Sinstances that show how God led him on the

Transcription

1

2 EDITORIAL EDITORIAL t Ignatius of Loyola was a highly creative person. His autobiography is replete with Sinstances that show how God led him on the journey of his life. In effect, the autobiography shows how St Ignatius remained open to the spirit of change and newness. The manifest works that marked his lifetime were done for the sole purpose of the Greater Glory of God. The life example of St Ignatius guides us on the path of a creative response to the challenges of the context in which we live. At every stage of his life, St Ignatius constantly moved away from the circle of comfort. The signs of creativity can be seen early in the story of his conversion. He discerns the voice of Jesus after reading the Life of Christ and the Lives of Saints. This was the beginning of a radical re-orientation in his life. He sallies forth and breaks away from the normal - a risky step that redirects the trajectory of his life forever. St Ignatius The Master of Creative Re-invention Creativity is an adventure, a blind leap of faith. The profound spiritual experiences St Ignatius had at Manresa, his journey to the Holy Land, his works of charity among the poor, his experiences in the well known educational hubs of Europe and his myriad other experiences all indicate the fire of inner zeal and passion that reinvented him. The international group of 'first companions' that he builds clearly show his broadened horizons. Teamwork in effect expands our creative potentials If we place the Spiritual Exercises in the times when it was first written we see that it was a very creative method to spread the message of Jesus. The Examen, which was popularised then by St Ignatius is now adapted and embraced by the corporate sector in order to enhance the productivity of their human resource. The educational thrust that saw many schools and colleges being opened under the leadership of St Ignatius also comes out as an effective way to improve the lives of people. St Ignatius found God in all things at a time when finding God required one to flee from the world. Thus Ignatian spirituality became a world-affirming spirituality. C r e a t i v i t y became an attitude for St Ignatius for which he had to pay the price. His Spiritual E x e r c i s e s w e r e suspected to have heretic influences and h e w a s e v e n imprisoned. His 'out of the box' thinking regarding religious life and mission landed him in many troubles with church authorities. Even the name Society of Jesus was frowned upon by the power circles in the church. St Ignatius inspires us to live our lives extraordinarily. A number of challenges are before us that beckon us to come up with creative answers. In the context of increasing violent attacks on Christians worldwide, growing economic inequality, rural deprivation, environmental degradation and other challenges, creative responses are needed. Moreover creativity is required to tap our hidden potentials. We can be sure of one thing: creativity in life and mission requires sensitive openness to the voice of God and the voice of the people. Praveen Martis SJ Pg.02

3 ST. IGNATIUS AND COMMUNITY ne of the phrases closely associated with Jesuits is Friends in the Lord. This Oexpression meant everything for our founding fathers. For them the word 'Friendship' had a deep meaning as opposed to some of the shallow meanings that we give to it today. Although the group of first companions was a mixture of different cultures, temperaments, personalities and spiritual dispositions, the Lord united them all as one body. Their love for Jesus was the base for their friendship. It meant caring for one another and encouraging each other in their service of the Lord. 'In this friendship, at once virile and tender, each found encouragement in the service of God, each one bore the burden of the other and each felt h i m s e l f, i n t u r n, supported by so much love'. St. Ignatius, in a certain sense, was a model of love for them. He taught them to love one another in a way that sustained each other. Laynez tells us how the friendship that linked these men grew both by the practice of a shared spiritual life and through a fraternal community: we were confirmed, he writes, partly by prayer, confession and frequent communion. The communion with each other was as important as the communion with the Lord: the service of the Lord was not separated from the community life. Today we are living in a postmodern era, wherein individualism has sneaked in so much that people would prefer to spend hours together with their gadgets than to spend quality time with others. Praveen Kumar SJ We are no exception to this. Although the intensity of it may vary, its effects are becoming more and more visible. For us Jesuits, community itself is our mission. I am convinced that a good community life is the source for our effectiveness and fruitfulness in our ministry. I would like to compare this thought to a tree. Just as the roots provide nutrients which are absorbed from the earth - and sustain the entire tree, so should be our community life, which should sustain our diverse ministries. Recalling the limited experience, I find a lacuna in this aspect of our Jesuit life. It is not a generalized statement but at the same time, it is difficult to deny the reality. Sadly, our life is becoming more and more c o m p a r t m e n t a l i z e d. There seems to be no r a p p o r t b e t w e e n community life and ministry: each one is busy performing the given task well while forgetting to focus on the healthy life of the community. As a result, community becomes just a place of rest. It seems to me that, the 'Lord', who was the base of the union of our founding fathers, has been replaced by our works, ministry and ambition, and this brings dichotomy between our community life and our works. As we are preparing ourselves to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius, it is an opportunity to introspect our Jesuit life; it is a call to go back to our roots and readjust our vision and our priorities. May St. Ignatius help us in this endeavor. Pg.03

