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Big Think Interview With James Martin

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A conversation with the Jesuit priest and author of “The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything.”

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James Martin:

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, and is the culture editor of America, the national Catholic magazine. Father Martin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1982, where he received a bachelor's degree in finance. After working for six years in corporate finance and human resources with General Electric Co., he entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1988. On Nov. 1, 2009, he pronounced his final vows as a Jesuit.

Father Martin is the author of several books, the latest of which is called "The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything." His bestselling memoir "My Life with the Saints" was named one of the "Best Books of 2006" by Publishers Weekly. He also wrote "A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas and Life's Big Questions," which was named one of Publishers Weekly's "Best Books of 2007."

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TRANSCRIPT:

Question:rnHow does one become a Jesuit?

James Martin:rnBecoming a Jesuitrnis kind of a long process. Yournstart as a Jesuit novice, which is two years in a place called the Novitiaternand you do a combination of prayer and working with the poor. In the middle of all that two years yourndo a thirty day silent retreat based on what are known as the spiritualrnexercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola, which is kind of an imaginative placingrnyourself in the gospel scenes and sort of accompanying Jesus through the gospelrnscenes imaginatively. After thernNovitiate you take what are called your simple vows of poverty, chastity andrnobedience. After that you do what isrncalled first studies, which is a combination of philosophy and theology andrnthen following that you do three years of full time work, which is called in thernJesuits, regency. Most Jesuitsrnlike to teach. They’ll teach in arnhigh school somewhere. I workedrnoverseas in the Jesuit refugee service helping refugees in East Africa startrnsmall businesses for themselves. rnSo after that three years is done you go to theology studies and threernor four years of theology studies and if you’re a priest you get ordained atrnthe end. There is Jesuit brotherrnas well, people who are Jesuits, but are not called to the priesthood and thenrnafter ordination you work full time for a couple of years. I’m working at a Catholicrnmagazine. And finally, at the endrnof probably five or six years after that you take what are called your finalrnvows, so the whole process is pretty long. It took me 21 years to become a Jesuit, which I think was arnlittle too long for my taste, but that is pretty average. It takes about 20 years to become arnfull-fledged Jesuit. I like to sayrnit’s like being a made man in the mafia or getting tenure at a university orrnbecoming a partner. You knowrnyou’ve been in for a while, but you’re finally, finally fully accepted, so it’srna pretty long process.

Question:rnWhat is Jesuit poverty and how has it changed over the years?

James Martin: Poverty is one of the three vowsrnthat we take. We take a vow ofrnpoverty, chastity and obedience. Initially Saint Ignatius Loyola when he hadrnhis conversion experience he was injured in a battle and was taken home to recuperaternand started to think about doing something else with his life. He became very ascetical and gave uprneverything and really lived like a hermit, lived in a cave, let his fingernailsrngrow long, his hair grow long and ultimately he realized that this wasn’trnreally doing him much good and he needed to moderate some of this. He ended up going back to school tornlearn and so he thought, well Jesuits should be free of material possessions,rnbut they don’t have to live you know like they’re hermits, like they’re livingrnin a cave and eating twigs and things like that. It’s not a complete poverty, so Jesuit poverty is reallyrnabout freedom. It’s about thernfreedom of not owning. It’s aboutrnthe freedom of living simply and it’s also about the freedom to not let anyrnpossessions come in between you and God. rnAt the same time it’s supposed to help us identify with the poor. We do a lot of work with the poor andrnwe’re supposed to try to live as close as possible to what Saint Ignatius callsrna family of slender means, you know people who don’t have a lot and also it’srnsupposed to model Christ.

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