James Hanvey SJ, the Society of Jesus’s Secretary for the Service of the Faith, recently spoke at length about Pope Francis’ latest encyclical to Jan Regner SJ, Editor of the Czech Jesuit review, Jezuité.
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Gregory Sharkey SJ
4 Min Read
In Buddhism seeing reality clearly, without the distortions of adverse emotions or selfish concerns, becomes a way of being that opens up the possibility of habitual ‘right action’.
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James Hanvey SJ
8 Min Read
In many ways, the main themes Fratelli Tutti are recognisable to anyone who is familiar with Catholic Social Teaching. But what is different is the way in which the letter not only presents arguments and ideas for us to think about, it also invites us into an affective, reflective and imaginative relationship with its themes.
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Peter Girašek SJ
2 Min Read
Who is this man? Taken “normally”, night is supposed to be a time of break, of dreaming, of reposing… When everything goes right, night passes rather quickly and we wake up fresh into new day. But how often for so many people the life itself…
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James Hanvey SJ
6 Min Read
In our world of absentee fathers and confused masculinities, Reni gives us a portrait of a tender strength at the service of a vulnerable life.
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Service of Faith
1 Min Read
Lord Jesus, in the Spiritual Exercises you put before Ignatius and his companions a way of following you. Today, you also put this way before us. Through the Holy Spirit, you have gathered us from every nation to be your servants and friends under the…
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James Hanvey SJ
1 Min Read
‘Rejoice ye’ – Gaudete – appears to be a late 16th century Carol set with an older medieval tune. It’s bold, lively rhythm, captures well the joyous mood of the Carol as it invites us to celebrate the birth of Christ. The lyrics and the pulsating…
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James Hanvey SJ
9 Min Read
This Christmas, how many grandparents are longing to hug their grandchildren and to feel their hugs in response. In the most natural way, so much is communicated in a touch that words cannot express. The French Christian philosopher, Jean-Louis Chrétien reminds us that the first evidence of the soul is the sense of touch.
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James Hanvey SJ
4 Min Read
The Annunciation is remarkably uncluttered. There is just the Angel and Mary: the Angel in the subtlest of movements towards her and she, wrapped but inclined towards the Angel. These subtle physical gestures carry a quiet intensity of attentiveness. Neither the Angel or Mary speak, yet we are in no doubt that they are communicating.
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James Hanvey SJ
4 Min Read
Even when he paints people in some sort of relationship – at a table, in a lounge or on a bed – there is always a sense of aloneness, space both defining and placing them while emphasising their singularity. His paintings all have the quality of a still-life. In their urban or domestic space, caught in a moment when they are not conscious of us, his people, which could easily be static objects, manage to engage us.