Sunday,
September 17th I gathered in Loyola University Maryland’s chapel to
celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit, a tradition rooted in Jesuit tradition.
As I entered the church, the building was teeming with people filling in the
pews as well as standing in the isles. The procession started with banners
representing ideals our school was built upon: including diversity, justice,
and compassion for all things. Adorned in red, Father Brian Linnane proceeded
to say the mass surrounded by a crowd of Jesuit priests from our own, as well
as neighboring, communities. The mass
embodied our acceptance of each other as well as the natural world. Readings
and songs embraced a mixture of languages- unifying different sectors
throughout the world. This incorporation
of diverse branches and the prominent Jesuit tradition of appreciating things
within our natural world allowed me to read these three different works in
light of Jesuit tradition.
Starting with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
work, The Birthmark, we come to
realize mankind’s ignorance to the way of the natural world. The story features
a husbands (Aylmer) disgust with an imperfection on his wife, Georgiana, face.
Georgiana, built almost to perfection, was considered ‘flawed’ by her husband
due to the imprint of a ‘crimson hand’ upon her left cheek. Instead of acting
with acceptance, Aylmer shuddered at its sight and wished its removal- later,
taking this into his own hands. By doing so, Aylmer challenges the boundaries
of nature instead of appreciating it- like the Jesuits teach. Imperfection and
flaws are what make human beings be considered human beings. After his removal
of Georgiana’s imprint, he watches as she dies because human nature does not
account for the living of a perfect human being. The work of Hawthorne
exemplifies the importance of valuing nature and mankind as it is and not
always looking to change it. In class the past few weeks, we have resorted back
to a common example- Jesuits’ ability to see beauty in all things- such as in a
leaf as they walk pass a tree.
In
contrast, Wordsworth’s poem, I wandered
Lonely as a Cloud, strongly embraces the idea of finding beauty in such
mundane things. In particular, the speaker of this poem finds a strong beauty
within a ‘host’ of daffodils. The speaker adores these flowers, personifying
them in many instances- explaining how they flutter and dance in the breeze. He
reveres the group of daffodils as they seem never ending and bring joy to him
as a spectator. There is admiration of every aspect of the flower and its
significance is remembered in the simplest of instances. Wordsworth exemplifies
the teaching of finding and appreciating all things within nature. The reading
helped me deeply connect with the teaching and purpose of Loyola’s mass the previous
weekend. Wordsworth demonstrated how to put Jesuit traditions into practice by
creating such a vivid relationship with Nature in his poem.
The
third reading for the week, Charlotte Gilman’s short story, connects to Jesuit
tradition in a very different manner. The main character is bedridden and
suffers from mental illness. As a result, her confinement to a bedroom
decorated with horrible yellow wallpaper disables her from connecting with the
real world. She appreciates the garden, bay, flowers, and trees from the view
of her barred windows. Gilman’s story shows a strong disconnect with the
freedom and societal involvement so valued by Jesuit tradition.
The
rich Jesuit culture so heavily present as mass seemed so pertinent in our class
readings. The readings demonstrate the value of appreciating all the world has
to offer and to jump at opportunities to further enrich ourselves into our
society and the natural world in which we live. The beauty of the world
presents itself to us every single day, it is our job to notice.
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