4 TO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSE Ignatius was a man filled with passion, initially for the world and later for Christ. His passion for worldly glory had blinded him to everything else. It was when the shell struck his leg in Pamplona, his worldly dreams collapsed. During his convalescence he could have access only to the religious books: 'The Lives of Saints' and 'The Life of Christ'. As he forced himself to leaf through them and St Francis make him feel content. But over time, he realizes that the thoughts of the beautiful lady leave him dry and dissatisfied, whereas the thoughts to be like the Saints leave him happy and cheerful. For human beings it is normal to have desires. We need not try to curb them immediately as they arise, but like Ignatius we need to direct them towards the things which are lasting. Alwyn D'Souza SJ his eyes were opened and thus a man with passion for the world begins to find meaning in the Passion of Christ. On the one hand, now he wants to do be like St Dominic and St Francis, but on the other hand, the desire for the beautiful lady still persists in him. The fact that he has to spend his time on bed during his recovery, he gets deeper into his interior world. In the interior world he is disturbed by the thoughts arising from his desires. He reflects over them and to his surprise finds that the effects of the thoughts vary as the time continues to progress. At one moment he feels both his thoughts for the beautiful lady and the desire to be like St Dominic A process of discernment has to be involved to make a distinction between thoughts coming from God and those coming from the devil, to make the right choices in our lives. This means that not all our thoughts and desires are good. Some of the thoughts which arise in us have to be regarded as good, whereas to some others we should say a strong no. Speaking about thoughts, St Ignatius says in his Spiritual Exercises: I presuppose that there are in me three kinds of thoughts: one that is born of my freedom and will; the other two types of thoughts come from outside of us either from the good spirit or from the evil spirit. Our spiritual tradition therefore has always cautioned us to be guardian of our hearts. What we can learn from St Ignatius regarding our thoughts is that we need to look at the effect of different thoughts running through us and gradually need to learn to sort them out. We need thus finally to choose only those which leave us joyful and peaceful over those which imprison and poison our lives. As human beings we are normally tempted. We read in the Scriptures that even Christ was tempted. What we are called to do in our freedom is to listen to the thoughts that we have identified as coming from God through a process of discernment and to say no to those which come from the tempter. Pg. 04

5 POEM DREAMS SHATTER... FOR A GREATER CAUSE Prashanth Saldanha SJ When a venture meets with an adventure Aiming high ruthless is a pasture Lacking time to examine thoughts impure Dreadful conscious kills the character. Shining stars gleam full of vigour Yes! Life seems to be even greater, better Evil breeds creative plans still stronger Peak absence of divine source centre. Great saint like Ignatius imbibed ambitious career Misfortune! A cannon ball smashed his dream as warrior Losing hope as a great soldier Cries for divine vendor to inspire. Spending time in holy books and prayer Voices of pure conscience awake beams of light so clear And now desires to become God's own soldier To bring back many souls to a heavenly ladder. Letting go one's ego and pride in perfect surrender Founds Society of Jesus in gratitude and favour Notion of divine in all things and human sphere Hence, we always honour and praise God forever. Contd. from pg. 4 Ignatius had to make a lot of choices after this initial choice that he made to follow Christ. In Manresa, for example, when he has scruples over his past sinful life he feels that he cannot move forward alone; therefore, he prefers to rely on someone else and chooses to speak to a confessor. What we can gather from this is that seeking guidance from a spiritual director is essential for our spiritual progress and discernment. This support from a qualified and trusted guide could help us to better discern and recognize the action of God in us. In some of our important decisions there is always a relational dimension: relationship with God, relationship with family and friends, relationship with a spiritual guide where love and trust play an essential role. TO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSE Alwyn D Souza SJ In conclusion, the way in which Ignatius made his choices can illumine us to make our own choices in our daily life. He paid the utmost attention to identify the effects of the Spirit and the effects of the tempter in him. Sometimes, he had to wait long to find the right direction and sometimes he had to seek help from the confessor. Even though we have touched upon only the preliminary choices of Ignatius, later on in all his choices and decisions too he followed a similar method. Thus, we discover with Ignatius that the experience of being led by the good spirit in our spiritual and daily life will help us to engage ourselves more freely in the service of our brothers and sisters in the Church and Pg.05

