December 2016

Dear Friends!

Directly after my novitiate, I started studying philosophy at the Berchmanskolleg in Munich. Aside from the philosophy lectures, workshops took place throughout the holidays, which were obligatory for us scholastics and therefore not always appreciated… One of these workshops was about accompanying others in the Spiritual Exercises. The course was led by some members of the CLC and one fellow Jesuit. At the end of the week they gave us the following advice: “It can be of practical help to build up a binder labeled ‘Spiritual Exercises’ over the years.”

I took this suggestion to heart and have been building up such a binder over the past 30 years. It contains interesting things about the Spiritual Exercises and most of all some handouts, images, stories and quotes that have spoken to me. The content comes in all different formats and colors. Most of the texts I associate with people and specific occasions. Some are hand-written scraps of paper which I have cut out of letters from friends. I am constantly adding texts to the binder.

To me this binder is more than just a collection of texts. It’s a small reflection of the lived spirituality that fills my life as a Jesuit, connecting me to many good people. The texts don’t spare me my own thinking but instead inspire me to keep searching for the places and ways that I encounter God in my own life.

With this in mind I wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas and a joy-filled beginning to the new year.

Yours,

Fr. Markus Inama SJRector

Jesuitenkolleg Innsbruck | Sillgasse 6 | A-6020 InnsbruckTel.: +43-512-5346-0 | Fax: +43-512-5346-99

markus.inama@uibk.ac.at | www.jesuitenkolleg-innsbruck.at

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Fr. Markus Inama SJ | Rector

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NEWSLETTER NR 14 | 2016 INNSBRUCK

Monika Datterl, Wilhelm Guggenberger, Claudia Paganini, Roman A. Siebenrock (Hg.)Papst Franziskus – Ein erstes Resümee.Innsbruck University Press 2016, 220 S.ISBN 978-3-903122-48-2

Boris Repschinski SJVier Bilder von Jesus. Die Evangelien – alt, doch aktuell.Echter Verlag Würzburg 2016, 288 S.ISBN 978-3-429-03967-7 (Printausgabe)

Mathias Moosbrugger (Hg.)Raymund Schwager, Gesammelte Schriften Band 1: Frühe Hauptwerke.Herder Verlag Freiburg i.Br. 2016, 464 S.ISBN 978-3-451-34221-9

Karin Peter, Mathias Moosbrugger (Hg.)Raymund Schwager, Gesammelte Schriften Band 2: Brauchen wir einen Sündenbock? Gewalt und Erlösung in den biblischen Schriften.Herder Verlag Freiburg i.Br. 2016, 352 S.ISBN 978-3-451-34222-6

Jose Thayil / Andreas Vonach (Eds.)Democracy in an Age of Globalization. Innsbruck University Press 2015, 192 S.ISBN 978-3-902936-73-8

Thomas Schärtl, Christian Tapp, Veronika Wegener (Hg.)Rethinking the Concept of a Personal God.Aschendorff Verlag Münster 2016, 249 S.ISBN 978-3-402-11894-8

During the summer months Fr. Simon Thomas SJ (Gujarat/India), Fr. Stanko Perica SJ (Croatia), Fr. Victor Cancino SJ (California), Fr. Anderson Pedroso SJ (Brazil), Fr. Sergio Gadea SJ (Spain) and Bruno Minocantero, a CLC member from Paraguay, attended a German language course at the Uni-versity of Innsbruck.

Six Jesuits were ordained priests on Saturday, September 17th, in the Jesuit Church in Innsbruck by Bishop Manfred Scheuer from Linz. Five come from the German Province, Fr. Robert Deinhammer SJ (39) from Salzburg was ordained for the Austrian Province.

Since this past summer, five new community members moved into the Jesuit College in Innsbruck. Fr. Robert Deinhammer SJ from the Austrian Province began a post-doctoral lecture qualification in Christian philosophy. He is also doing his pastoral year in the parish Allerheiligen. Fr. Dieudonné Mbiribindi SJ from Kongo is doing his PhD also in Christian philosophy; Fr. Uriel Salas SJ from Columbia is doing a PhD in Old Testament; and Fr. George Njeri SJ from Kenia will do his PhD in New Testament. Fr. Helmut Schumacher SJ from the German Province will write a master’s thesis about the Spiritual Exercises of Fr. Ignatius and their aggiornamento and is supporting Max Heine-Geldern SJ in the CLC youth center.

Fr. Robert Miribung SJ, who was health care chaplain at the hospital in Zams, is now a permanent member of our community. He enjoys celebrating Mass in and around Innsbruck.

Fr. Benjamin Furthner (ASR) and Br. Hernán Rojas (CHL) moved into a flat in a building at the university campus, to-gether with Fr. Gernot Wisser SJ, who is University chaplain since last year. For more information see article on page 4.

