CBB Interview with Father James Kubicki

James Kubicki, S.J., is the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, a ministry whose mission is to encourage Christians to make a daily offering of themselves to the Lord and at whose center is the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Kubicki entered the Jesuits in 1971 and was ordained in 1983. Since that time, he has served the Jesuits in numerous capacities including vocations, priestly formation, and deacon and lay ministry formation.

In addition to being a frequent guest on Catholic radio and television, Kubicki is also a popular conference speaker, retreat director, and parish mission speaker. His areas of expertise include the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises, and the practical spirituality of the Apostleship of Prayer.

Father Kubicki and I recently talked about his book Stations of the Cross with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

PETE: How did Stations of the Cross with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus come about and what was you involvement in the project?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  Jesuit Father Will Prospero had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Eucharist. Some years ago he wrote these Stations of the Cross and gave me a copy.  I used parts of them for a weekly radio show that I had a few years ago and one of the listeners found them so inspirational that he encouraged me to get them published.  I asked Fr. Will’s permission to do so at a time when he was walking his own Way of the Cross, battling urethral cancer. He gave it and I approached Ave Maria Press who has published several books from the staff of the Apostleship of Prayer, of which I am the U.S. director.  They liked the manuscript and asked me to edit it. Unfortunately, by the time it came to print, Fr. Will had died and never saw the finished product or heard how popular they are becoming.

PETE: This book is geared to private reflection. Does private devotion of the Stations have any advantages over the traditional group setting that is used in parishes?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  The private use of these Stations offers a person more time for individual reflection on the various Stations.  Fr. Will took a very personal approach, inviting the reader to meet Jesus in a deeper way on the Way of the Cross and in the Eucharist.  They are a perfect prayer for people who spend time in Eucharistic adoration.

PETE: What can people gain from partaking in the Stations of the Cross?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  Mother Teresa once said that when we look at the Cross we see how much Jesus loved us and when we look at the tabernacle we see how much Jesus loves us now.  These Eucharistic Stations are a way in which these two are combined.  I like to say that Jesus loved us so passionately that it led to His Passion and these Stations are a way that people can reflect on the passionate love of the Son of God for them.  Because they are related to the total gift of Himself that Jesus made on the Cross and continues to make as He offers Himself in the Mass, they can help people participate in the Eucharistic celebration with greater attentiveness and devotion.

PETE: Are people limited to performing the meditations only during Lent?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  No, in fact when He appeared to St. Faustina, the saint of Divine Mercy, Jesus told her to pray the Stations daily.  Pope St. John Paul II did this.  While they are primarily prayed during Lent, the Stations are a good prayer for every Friday and during times of Eucharistic adoration.  One does not need to actually walk the route of the Stations in a church but can reflect on the pictures which depict the scenes of Jesus’ journey to Calvary.

PETE: What other suggestions do you have for people to take advantage of during Lent to aid in their spiritual growth?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  I’m a big fan of spiritual reading because St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, experienced his conversion as he read short biographies of the saints.  They inspired him to leave his worldly aspirations and to open himself up to what God wanted.  I think reading a biography of a saint, even for just 15 minutes a day, can be an important part of our spiritual growth.

PETE: Time for my signature ending question. It has been a while since we had an opportunity to chat so, what books are currently on your bookshelf to read?

FATHER JAMES KUBICKI:  I recently picked up a copy of an inspiring biography, “Chiara Corbella Petrillo: A Witness to Joy” by Simone Troisi and Christiana Paccini, and I hope to read it after I finish the two other books that I am currently reading. One is a novel, “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah, and the other is George Weigel’s “City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II’s Krakow.”  I’ll be going there on a pilgrimage in June and I wanted to prepare for it.  I’m also hoping to read during Holy Week Fr. James Martin’s new book “Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus.”

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