Dear Loyola,
I recently heard a remarkable story from Mr. Jordan Jones, S.J., philosophy professor here at Loyola. In 1940, Jesuit priest Fr. Vładisław Lohn returned to his community house in Krakow, Poland to find that the Gestapo had arrested all of his Jesuit brothers and taken them to Auschwitz. So Fr. Lohn did something remarkable: he broke into Auschwitz. He didn’t break out; he broke in because he wanted to be with his brothers. When the Commandant of the prison camp discovered him, he was so impressed by his courage that he simply kicked him out.
Where does this kind of courage come from? Where does one find this kind of interior strength? Catholics believe that it comes from the Eucharist, and all Christians believe that it comes from prayer. There are many Ignatian values, and we frequently speak about them here at Loyola, and that is good and appropriate. But there is one preeminent Ignatian value, and that is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Fr. Lohn had the courage to break into Auschwitz because he was personal friends with Jesus Christ. And there is only one way to become friends with Jesus. We must spend time with him.
On Wednesday evening of Loyola Week, something wonderful will happen at Loyola. Starting at 7p.m. at St. Ignatius Chapel in Bobet Hall, I will lead any interested students in a short 15-minute Eucharistic procession to the St. Charles Room. Then from 7:15-8:15p.m., the Vigil Project, an extremely talented local band, will lead worship music in the presence of Jesus. All are invited to participate, even if it is only for five minutes.
Eucharistic processions are part of the fabric of Catholicism in Louisiana. Every year on August 15, a floating Eucharistic procession makes its way down 40 miles of Bayou Teche following the route of the original Acadians (Cajuns) when they came to Louisiana. Wednesday Night is our own little part in that wider Southern and Catholic history.
We all need courage in our lives. What Fr. Lohn did is what each of us is called to do: break into the dark places of one another’s lives and do what we can to bring hope in the midst of suffering. This is what saints do: they run into places of suffering, and not away from them. I invite you to bring whatever burdens you are carrying at this time in your life: family, relationships, school, work, whatever it is, and come lay them down at the feet of Jesus. Jesus will exchange your burdens for his peace. That is what he came to do.
AMDG,
Fr. Nathan O'Halloran, S.J.
Director, Canizaro Center for Catholic Studies
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Co-Chair, Loyola Week
