“Seeing all things new in Christ” – How so?

When the Chinese Province, which is known as one of the aging provinces in the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific, embarked on a journey of discerning our Province Apostolic Plan, we decided to have three Province Assemblies over three years for a process of discernment in common. The First Assembly was planned for July 2020 in Changhua, Taiwan. However, due to the pandemic, the Assembly eventually took place in February 2021 with physical gatherings in different regions while connected through Zoom.

The theme of the First Assembly was “Sustaining the Common Mission with a New Culture.” The foci of the New Culture being “positivity” and “collaboration” for the Chinese Province. As expected, some of ours pointed out that the two foci were nothing new. Being encouraging, affirming, constructive, and hopeful are our Christian virtues. Cooperation or collaboration has been a focus of the Society since General Congregation (GC) 34. So, nothing is really new with this New Culture, isn’t it?

This is what I wrote to my brother Jesuits and partners in mission after the First Assembly:

“For myself, I am most grateful for a dynamic and generous Preparatory Team, and the spirit of the participation throughout the Assembly. It was the first time we had such significant participation from our partners in mission. What I have experienced allowed me to attain deeper understanding of “Seeing All Things New in Christ” instead of a slogan. I pray that my brother Jesuits and Partners will see “old” things anew with this “New Culture” that we want to realise. Conversion is renewal, leaving something old for something “new” which was already embedded in the Gospel and the spiritual practices of the early Society.

The consolidated 15 points of the New Culture are particularly appreciated by the participants. They reverberate in us what we have shared and heard at the Spiritual Conversation sessions. They come from the Spirit through us and in turn showing us ways to convert ourselves to the New Culture….”

Indeed, the Province Assembly preparatory team was composed of Jesuits and lay partners, women and men. The First Assembly had more non-Jesuits/lay partners in mission participate in it than ever before. It had contributed to a more enthusiastic and inclusive atmosphere throughout the Assembly. This was already something new to the province, i.e., how the active participation of our partners in mission had contributed so much to the process and outcomes of the Assembly.

We Jesuits have been using the Spiritual Exercises for our annual retreats. However, as noted in GC36, the effects of the Exercises on us seem to be bafflingly insignificant. So are the two known foci of the New Culture. Unless we see them afresh with our own hearts and renewed spirits, they remain nothing new to us. Until we treat our partners as true partners, they will just be someone working for us. We Jesuits are also their partners for God’s mission. And this requires not just our intellectual conversion, which we are fairly good at, but our psycho-spiritual conversion as well.

Why positivity? As Jesuits, we have learned to be critical in our intellectual formation, which is an asset in itself. However, my experiences tell me that being critical alone is grossly insufficient. In fact, when our communal culture becomes so negative and life-sapping, any efforts in vocation promotion turn out to be significantly compromised. What young men will want to join a band of men who are individualistic, unsupportive, and even critical towards each other?

But our faith is in a God who looks at us through a trinitarian lens of love, faith, and hope as we are all created in God’s image. God moves us to “becoming” through His insistent trust in that divine nature in us. Even when our conscience is pricked or reprimanded, it is not meant to leave us unsupported or damaged. There is always hope in God for the best in us, and God wants us to know that one way or another. And the same should be for us with one another.

Before moving on to my new mission, I pray that more will want to join us as Jesuits and partners in mission when they can see us affirming and empowering each other, while discerning and collaborating with the spirit of unity in plurality.

Stephen Chow SJ
Provincial
Chinese Province