Crossed Arms vs. the Monogram: Franciscans and Jesuits Compared

My friend Jason asked in a comment yesterday to explain the difference between Jesuit and Franciscan takes on spirituality and the Christian life. Honestly, I’m a bit scared to do it, primarily because I’m no expert, and I don’t want to give an account of either of these venerable orders that members would find simplistic, condescending, or unfair. Anything I write on these two orders is not authoritative and does not represent the official positions of said Orders, their Ministers- and Superiors-General, their Provinces and Provincials, or any and all Members and Subordinate and Constitutive Institutions. I was, however, taught in Jesuit institutions for 8 of my 19 years of schooling, so in the Jesuit spirit we’re going to rush right in and give it our best shot.

Symbols are important, as any artist will tell you. One of the most common symbols of the Franciscan order is the “crossed arms,” one bare arm and one sleeved arm, crossed, both nailed to a cross or at least showing the nail-marks in their hands or wrist. An example can be seen in the seal of St. Bonaventure’s. Francis and his followers seek crucifixion, if not literally, then at least figuratively, living lives of poverty and service to the poor.  Contrast that with the Jesuits: one of their central symbols is the monogram, which imitates a military or noble badge.  Ignatius and his sons strive for educational and missionary goals, almost like spiritual conquerors.
One of Francis’s nicknames is Il Povorello, Italian for “the little poor one.” Although Francis was born to a rich merchant family who lived better than many nobles of his time, he gave up everything to live in solidarity with the poor. Franciscans do all sorts of things today, but their core values are still that of Il Povorello.

Ignatius, a soldier by trade, was wounded in battle and had a conversion experience during his convalescence. Instead of remaining a soldier of the state, he became a soldier for Christ. To this day, the Jesuits are known as “the Pope’s marines” for their role in the Counter-Reformation. Father Pedro Arrupe, 31st Superior General of the Order, a survivor of the Nagasaki atomic bomb attack, profoundly influenced the Jesuit mission, urging that Jesuit educational and missionary efforts have a greater emphasis on social justice and advocacy of the poor.

In my experience, the Franciscan way of life tends to emphasize a life of poverty and simplicity. Franciscan spirituality also seems to emphasize a life of action in the lives of ordinary people. Although I see many parallels with Franciscan mission, the Jesuit sense of mission does not always involve a radical identification with the poor and marginalized, while Franciscan practice seems to have that identification as an essential component. Similarly, Jesuit spirituality tends to the systematic and intellectual, as seen in Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, a marked contrast with the often popular, devotional spirituality of the Franciscans.

The Bloggin’ Cardinal, better known as Archbishop Sean O’Malley of Boston, a Franciscan Capuchin friar, has an interesting reflection on the Jesuits here.

I hope this gives a sense of the tensions I see for a Franciscan brother teaching at a Jesuit school; maybe I’ll tell the story  sometime of the fountain at Gerry’s “It’s-Not-My-Farm” Farm, which essentially is the story of a Franciscan making fun of Jesuits.