6 EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAR Would you tell me, please which way I ought to go from here? That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, said the cat 'I don't much care where' said Alice 'Then it doesn't matter which way you go said the cat. 'So long as I get SOMEWHERE' Alice added as an explanation 'Oh, you're sure to do that' said the cat 'If you only walk long enough' This dialogue between Alice and the Cat in the fictitious novel of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, demonstrates our contemporary situation. Thanks to globalization, we are bombarded with many choices; we either make a way out of them or get lost like Alice in the wonderland of choices. Our life is full of choices; the choices we make determine the quality of our life. So more than ever we need discerning eyes to see, discerning ears to hear, because, as Jesus says in the Scriptures, many of us see and do not perceive, hear but do not listen and understand. For this purpose St. Ignatius of Loyola proposes a powerful tool known as 'Discernment of Spirits (although he was not the first one to suggest it). From its Greek and Latin roots the verb 'discern' means 'to sift, to separate, to distinguish as we separate wheat from weeds or rice from chaff. Timothy Gallagher describes discernment of spirits as 'distinguishing among the stirrings of our heart that which is of God and that which is not, and how to respond to these stirrings'. Then a question may arise in our minds as to how to distinguish which feelings or emotions are from God and which are not. St. Ignatius identifies two sets of opposite feelings, which he names as consolation and desolation (Sp.Ex ). Consolation is a state of feelings which lead us t o w a r d s g r o w t h, creativity, fullness of life and love of God, others a n d s e l f, w h e r e a s desolation is a state of being contrary to this, that which may lead us away from God, others and self. Therefore the important point in discernment is not so m u c h w h e r e t h e movements of feelings are coming from, but rather where those feelings are leading us to. According to common understanding discernment means choosing between good or bad. But for Ignatius it is concerned with choices between two options or values, both of which appear to be morally good. Dn Pratap Chandru SJ Pg. 06

7 POEM IF NOT. Leston Lobo SJ IF NOT FOR THAT BATTLE A FIGHT IN PAMPLONA THAT BROUGHT YOU DOWN FROM THE TOP TAUGHT YOU TO PAUSE AND STOP IF NOT FOR THIS COMPANY A SHIP OF COMPANIONS THAT MADE YOU THINK WIDER HELPED US SPREAD FASTER IF NOT FOR THOSE BOOKS THE PAGES OF INSPIRATION THAT SHOWED YOU THE LIFE OF SAINTS SCREENED YOU HOW JESUS FAINTS IF NOT FOR THAT STUDY THE TOUGH LANGUAGE YOU LEARNT THAT MOULDED YOU A PUPIL FASTER TO CALL JESUS, YOUR SCHOOL MASTER IF NOT FOR OUR MISSION REACHING THE UNREACHED A COMMUNITY WITH A VISION WE OURSELVES, A MISSION IF NOT FOR OUR VOCATION A CALL WITHIN A CALL, WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF IGNATIUS TO COUNT THE BLESSINGS GRACIOUS WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAR Contd. from pg. 6 The aim of this process is to determine what is the right or better choice in particular given circumstances. There is a very good example for this in the life Ignatius, when he was studying in Barcelona and again in Paris, he used to spend long hours in prayer and other religious devotions. These things were giving him great consolation, but later he noticed that they distracted him from his studies and he was not able to concentrate on the lectures (Autobiography 55, 82). Dn Pratap Chandru SJ Hence the evil spirit can assume the form of good spirit (Sp.Ex 332) to mislead us from our original goal. So as we live in this wonderland of choices, which are very often deceptive, we require discerning eyes and ears, so that seeing we may perceive and hearing we may listen and understand. Pg. 07

