Learning through Literature

I am currently taking a class on Dorothy Day (founder of the Catholic Worker Movement) and Thomas Merton (a Trappist monk) and we have been discussing how literature had a large impact on them. Literature, both religious and fictional, played roles in the development of their vocation. This made me think about the first book that made me interested in world religions and interfaith, Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Reading the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel was an important moment in my spiritual formation. It is a fiction book about a young Indian Hindu boy who discovers Christianity and Islam and begins to practice all three religious traditions. Although it was a work of fiction the thought that one person could practice three different faith traditions captured my attention and imagination. I began to think about what my faith life could look like if I integrated other faiths beyond my own Catholic beliefs and practices. It was this curiosity that drove me to begin to learn about other religions, and eventually made me decide to major in religious studies. The book made me broaden my understanding of religion, and strive to create within myself an understanding of the interconnectedness and commonality of religions. This exposure to the concept of integrating and practicing multiple faith traditions dramatically changed the way I thought about religion, and over time impacted my personal spirituality. In searching to discover where my eagerness to experience other religious practices and integrate them into my personal spirituality came from I remember my first encounter with interfaith was reading Life of Pi.

-Elaina Jo

Falling in Love

Nothing is more practical than finding God,

that is, than falling in love

in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,

what seizes your imagination,

will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you

out of bed in the morning,

what you will do with your evenings,

how you will spend your weekends

what you read, who you know,

what breaks your heart,

and what amazes you

with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,

and it will decide everything.

-Pedro Arrupe, SJ

In the past couple weeks I have heard this prayer several times, and I have begun to think deeply about what I am falling in love with right now. Having my internship in interfaith ministry I have begun to see that I am in love with religion. I find myself always thinking about new events we could have, movies to watch, conversations to have about religion. I think back to my freshman year when I took my first religious studies course and feel in love with it. I have never doubted that I should be a religious studies major, but now more than ever in working with people to promote interfaith I see how it is truly something I am called to do. As Pedro Arrupe says it gets me out of bed in the morning, I spend my time at religious events, and I read about religion. When I see religious misunderstanding and religious hatred it breaks my heart, and when I see people unite in prayer it amazes me and fills me with great joy. I agree with Pedro Arrupe that nothing could be more practical than spending my time doing what I am continually falling in love with.

-Elaina Jo

Closer to God

 Last week one of the staff members in Interfaith Ministry sent me a link to a discussion between a theologist and the Dalai Lama. The theologist asked the Dalai Lama “what is the best religion?” The Dalai Lama replied. “The best religion is the one that gets you closest to God. It is the one that makes you a better person.” This comment really spoke to me and I took some time to ponder what it means to me. As someone who works in interfaith ministry I see the amazing good that religion and prayer do for all the students of faith at Loyola. Each of us speaks to God in our own way, and one way is not better than another. Sometimes it is difficult to think that other religions might be just as good as yours in that they also bring people to God and make them better people. I believe it is important to respect all these diverse traditions that can lead people closer to God and make them better people. As an interfaith community it is good to step back and let the words of the Dalai Lama sink in and reflect on why we are working on interfaith: to bring understanding and see the goodness in all the religions that bring people closer to God.

Here is a link to the story of the conversation with the Dalai Lama: http://inthefootstepsofthebuddha.com/your-religion-is-not-important/

- Elaina Jo