life well. While we receive the Holy Spirit is a special way in Baptism and Confirmation, it's not a "one and done" occurance. God sends the Holy Spirit to help us anytime we ask, a million times over. There is nothing we can do to earn this gift. We just have to receive it. This week Fr Niall shares a talk he gave as part of a Life in the Spirit Seminar series at Gardiner Street Parish. It is a reflection on the older son in the parable of the prodigal son and some thoughts on how sometimes we can get it wrong as Catholics when we think that doing all the right things will earn us our salvation.