8 ST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGER hat good can come from Nazareth? goes a query in the Holy Bible which Wis familiar to each one of us. It was the perception some had concerning Jesus. Without a second thought, I believe Ignatius also might have undergone this déjà-vu biblical experience when he first proposed the founding of a 'religious congregation'. Who was this man who was crazy enough to dabble with the then conservative views of religious life or for that matter the pedagogy for a new way of evangelization? It would take a lot of courage, c o n v i c t i o n a n d m o s t importantly a deep intimate love for the Lord to carry out his prophetic call. To begin with, the Society of Jesus, the vision of St. Ignatius, has stood the test of time and is as effective as ever, but in what way.? Be brave, be different: There is no ministry that the Jesuits have not ventured into. From education to the little ones to a society transforming ministries, from nourishing people with spiritual depths to owning the craters on the moon through their names it is indeed a brave venture; thus weaving an intricate network of various apostolates, all for the greater glory of God. Stand by the Mother in good and bad times: The Church has always been considered affectionately a Mother through various generations and throughout the different stages in the history of Christianity. At a period when the world had lost its trust and hope in this mother due to the corrupt lives of some of her sons and when it seemed correct for some to reform the Church from outside; Ignatius and Co. stood by her, realizing her grief and helped her reform, n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e persecutions and struggles. Inigo's men continue this daredevilry even to this day against all odds. Vinod AJ SJ Friends in the Lord: Through the thick and thin of the Society's journey it is the companionship amongst the Jesuits which defines its Mission. The idea of a community dispersed in various ministries and at the same time united in the bond of friendship and camaraderie is the most resilient character of a Jesuit which could be clearly seen in the first companions and the founders of the Society. It was, again, Ignatius who valued and treasured this right from the beginning of his studies in Paris. A new philosophy of God's quest: Ignatius introduced several catchphrases which surprisingly summarize his spiritual experiences, especially through his masterpiece, the Spiritual Exercises, and his spiritual journal. Phrases like: Contemplation in Action, Agere Contra, Tantum Quantum, for the greater glory of God etc are indeed legendary even to this day and relevant to our day-to-day life. These catchphrases could be called spirituality capsules. Pg. 08

9 Gone are the days of letters Gone are the days of telegrams The day was very hot on a Friday. As usual I went to college along with my friend Noel. Once in a blue moon I have one or two free hours. But on that day I had the third hour free. Some of my classmates called me to join them as they were going to the City Center mall. I stayed behind and thought of going to the library. However, I sat down on our traditional Jesuit Katte with my Infocus(Mobile). In this one hour of free time something great happened in my life. JUST ONE HOUR WITH INIGO I noticed a person who was gazing at me for a long time. Surprisingly he started coming towards me. He was limping but had a very broad smile on his face. He looked like a foreigner and a priest too. I saw a tab, an apple mobile set, and a laptop with him. I had not even observed him fully. But he came near to me and asked, "Are you a Scholastic?" I said," Yes, I am. But how do you know me?" He said," Once upon a time I used to write a lot of letters to my friends who were in various countries far and wide. The Constitutions of the SJ: It's another masterpiece which showcases the brilliant intellectual side of St. Ignatius. The Constitutions which he wrote might have been for the better organization of the Society, but in reality it has a great relevance even to today's organizational pedagogy! It took so many months to communicate to my friends. But now I can communicate, spread the Good News, share my mystical experiences, and know each of my friends worldwide with the help of watsapp, face book, Gmail, and, by the way, your PCF told me that the collegians are allowed to use the mobile phones. So just now I got your mobile number. I've added you in our watsapp group." "Stop stop " I intervened and said, "Sir, I am very sorry that I really don't know who you are. He said gently, I am Inigo. People call me Ignatius of Loyola. I was completely lost I was spellbound He showed me the contacts, messages, watsapp groups, his video productions, songs etc He left me soon. I couldn't speak a word. I was shocked the college bell rang Suddenly, I got up. I was on my bed. Pruthvi Rodrigues SJ Oh! All this happened in my dream I was still in the shocking mood. It was during the Morning Prayer I realized that Inigo during his time wrote so many letters. If he were there today, he would have brought a great revolution in the world of media. Be ready. He may come to you also ST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGER Contd. from pg. 08 Vinod AJ SJ Through these ways and many others Ignatius has been a game-changer in the Church and in the world. His spiritual depth and intellectual excellence continue to surprise everyone even to this day. One word for this great man - Respect. Pg. 09

