James Martin responds to Sister Julie’s questions

Sister Julie: You write about Thomas Merton being asked by the Gethsemani monastery porter, “Have you come here to stay?” (page 57) When did you feel that this question was being posed to you as well? How did it feel to first get a glimpse that God might be calling you to religious life? How did you respond? What did you do with any feelings of uncertainty, fear, resistance, etc.?

Father Martin: In essence, I feel that this question was first “posed” to me when I saw a documentary on PBS about the Trappist monk Thomas Merton in 1986. The “call” to religious life came through a simple attraction to the kind of life Merton led. At the time, I understood that only as a simple attraction. But it was more than that: it was a way of God communicating with me through my emotions and desires. That of course, was the call. And I did have feelings of uncertainty, fear and resistance, that took a while to subside. Ultimately, it became a question of asking myself “What do I want to do with my life?”

Sister Julie: “For me, Thomas Merton’s description of religious life was an invitation to new life” (page 59). Could you say more about this? How is religious life an invitation to new life? What did that mean for you?

Father Martin: On a practical level, it was a “new life” because it was radically different from the life I was living in the corporate world. But, on a deeper level, it was an invitation to live as my “true self,” as Merton would say, rather than the “false self” who had been trying to convince himself that the corporate world was the right place for him. And on another level, God was offering me “new” life more generally, because whenever we follow God’s call we are revitalized and enlivened and inspired.

Sister Julie: You are so right about people (myself included when I was younger) thinking that a call from God is “something of an otherworldly experience”. What can religious, vocation ministers, parents, and parish leaders do to help people sense God’s call in the ordinary “language” of every day life?

Father Martin: First of all, by helping people recognize that their deepest desires – not just their surface needs and ones – are manifestation if God’s desires planted within them In other words, your deepest desires for love, longing for a relationship, and hopes for meaningful work or a welcoming religious community, are ways God has of calling you to these very people and places. So we need to recover an understanding of the place of holy desires in our everyday lives.

Sister Julie: How did you feel called to the Jesuit way of religious life? Were you attracted by any other kinds of religious communities?

Father Martin: Well, that’s sort of an embarrassing question for me! (Or at least the answer is!) Because I spent virtually no time looking at any other religious communities. And the reason for that was my complete ignorance about the complex and variegated world of religious orders. These days, when young men come to me asking about entering the Jesuitsm I make it a point to ask them whether, as a part of their discernment, they have also explored the charismas of religious orders. But, for me, as it turns out, God was able to work even through my ignorance! I was led to the Jesuits more or less by chance–or, more precisely, Providence.

Sister Julie: How can the saints help people who are discerning a major life commitment? How about the “smaller” discernments in life?

Father Martin: Mostly by reminding us that the even the saints struggled with their decisions. They looked to the Gospels, talked to their friends, studied to the traditions of the church, and tried their best to discern what God seemed to be asking them, but in the end few were ever completely sure that they were doing the right thing. Just read any life of the saint, and you’ll see that they often struggle with decisions. That goes for the smaller discernments as well. In other words, do your best, trust that God is helping you if you have a good intention, and take the plunge!

Sister Julie: What other saints have been your friends along your journey into and within religious life? why?

Father Martin: You know, the saints have been my “best friends” are been included in My Life With The Saints. But there were a few other good friends I left out due to space considerations. If I had to write a second book it would surely include St. Isaac Jogues (for his heroic faith), St. Katherine Drexel (for her commitment to the poor) and St. Thomas Moore (for his ability to discern even in the most difficult of times. I just hope they are not too upset that I left them out!