Is Chastity Really Possible? | James Martin | Big Think

Is Chastity Really Possible?

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The Jesuit priest talks about what it’s like to lead a life of poverty and celibacy.

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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: How does one become a Jesuit?

James Martin: Becoming a Jesuit is kind of a long process. You start as a Jesuit novice, which is two years in a place called the Novitiate and you do a combination of prayer and working with the poor. In the middle of all that two years you do a thirty day silent retreat based on what are known as the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola, which is kind of an imaginative placing yourself in the gospel scenes and sort of accompanying Jesus through the gospel scenes imaginatively. After the Novitiate you take what are called your simple vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. After that you do what is called first studies, which is a combination of philosophy and theology and then following that you do three years of full time work, which is called in the Jesuits, regency. Most Jesuits like to teach. They’ll teach in a high school somewhere. I worked overseas in the Jesuit refugee service helping refugees in East Africa start small businesses for themselves. So after that three years is done you go to theology studies and three or four years of theology studies and if you’re a priest you get ordained at the end. There is Jesuit brother as well, people who are Jesuits, but are not called to the priesthood and then after ordination you work full time for a couple of years. I’m working at a Catholic magazine. And finally, at the end of probably five or six years after that you take what are called your final vows, so the whole process is pretty long. It took me 21 years to become a Jesuit, which I think was a little too long for my taste, but that is pretty average. It takes about 20 years to become a full-fledged Jesuit. I like to say it’s like being a made man in the mafia or getting tenure at a university or becoming a partner. You know you’ve been in for a while, but you’re finally, finally fully accepted, so it’s a pretty long process.

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

James Martin: Poverty is one of the three vows that we take. We take a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. Initially Saint Ignatius Loyola when he had his conversion experience he was injured in a battle and was taken home to recuperate and started to think about doing something else with his life. He became very ascetical and gave up everything and really lived like a hermit, lived in a cave, let his fingernails grow long, his hair grow long and ultimately he realized that this wasn’t really doing him much good and he needed to moderate some of this. He ended up going back to school to learn and so he thought, well Jesuits should be free of material possessions, but they don’t have to live you know like they’re hermits, like they’re living in a cave and eating twigs and things like that. It’s not a complete poverty, so Jesuit poverty is really about freedom. It’s about the freedom of not owning. It’s about the freedom of living simply and it’s also about the freedom to not let any possessions come in between you and God.

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