10 IGNATIUS AS A STUDENT would like to tell a story. the story of a man who had no formal education in his early life. But Iwhen he understood the importance of education he studied with perseverance. He inspired others to study and impart knowledge in this world. Today many schools, colleges and universities dot the world with the name of this great man. I hope you have understood that this man is none other than St I g n a t i u s o f Loyola. A cannon ball had changed Ignatius. After his c o n v e r s i o n Ignatius wanted to s p r e a d t h e teachings of Jesus Christ and of the Catholic Church. When it was impossible for him to stay in Jerusalem, he returns to Spain. Here he realizes that only knowledge and skills can make him credible and effective. This was the beginning of his unending thirst to learn. He had to learn Latin. He studied in Barcelona, Alcala, Salamanca and finally at Paris. He graduated with a Masters of Arts from the University of Paris. His intellectual activity continued till his death. He kept himself busy writing the Spiritual Excercises, a masterpiece of spiritual insights, Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, the fruit of continuous reflection, and letters numbering more than Amidst all the achievements of Ignatius, the thing tignatius' followers, the band of intellectually competent Jesuits, carried on his legacy. Under the inspiration of Ignatius, Jesuits have shined in numerous fields, and our institutions are highly reputed. In a recent 'The Week' magazine, I was glad to see more than six of our Jesuit colleges among the top 50 colleges in India. Hats off t o S t Ignatius!hat stands out is his humility to learn. At the age of 33 he sat w i t h y o u n g s t u d e n t s t o l e a r n. T h e thirst he had to learn in his mid 30's is striking. We even find Ignatius learning from Faber in Paris. I am sure, Ignatius was open and humble to learn from his daily life situations. These humble beginnings made Ignatius shine. Recently I read about a lady from Kerala, aged more than 100 years, writing exams. This shows there is no end to learning. The humility to learn at every stage of our life will surely make us credible and competent persons. If we learn and gain more knowledge, our country will grow socially and economically. Let this thirst to learn in each one of us go on. Ovin Rodrigues SJ Pg.10

11 ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY Lumnesh Swaroop SJ Introduction Creation is the outpouring of God's goodness and beauty and it is God's body. We learn to accept and revere creation as a sacrament of God. We live in a web of life where all of us the entire creation or the globe - are interdependent and inter-related. St Paul says this very clearly in his letters. We live together or we perish together. The earth on which we were depending and are still depending is now counting on us and crying out for help. S c i e n t i s t s across the world agree t h a t t h e a n t h r o p o c e n t r i c d e v e l o p m e n t a n d consumerist lifestyle are the root cause of e n v i r o n m e n t a l degradation. We carry within us a history of 13.7 billion years. We are cousins to one another genetically and spiritually. We are part of an ever evolving history enlivened and guided by the spirit of God who renews the face of the earth every moment. As Catholics we are called by the Church to realize and appreciate the creation which is God's gift to us and He expresses himself every second as He continuously works in it. This is what St Ignatius would say God Labouring in the world. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have insisted on this faith-based understanding. The recent encyclical of Pope Francis Laudato si emphasizes our role to be stewards of creation. We are called to understand the scriptures well, where from the beginning God instructs His people to take care of His creation. The psalmists being carried away by the ecstasy of nature sing praises to God. The whole of scripture is very nature symbolic. Jesus himself used nature to explain his parables. When we know, love and follow Jesus and his principles then we will be able to respect, u n d e r s t a n d a n d accept nature in its totality. C a t h o l i c s h a v e a s p e c i a l understanding and experience of the love, compassion and empathy taught by our Lord. He himself underwent all this and thus he identified himself with us human beings. We therefore are called to share these Christian virtues with everyone and every living creature. We must have a love that is inclusive- love everything. Jesus preached Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation Mk16:15. Here he uses the word whole creation. God's kingdom is thus proclaimed not only to humankind but to the entire creation. As Religious We as consecrated persons (set apart) must be exemplary. Preach what we practice and practice what we preach. We need political will, a spiritual outlook and a global perspective to act. Pg. 11

