All Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus…Pray for us!

By Honoré Onana Olah, SJ

The Jesuits around the world celebrated today, November 5, 2018, all Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus. This year, Fr. Joachim Zoundi, SJ, Spiritual Father of Hekima Jesuit community presided over the Eucharistic celebration in the chapel of the community.

During his homily, Fr Zoundi, SJ, underlined the fact that by celebrating the Saints of the Society of Jesus, it is an opportunity for us Jesuits to give thanks to God and to keep hope about the future. “Yes, by celebrating All saints of the Society of Jesus, we acknowledge and ascertain the fact that the Society of Jesus is indeed a pathway to salvation”.

Commenting the Readings of the day (Dt. 30:11-14; Ps 15:1-2a, 5.7-8; John 12:23-26) the Spiritual Father of Hekima Jesuit community invited all the Jesuits to remember that during their mission, they are called to work for the Kingdom of God, “under the banner of the cross” following the footstep of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. For him, Saint Ignatius and all the companions “have followed Christ’s print on this earth, working hard and restlessly so that now they are where Christ is actually, i.e. in the kingdom of God for eternity”.

Indeed, the English Supplement to the Missal and Lectionary for the Society of Jesus reminds us that the feast of All Saints of the Society of Jesus we are celebrating “honors the Jesuits who are with God in Glory; the canonized saints, the beatified, and the countless others, who in following the charism of the Society of Jesus, have attained heaven”. The celebration also calls to mind “the power of God shining through human weakness and the reward given to those who faithfully labor under the banner of Christ’s cross.”