Con piacere pubblichiamo l’articolo del prof. Francesco Zito scritto per la newsletter JECSE sulla Visita di p. Arturo Sosa SJ al Massimo.
November 17 was no ordinary Monday at the Istituto Massimo in Rome. From early morning, a quiet sense of anticipation filled the school — the kind that accompanies
a rare event: the visit of the Father General of the Society of Jesus, Fr Arturo Sosa.
No special anniversary, no particular occasion; simply a gesture of closeness. And for this very reason, all the more precious.
His day began early as he walked through the corridors of the different school buildings. Classrooms opened their doors as they do for a long-awaited guest:
curious faces, straighter postures, emotions not easily hidden. Fr Sosa paused a little longer with the high school students. He avoided abstract speeches and chose
instead words grounded in experience. He highlighted flexibility as a vital quality for navigating change — a trait he recognises as one of the Society’s historical
strengths. He then offered the students a rare moment of sincerity: an invitation to support vocations, reminding them that the mission of the Society continues only
through people willing to dedicate their lives to it.
In the afternoon, the Father General’s path shifted from classrooms to small, intimate meetings with teachers, parents, and alumni. In this more relaxed setting, the heart
of his message emerged clearly: the Ignatian charism is not a heritage reserved for a few, but a responsibility shared by all. Every educator — teachers, technical staff,
administrative staff — shapes the way a Jesuit school accompanies the growth of its students. Education is not only about imparting knowledge, but about creating an
environment where each person can reflect on what gives their life meaning. A Jesuit school is a place where we learn to interpret the world not with fear, but with hope.
As evening came, the community gathered in the school chapel, filled as on its most significant days. There, Fr Sosa delivered a homily that wove together the Gospel of
the blind man of Jericho (Lk 18:35–43) with the restlessness of our time. “How can we not recognise ourselves in this same condition today?” he asked, recalling how
we too often believe we see clearly — until history confronts us with challenges that unsettle our certainties: wars rekindling, democratic fragility, pandemics,
environmental crises, technologies advancing faster than our ability to understand them.
In this context, he pointed toward a simple yet demanding path: educating in discernment. “The task of educators is to help young people distinguish the voices
that invite an encounter with the Lord of life from those that have every interest in keeping the blind man of Jericho at the margins,” he said. Not formulas for success,
but journeys that guide each person toward the fundamental question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
In this inner dialogue, Ignatian tradition invites educators to take a step back — a gesture of trust. He cited the Spiritual Exercises, where Ignatius asks the guide to
remain “balanced, like the weight on a scale,” allowing “the Creator to deal directly with the creature.” This, perhaps, is the most delicate and profound dimension of
education: not leading from above, but accompanying so that each person may encounter their own truth.
Toward the end of the celebration, the Gospel story of the healed blind man took on a new light. Regaining sight does not only mean understanding more clearly, but
discovering an orientation that gives meaning to one’s path. A Jesuit school, Fr Sosa observed, is precisely this: a place where we learn to see anew, to read reality with
renewed eyes, and to choose to live “with and for others.”
In this perspective, he also recalled the words of Don Tonino Bello, inviting us to shift our focus from the why of things to the for whom we live. School is the place where
each person can discover their own for whom: the passions that move them, the talents awaiting expression, the relationships that shape a life.
Looking back on this day, it is natural to remember the great legacy of Fr Pedro Arrupe, who understood with remarkable clarity how Jesuit schools were decisive
places for forming “men and women for others.” The Father General’s visit stands within this living continuity, reminding us that Ignatian identity is not a relic to
preserve, but a source that continues to generate vision and responsibility.
When Fr Sosa left the chapel, many felt that the day had been a gift — not only for the words spoken, but for the new way of seeing they awakened. An invitation,
simple and demanding, to continue walking as a community that educates, accompanies, and allows itself to be transformed.
A day that will remain in the memory of the Istituto Massimo as one of those moments measured not in events, but in horizons — the kind that sometimes open
unexpectedly. Like when one begins, finally, to see anew.
