In this edition, we pay tribute to Jesuit priest, Joe Munitiz SJ, who was associated with The Way for over fifty years. One of his principle gifts was his discerning intellect and so this issue gathers together articles that explore the processes of intellectual discernment that underlie our lives as individuals and communities. In addition, some of the writers whose talent Joe cultivated pay their own tributes to this wise and gentle scholar.
In the lead article, Calum Samuelson touches on a topic that would have been close to Joe’s heart. He draws out guidance on intellectual discernment from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy and the Letter to the Ephesians. He uses it to explore the work of two early Christian thinkers, Anastasios of Sinai and Ephrem the Syrian, proposing that ‘the task of Christian intellectual discernment is less like constructing an elaborate edifice of knowledge and more like building a beautiful, spacious sanctuary in which God’s mysteries can be manifested and adored.’ You can download his article for free here.
Other highlights include Joe’s last translation from Spanish (before his death last summer) exploring the influence of Hugo Rainer, Miguel Á. Fiorito, and Gaston Fessard on Pope Francis’ Christological approach to discernment. In an article from our online sister journal, Thinking Faith, John Moffat SJ reflects on the relationship between ecology and the Eucharist in the work of St Ireneus. The theme of writing as a process of discernment is also explored by two of the authors who seek to understand the processes that shape academic work in the light of the Spiritual Exercises.
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