The Way 64/1 (January 2025) Interpreted by Love

As we try to understand the human words in which the mystery of God is expressed, perhaps it is helpful to recall the advice of St Ignatius Loyola. He invites us, when we are interpreting another’s words, to be more ready to justify than condemn a neighbour’s statement (Exx 22). He went further by giving advice to Jesuits attending the Council of Trent that they should ‘rely upon readiness to listen, keeping quiet so as to sense and appreciate the positions, emotions and desires of those speaking’. Perhaps he was inspired by St Paul’s exhortation that all human understanding be informed by love (1 Corinthians 13:2). The articles in this issue explore how we interpret human words about God, in the scriptures, in poetry and in prayer. Each author offers us a different way of allowing those words to be interpreted, not by our own lights, but by love itself.

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