Over at People for Others, my friend Paul Brian Campbell, SJ has asked readers, "When you say 'yes' to Jesus, to what are you saying 'yes'?" While he probably didn't intend it as a meme, I'm going to treat it as such but first, some background."To what are you saying 'yes'?" emerged as an in-house conversation at Loyola Press. I'm not surprised because I was privileged to visit there earlier this month.
Believe me, "a Jesuit ministry" isn't just a snappy tag-line for these folks. The culture of Ignatian Spirituality in general and the Examen in particular is present ─ fully and really.
I was keenly aware of how the ability and willingness to prayerfully consider God's presence in all things is the ground of being at Loyola Press. Pretty H.S. impressive, especially since I was there to discuss social media tools and techniques.
Now, back to what it means to say "yes" to Jesus...
At People for Others I briefly commented how, for me, it has meant going into free fall but not really, because I always know there's a net.* This, dear readers, is a post facto explanation.
Truth to tell, saying yes to Jesus was a moment of clarity in a murky kind of way because I had no clue what saying yes would mean. I said yes because I'd already said no for many years and, having reached the end of my rope, I finally let go.
I had no clue that saying yes would involve saying yes to a way of life, a commitment to community, lots of angst over religious expression(s), and a deeper appreciation of my Judaism. All this has emerged over time with no end in sight. And yes, thanks be to God.
*That would be "net" as in fall protection, not Internet!