> POPE FRANCIS AND THE BIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE <

NEWSLETTER NR 14 | 2016 INNSBRUCK

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> COMMUNITY NEWS <

> NEW BOOKS <

E. Runggaldier SJ and F. Gmainer-Pranzl

On October 2nd, the evening after our General Congre-gation 36 began, we launched the book about Fr. Severin Leitner SJ’s life. Severin died while trekking on the Gran Sasso mountains in Aquila, Italy, in June 2015. The title of the book is the title of one of his speeches, Straightforward with Love. First, Fr. Edmund Runggaldier SJ gave an over-view of Severin’s life. Then, Dr. Franz Gmainer-Pranzl, one of the editors, explained which articles from Severin he chose for the book and why.

In October, Fr. Alexandre Ngandu SJ from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Fr. Thomas Karimundackal SJ from India completed their doctorates. The title of Alexander’s dissertation is “God the Rock: Deuteronomy 32 as the Cardinal Point of Torah, Prophets and Scriptures”. He will now start working in Abjan (Ivory Coast). The title of Thomas’ dissertation is “A Call to Commitment: Covenantal Impli-cations for a YHWH-centered existence. An Exegetical and Theological study of Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32.” He will be teaching sacred scripture in Pune, India. Also, Br. Paul Schroffner SJ finished his dissertation with the title “Memory - Defiance and Source of Christian Hope. Paul Ricoeur and Johann Baptist Metz Between Just and Dangerous Memory.” He already moved to the Pontifical College Gregorianum in Rome where he will teach systematic theology.

G. Njeri SJ, U. Salas SJ, H. Schumacher SJ, R. Deinhammer SJ, D. Mbiribindi SJ

A “book like fire”. This is what Pope Francis calls the Bible in his preface to the Bible for young people that has appeared in German and is being prepared in several other languages. A book like fire, that is, a book full of life, power, warmth and light. A book that brings together the human experience and wisdom of a millennium, through which a divine letter of love is addressed to humanity. How can we a approach this mysterious book, this burning mountain? It originatesin a very distant time and culture, two to three millennia before our time. Some of its words seem difficult and obscure, others strike us immediately. Three aspects of how Pope Francis recommends to read the Bible can be helpful.

In the Spirit of Prayer and with a Perspective on Real Life

To those who preach the word of God and, indeed, to all the faithful, the Pope recommends to approach the Bible principally led by prayer; a practical approach, orientated towards real human and social life, which the Church has been practicing since antiquity in the tradition of the lectio divina. “Lord, what does this text say to me? What is it about my life that you want to change by this text? What troubles me about this text? ... What attracts me?” (Evangelii Gaudium §153), are some of the decisive questions in prayerful reading.

Pope Francis is skeptical regarding an overly theoretical approach towards the Bible. In the context of the Church, academic exegesis should, in its efforts to bridge the gap between the ancient world of the Bible and the contem-porary world, go beyond explaining significant details,but also address the principal message of Biblical texts in their religious and ethical relevance.

Bible or Science? Finding God in All Things!

Many people are concerned with the question of how the truth of the Bible relates to the findings of scientific research, and specifically, how faith in creation goes together with the theory of evolution and the “big bang”. It is highly significant that Pope Francis underlined in his address to the Pontifical Academy of Science that there is no contradiction between the two. While scientists trace the processes of the natural development of the universe, the Bible speaks in symboli-cal language about the ultimate origin of the universe, that is, God, and about his relationship with all creatures. God has created us “like a craftsman... from the clay of the earth. That is, God allowed his hands to be muddied by our lives” (Conversazioni sulla Bibbia, p. 59). Science opens up for us astounding aspects of the universe, in which we can admire in faith the beauty of divine wisdom. Pope Francis’ open and faithful approach towards science is grounded in our common Ignatian spirituality, in which we search God “ in all things”.

Reading in Community and Interreligious Friendship

Jorge Bergoglio’s profound friendship with some Jews has strongly influenced his approach towards the Bible. The “Conversations on the Bible” (published in Italian: Conver-sazioni sulla Bibbia) between the then Cardinal of Buenos Aires and Rabbi Abraham Skorka were moderated by the Presbyterian Marcelo Figueroa. The title of this book shows how the Bible is the soul of the dialogue between its read-ers – the faithful of different religions and denominations. When the Rabbi invited the Cardinal to preach in his syna-gogue, Jorge Bergoglio felt very “dignified” (p. 79). “Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus’ disciples.” Despite the differences between the two religions “there exists as well a rich complementarity which allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures to-gether and to help one another to mine the riches of God’s word. We can also share many ethical convictions and a common concern for justice and the development of peoples” (Evangelii Gaudium §248ff.).

A powerful experience

“When we pray, we speak to God. But when we read, God speaks to us” (Adalgero, Admonitio ad Nonsuindam reclusam). Pope Francis expresses his deep faith that the Bible offers the living word of God for our contemporary world, and he thus invites especially all young people to embark on the adventure of its reading: “Why don’t you read the Bible together, in two or three or four? In nature, in the woods, at the beach, in the evening, in the light of some candles... It will be a powerful experience!”

