Men for Others
There is a popular phrase describing the Jesuits coined by Servant of God Fr. Pedro Arrupe that they are to be “Men for Others,” echoing St. Paul’s goal to “become all things to all people” in order to “save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
This magnanimous spirit is exemplified in, though not limited to, the various ways the Jesuits have become experts in so many fields of knowledge since their relatively recent, by the Church’s standards, founding.
One area that impresses me is how varied the influence is felt in literature.
There is certainly something exciting about the Jesuits that makes authors want to choose them as their priestly characters. It was not simply a matter of convenience that Edgar Allen Poe, though not a Catholic himself, sought their spiritual direction during his time in upstate New York. Finally, while there have been poets of exceptional caliber in other religious orders as well as lay men and women in the Catholic tradition, Gerard Manley Hopkins still towers above many in the English speaking world even outside the sphere of the steeple.
The Catholic Poe
I am hardly the first to reflect upon the Catholic imagination of Edgar Allen Poe. One of the things that surely endears him to the Catholic Faith is his reputation for the macabre. There are varying degrees of fairness to this in both his direction as well as Catholicism’s, but we can grant it. What is less known and less appreciated about Poe was his friendship with the Jesuits at St. John’s College, now known as Fordham University.
With Poe’s familiarity with death, suffering and poetic justice, it is no small wonder that he would have plenty to discuss with the black robes of Ignatius. While this did not produce “results” in one sense of the term, Poe never became Catholic before his death, his sensibilities were touched in a profound way.
One finds references to Catholic piety in the poems “Morella” and “The Bells” as well as a “Hymn” to Mary that uses the theological term Theotokos, which refers to her divine motherhood. The men with whom Poe often spoke and drank, and maybe even prayed, were truly for others in the case of this grieving, tortured writer.
Jesuit Exorcists
Though the classic movie, the first of its genre to win an Oscar, will probably always be better known than the book that inspired it, The Exorcist is a powerhouse of a novel in its own right. Here too, one finds a strong Jesuit influence that is not merely stained glass window dressing.
Every priest mentioned in the book is a Jesuit, largely because it takes place around Georgetown University. However, the backgrounds of the priests figure prominently into the story and their Jesuit training make them fitting candidates. First, Fr. Damien Karras, S.J. is a medically trained psychiatrist who evaluates the young girl to determine if an exorcism is necessary. Not that this could only have happened in the context of a Jesuit priest, but it is well-known the desire of the Society to establish their brothers’ expertise in various fields in order to better meet the needs of the world.
The other prominent priest essential to the plot, Fr. Lankester Merrin S.J., was a trained archeologist who is called in to perform the exorcism. He was partially based on real-life Jesuit and archeologist, Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin S.J. (though I do not believe de Chardin was an exorcist in the formal sense). It is the Renaissance-ian knowledge that made these characters interesting and equipped to address the conflict in the story.
The Poet of the Porter
Finally, there is the poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. I will not pretend to know enough about poetry to give my opinion on him or speak beyond my depth on the technical aspects of his work. I can only repeat the sentiments of experts who refer to him as “one of the Victorian era’s greatest poets,” and “the most individual of Victorian writers.” What I can speak to is that while this convert to the Catholic faith already possessed the poet’s heart and mind, he had also committed his work to the fire before entering religious life. This means that everything he wrote came after his entry into the Society of Jesus.
While it is technically possible that he could have rewritten all of his poems exactly as they were before, it is not plausible that there was no influence from his time as a Jesuit in his published writing. Only one obvious example of this influence will be referenced here, which Hopkins wrote of a fellow Jesuit and Saint, “In Honour of St. Alphonse Rodriguez.” In it he notes biographical elements but most important the humility of this porter and lay brother, who now watches a different Door.
All Things To All People
The examples could be multiplied many times over of Jesuits who have shaped the world in ways scientific and mathematical, dramatic and humane. These are three interesting cases whose effects are still felt in unique ways. May they inspire all of us to be “for others” as Fr. Arrupe, St. Paul, and Christ calls us.