12 ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY Contd. from pg. 11 We need a paradigm shift in our relationship with the earth. In the Old Testament we see how God makes use of His prophets to save His people. He sends Moses after hearing the cry of the Israelites in Egypt. Today we are sent as prophets to save the earth which is groaning. The cry of the earth is the cry of the Poor. The poor are the most threatened species on this earth. Therefore we are called to be the co- creators with God. Love for the creation is closely associated with our vows. Poverty: Going by our needs and not wants, relishing diverse things rather than greed. Chastity: Greater love s h o w n t o m a n y, embracing the whole w o r l d, b e i n g compassionate without prejudice - having an empathetic heart. Obedience: to accept the reality, doing the will of God, being faithful to the creation rather than to ego. Being Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises St Ignatius of Loyola gives us the key method of discernment through which we can ably understand what to do and what not to do for the greater of glory of God. The current society is being enveloped by greed and avarice. Consumerism is becoming an addiction. This has led to more and more ecological destruction. Is this giving greater glory to God? We are called to discern for ourselves how much we need and what we need. St Ignatius begins the spiritual exercises with the principle and foundation and ends with the contemplation to obtain love; both help us understand the cosmic Christ. The whole of the exercises is an invitation to know, love and follow the cosmic Christ. It makes us cosmic persons, helping us to find God in all things and all things in God. The spiritual exercises also help us to understand that God shows himself in the world and wishes to be met there, to be adored, loved, and served there. Conclusion Nature is God's word materialized. We are called to be responsible stewards of this creation. Most of the time we fail to realize this mystery of God hidden in the creation and use it for our greed. As Gandhiji said Earth h a s e n o u g h f o r everyone's need but not for everyone's greed. E a r t h ' s n a t u r a l resources are getting exhausted due to various anthropogenic causes. We are so selfish that we hardly stop to think of our future generation. GC 35 invites us Jesuits to reconcile with the creation. We as Jesuits have greater role to play in this regard as it forms part of our spirituality. Creation is groaning, Creator is looking for someone, asking Whom shall I send? The Cry of the Earth is the cry of the Poor. Hence there is an urgent need to respond to this crisis of our times. Let our hands be Christ's hands for healing a broken creation, give our mouths to speak Christ's words, calling others and ourselves back to a reverence towards creation; and let our hearts beat with the divine desire to make all things new. - Paul Kenney, SJ Lumnesh Swaroop SJ Ecology must echo in the hearts of Jesuits. It must touch the vibrant nerve in us. Pg. 12

13 SPIRITUAL GUIDE: GUIDES, COMPANIONS IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Anthony Pais SJ An artist and a sculptor, these are the two images that come to my mind when I think about spiritual guidance. First and foremost, a spiritual guide could be compared to an artist. Walking along with the other in their spiritual journey is like the art of painting. To be an artist one needs to learn many minute things. One has to learn simple things like drawings; one needs to know about the pigments, the As we see, great artists learn from others, and through their sharing of discoveries, magnificent new advances often occur. In the same way, new discoveries about oneself could be had, and a gentle guiding hand of God could be seen in our own spiritual journey to and in God. Therefore the task of a spiritual guide is to help individuals integrate their lives towards a greater spiritual depth. colour balance, the use of brushes and canvas, and the best way of framing and hanging the painting when it is completed. One learns the art of painting by trial and error m e t h o d. T h e second imagery is that of a potter and the clay. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to go to the house of a potter (Jer 18, 1-5). The Lord guides the prophet in his spiritual journey and hence the latter is able to speak on behalf of God without any fear. This is the case with almost all the prophets of the Old Testament and some of the important figures of the New Testament. Unless one learns to journey with the Lord, one will not be able to accomplish the mission entrusted by the Lord. A spiritual guide is one who knows God and who brings people nearer to God so that they become t h e a g e n t s, m e s s e n g e r s, b e a c o n s a n d ambassadors of God in order to r e a l i z e G o d ' s kingdom here on earth. God is infinite and full of surprises. We can experience only a glimpse of that l i g h t i n t h e darkness of our life. In Indian philosophy a Guru is one who imparts deep spiritual knowledge in order to dispel darkness to make room for light. Only that glimpse of the light can make us realize that God is forgiving, compassionate and all loving. If the spiritual director is to accompany people in their Therefore we can define spiritual guidance thus: Spiritual guidance is a conscious and deliberate attempt to accompany other people on their journey inner journey, not only has he to journey with them into their private unresolved world, but he must also be able to face this problem even outside that world. to and in God. It is a process of Unless we know the pain and agony in the world, it is sharing what we have learnt as we made our own impossible to know the pain the person is undergoing. journey. Pg. 13