Fr. Dominik Markl SJ from Innsbruck, teaches Old Testament at the Biblicum in Rome

Cf. “Bibbia”, in: A. Carriero (ed.), Il Vocabolario di Papa Franc-esco 2. Parole profetiche per il nostro tempo, Elledici, 2016.Georg Fischer, Dominik Markl, Thomas Söding et al., Bibel. Jugendbibel der Katholischen Kirche, Augsburg, ³ 2016.

> POPE FRANCIS AND THE BIBLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE <

NEWSLETTER NR 14 | 2016 INNSBRUCK

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Dominik Markl SJ

After my ordination in the year 2006 I was placed in a social center in Almora, Uttarakhand, India. Today it is one of the biggest social centers in the Province, working on various programs in almost five hundred villages. For many years the Holy Spirit has been inspiring me to search a deeper understanding of the changing socio-economic context in rural India. I feel that it was part of God’s plan that in 2014, I received permission to pursue my Doctoral Studies in the Department of Sociology at Innsbruck University.

Innsbruck is a small city but it is surrounded by beautiful mountains which made me feel at home instantly. The atmosphere and the landscape give me a feeling of Heaven on Earth. There are no crowds, no noise, no pollution; I am instead surrounded by beautiful churches, can take a deep breath of fresh air and feel at home.

“The community that prays together stays together” – Jesuitenkolleg with its very affectionate and cordial com-munity is an example of this. I could relate with everyone easily since all Jesuits share the same Jesuit Spirit and Char-ism. The community has a perfect atmosphere for serious studies. The community life and spiritual practices are highly inspiring: regular Mass and prayers, Eucharistic Adoration and meditations of all sorts keep the community refreshed and renewed. Weekly community Mass and dinners enrich our community building.

“Health is wealth, as the old saying goes” - I keep myself fit and healthy. Innsbruck offers many opportunities for physical activity of every taste. I particularly cherish the occasional hike in the company of fellow Jesuits like Frs. Fischer and Goller. Walking through the forest and being with nature itself is a spiritual experience for me – watch-ing nature, I cannot doubt God’s existence. There, I find a line from the fourth week of the Spiritual Exercises, “I will consider how God dwells in creatures; in the elements; ... (§235)” come alive.

The thesis for my dissertation is “The Future of the Rural Society in Uttarakhand is in the Hands of Women”. As a man, I am not doing my thesis on women by accident, but by deliberate choice. In the last few decades women have paved a way for themselves in the society. More and more women are being educated and thus rightly empowered, emerging as powerful transforming agents in every field. The insights I have gathered in Europe help me to deepen my reflections and to comprehend the Indian context, so I can work effectively as a Jesuit in the future.

> FR. AROKYA SWAMY SAVARIYAPPAN SJ <

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NEWSLETTER NR 14 | 2016 INNSBRUCK

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After two months of living in the university chaplaincy Inns-bruck, we have settled in nicely into our shared apartment of Jesuits. “We” are Gernot, the former Austrian Provincial, Hernán, a fellow Jesuit from Chile, living in Innsbruck to write his doctoral thesis, and I, Benjamin, ordained priest about a year ago. This new little community is a collabora-tion of the Jesuit community with the diocese, founded to offer different spiritual activities for the students of the university of Innsbruck: Monday through Friday we have a morning prayer, 50 minutes of meditation at noon and an evening prayer. Every Friday we offer a guided look back at the past week (“The Examen”).

The idea of the project is for us three Jesuits to celebrate Mass and pray in the chapel on a regular basis and invite students to join us. We believe that the students who come here will experience the power of praying together and come to a new appreciation of intentional silence. Once a month we offer a Taizé prayer and so far, it was the most crowded event with more than 25 people. What a beautiful surprise that so many people came! People also responded very well to a workshop on decision-making. In addition to these activities through weekly meetings we accompany a group of six students, who are looking to deepen their life as Christians and their faith. We live next door to them and at their suggestion, we threw a housewarming party in October. It was a fun night!

In our community we live the ordo solitus, which means that throughout the week we have lunch together most days at the university cafeteria, cook together on Wednes-day nights and have a nice long breakfast on Sundays. Of course we also have disagreements, every Jesuit is different! Saturdays and Sundays we usually eat at the Jesuit College to stay in contact with our fellow Jesuits. Our shared apart-ment has two guest rooms which students can use for simply taking some time alone, for studying, or for enjoying days of silence or spiritual exercises. In this way we wel-come people to our community and try to respond to the students’ needs.

We developed this project of a flat-sharing community of Jesuits at the request of our provincial. Gernot, Hernán and I exchanged ideas about offering different programs to the students and thoughts on our living together. Everybody’s opinions were considered. In one year we will evaluate the project and change things if necessary. For the moment, our living room could use some more decorating ;-).Fr. Benjamin Furthner SJ

> FLAT-SHARING COMMUNITY „UNIPFARRE“ <

A. Savariyappan SJ with women from AlmoraG. Wisser SJ, H. Rojas SJ, B. Furthner SJ