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James J. Martin, SJ, born 29 December 1960, is a Jesuit priest, writer and Culture Editor of the Jesuit magazine America.
Martin grew up in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, and attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1982 and worked in corporate finance at General Electric for six years. Dissatisfied with the corporate world, he became more deeply involved in the Catholic Church and decided to enter the Society of Jesus (more commonly known as the Jesuits) in 1988 and was ordained a priest in 1999. In addition to his work at America Magazine, Fr. Martin has written or edited more than 10 books, many of which are largely about his own experiences. He is a frequent commentator for CNN, NPR, FoxNews, Time Magazine, and other news outlets, and has written several op-ed pieces and blogged for The New York Times.
On September 13, 2007, Father Martin appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to discuss Mother Teresa's fifty-year long sense of abandonment by God which had much coverage in the media at the time. During the interview, Stephen Colbert jokingly asked Father Martin if Mother Teresa's "crisis of faith" had earned her, in his words, "a table for one...by the Lake of Fire." Since then, Father Martin has appeared five more times on The Colbert Report, once to discuss Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the U.S. in April, 2008, and again on February 23, 2009 to discuss how poverty (or, at least, reducing the importance one places on material goods) can bring one closer to God. In his introduction of Father Martin on the February 23rd show, Stephen Colbert promoted Martin from "friend of the show" to "The Colbert Report chaplain." On March 18, 2010, Father Martin was invited to the program in the wake of Glenn Beck's suggesting that Catholics run away from priests who preach "social justice." Father Martin noted that "social justice addresses the things that keep people poor" and "asks you why are these people poor." He added that "Christ asked us to work with the poor.... In the Gospel of Matthew he says that the way that we're going to be judged at the end of our lives is not what Church we prayed in or how we prayed but really...how we treated the poor." On August 10th, 2011, Father Martin appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss God's "approval rating" and to promote his book The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. On November 9th, 2011, he appeared once again to promote his book concerning humor and religion: Between Heaven and Mirth.
Martin's books include:
This Our Exile: A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa (Orbis Books, 1999), which tells of Martin's experiences in the early 1990s working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Nairobi, Kenya and helping East African refugees start small businesses.
In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity and Obedience (Sheed & Ward, 2000), which is the story of Martin's call to the priesthood and the early days of his Jesuit vocation. "In Good Company" has been translated into several languages, including Spanish and German.
Searching for God at Ground Zero (Sheed & Ward, 2002), which contains Martin's reflections on God, evil, love and hope as he ministered to rescue workers at Ground Zero in the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints (Paulist Press, 2006) tells the story of the influence the writings of Catholic spiritual writers Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen have had on Martin's life.
My Life with the Saints (Loyola Press., 2006), Martin's memoir, chronicling the lives of some (very human) Catholic saints and other holy men and women and how they have touched and guided his life.
Lourdes Diary: Seven Days at the Grotto of Massabieille (LoyolaPress., 2006), a touching and humorous account of a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas, and Life's Big Questions (LoyolaPress., 2007).
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life (Harper One., 2010), Father Martin explains how Jesuit founder St. Ignatius of Loyola helps people with practical spirituality.
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life (HarperOne 2011) Looks at the connection and relationship between humor, joy, and faith.
Martin has also edited the following books:
How Can I Find God? The Famous and Not-So-Famous Consider the Quintessential Question (Triumph Books, 1997).
Professions of Faith: Living and Working as a Catholic (with Jeremy Langford) (Sheed & Ward, 2002).
Awake My Soul: Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions (LoyolaPress., 2004).
Celebrating Good Liturgy: A Guide to the Ministries of the Mass (LoyolaPress., 2005).
His essays are included the following:
I Like Being an American, edited by Michael Leach (Doubleday, 2003)
Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty (Sellers Publishing, Inc., 2006), in which Father Martin exhorts readers to "Be a Saint!"
Father Martin provided an afterword for:
The Fifth Week, (2nd Edition) by Fr. William O'Malley, S.J. (Loyola Press, 1996).
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…shrink me down again