14 Contd. from pg. 13 When a person is in utter confusion or on the verge of a dark night, any human being is better than none to cling to. Therefore spiritual companionship becomes necessary when a person goes through a dark night of the soul. Therefore spiritual companionship is a unique call. If w e f i n d o u r s e l v e s being called upon to listen to others tell of their religious experience or being asked to b e companions to those who are c a u g h t i n s p i r i t u a l darkness or who find it necessary to reach the inner way, we need t o p r e p a r e ourselves as well as we can. There is a deep need within all of us human beings to be loved. I personally believe that our desire for love cannot be totally fulfilled through human resources, but only by God; there is a deep hunger that God has hidden in our inner abyss which continues to draw us to the Divine lover. SPIRITUAL GUIDE: GUIDES, COMPANIONS IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Anthony Pais SJ Paradoxically unless we have experienced the receiving and giving of genuine human love, we seldom understand this deep inner urge enough to realize where it is leading us to. Once we have known the incredible love of God we are turned back into the world to give to others the kind of love that the divine Lover has given us and this involves us again in human entanglements of emotions and desires. Nearly all the saints have stated that they were the worst sinners and all of them s o u g h t o u t someone to help them along the way to holiness. When we are aware of the complexity of our nature and the necessity of banishing the shadow and standing against evil, we realize that we must have some objective outside point of reference so that we are not deceived by ourselves. If there is one thing that those on this path desire and require, it is spiritual companionship and guidance. Pg. 14

15 GUEST COLUMN GUEST COLUMN St Paul tells his Christians, Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. Every saint, canonized or not, is a mirror of Christ for us, a model that has incarnated in himself the person of Christ and His values, a lamp that illumines our path towards the goal of growing into the fullness of Christ, a process of becoming Christ. Our ultimate goal in life is to be Christ for the world; to put on the heart and mind of Christ; to look at the world with the eyes of Christ; to love the world with the heart of Christ; to reach out to the world with the power of Christ. This becomes possible for us by the grace of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises, namely, knowing Christ intimately, loving Christ ardently and following Christ closely. Along this journey of interior transformation we have models like St Ignatius who exemplify for us the way we may become Christ. Today, therefore, let us reflect on this one example and model that the Lord has given us, St Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius was first of all a sinner who received the grace of conversion and was then called to be the Companion of Jesus. This companionship was confirmed for Him by the Lord by the great illumination of Cardoner and the mystical vision of La Storta where he really felt that the Father himself had placed him with His Son carrying the cross, saying to Ignatius: IGNATIUS OUR MODEL I want you to serve us. Jeronimo Nadal, speaking about these great graces received by Ignatius, says that they were not given to Ignatius as an individual but to Ignatius as the founder of the Society of Jesus and hence these are the graces meant for every member of the Society of Jesus. Let us, therefore, reflect on some of the salient features of this mystical heritage where we are called to follow Ignatius our model and share in the graces he received. 1. All the biographers of Ignatius are agreed that he was a thoroughly worldly man before his conversion, given to every form of moral disorder. Tragedy strikes and God has a chance to make Himself heard in the depths of Ignatius' consciousness, and Ignatius changes. What we learn from this stage of Ignatius' spiritual pilgrimage is that no human situation is so bad that God's grace cannot change it; no human sin is so terrible that God's forgiveness cannot reach it; no human wound is so deep that God's healing grace cannot cure it; no human situation is so hopeless that God's power cannot overcome it. In our depths of human misery we can always rely on God's infinite mercy. There is always a second, and a third and a fourth and a millionth chance for everyone. It is a message of hope. It is an invitation to trust. It is a call to throw ourselves into the waiting arms of a loving Father just like the prodigal son. Nothing can defeat us. Nothing can discourage us. We are not lost. Fr Frederick D'Silva SJ Pg. 15

16 IGNATIUS OUR MODEL Contd. from pg One important detail which I wish to bring before you about Ignatius' convalescence in Loyola is the importance of wholesome, spiritually nourishing and uplifting reading. Ignatius had asked for romantic novels to read. He was given instead the book of Saints and the Life of Christ. He took them up against his will, just to while away the time. Little by little he began to be absorbed in his readings and what he read he reflected upon and his reflections led to a total interior transformation. What if there were romantic novels at his disposal when he wanted them very badly? Would God have had a chance to make Himself heard in the depths of Ignatius? There is an important lesson for us here. We become what we eat. So also we become what we read. If we read pulp we become pulp. If we eat straw we become men of straw. If we read dirt we become full of dirt. If we read, healthy, ennobling, uplifting, soul satisfying literature we will be better human beings. Today it may not be a matter of printed books; it may be the internet or other social media. Ignatius has a lesson for us here. How much time we waste in empty talk on social media like Face Book etc? How much harm we do to ourselves and others by browsing through moral muck on the internet? 3. Another point for our consideration here is the need for reflection and depth in our life. Ignatius spent a long time in reflection. It is only through reflection and meditation that the head gives way to the heart and it is only when the heart is touched that transformation becomes possible. That is why both in his Spiritual Exercises and in His Constitutions Ignatius always sets great store by reflection, self-examination and meditation. It is by keeping a close watch on his interior movements that Ignatius was able to discern the subtle ways in which the Lord was working deep within him and was leading him. As Jesuits we are called to be men of depth, men of reflection, and men of discernment. This is not possible w i t h o u t p r o l o n g e d periods of deep, interior s i l e n c e. A s F a t h e r General has reminded us, silence is absolutely essential for men who aspire to become apostles in today's world which is full of noise and clatter. This is the third lesson we need to learn from Ignatius. 4. This leads me to the fourth point: Discernment! Ignatius was a man of discernment. He always wanted to find out what God wanted him to do; what would be most pleasing to God; what would be most helpful to the service of God. By nature and temperament, Ignatius was a strong willed person, with his own plans and projects; ideas and insights, preferences and prejudices. But under the grace of God he subordinated all this to the one single obsession and that was the will of God. Fr Frederick D'Silva Pg. 16

17 IGNATIUS OUR MODEL Contd. from pg. 16 He would make all decisions, big and small, only according to this one single criterion the will of God. For this he would continually die to his own ego his self-love, his self-will and his self-interest. We have much to learn from Ignatius here. If we have to be true followers of Ignatius, true Companions on Christ's Mission, true Jesuits, we have to be men of discernment. We cannot be men of discernment unless we die to our own ego, subordinate our own self-love, self-will and s e l f - i n t e r e s t s t o t h e overarching surrender to the will of God. Ignatius leads the way. We follow. Silence, r e f l e c t i o n, d e p t h, discernment hall marks of a J e s u i t! O n e e l o q u e n t example of this is Pope Francis, who sets a great store by discernment before every decision and becoming men and women of a discerning heart, with a heightened sensitivity of the heart to what is pleasing or displeasing to God; to what is life enhancing as opposed to life diminishing. Ignatius has given us a simple but powerful tool for this Examen of Consciousness. 5. Following Ignatius means growing to be the Companions of Jesus. That means interiorising the grace of La Storta of being placed with the Son. Ignatius is a man of his time and of his culture. In his time the Princes and the children of the aristocracy would have playmates and attendants drawn from prominent families, who would take their growing children to the palaces of Kings and Dukes asking that they be placed with the princes. These children were called Pages some kind of companions and attendants; playmates and servants. This is what Ignatius meant when he prayed to the Blessed Virgin to place him with her Son, and this is how he understood when he heard the Father saying to Jesus carrying the cross to take this pilgrim into your service. To be a Companion of Jesus means to be a servant of His Mission. Ignatius teaches us that to be Jesuits means to have Jesus at the centre of our lives; to pattern our lives according to the life of Jesus; to love people with the heart of Jesus and to spend ourselves in doing the work of Jesus. In short to be Christ for the world! Let us, therefore, take these five points for our prayerful consideration, and in our prayer let us focus our imagination on the scene in Loyola where Ignatius is nailed to his sick bed, deeply absorbed in reflection and meditation on the person of Jesus, feeling deep within himself not only sorrow for his wasted life but also a strong desire to make a radical change with his past and follow Jesus very closely for the rest of his life. Let us ask Ignatius to obtain for us the grace of being truly Companions of Jesus as he himself was. A Jesuit is one who knows that he is a sinner and yet called to be a Companion of Christ as Ignatius was. Fr Frederick D'Silva Pg. 17

18 GUEST COLUMN GUEST COLUMN SMART INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF A SMART GOD! Fr Joseph Pulickal SJ We know about the deliberations of Ignatius and Ravier concludes: 'It was not Inigo who knew that companions in The matter for the one day with nine companions he would found the deliberations was very serious: to be or not to be as a Society of Jesus it was God. God needed a man fellowship. They had placed themselves at the feet whose heart would be in tune with him, who would of the Pope, for service to the Church wherever he perfectly accomplish his will. By giving Inigo this chose. The Pope took them at their word and started experience of discernment of spirits, this wisdom of asking them to go - here, choice that was there, everywhere. Obey s i m u l t a n e o u s l y they must, ready they were. mystical and human, But that meant they would in leading Inigo to be brief candles shedding this point of selfabnegation, wherein light here, there and everywhere, and just ending the human heart like that. Was it not God who finally breathes in had brought them together the universe of God, into a friendship in the Lord, beats to the rhythm since early 1530s? In their of the heart of God, painstaking deliberations regards the world and prayer they were shown with the eyes of that they must preserve the God, from the time fellowship by forming of Manresa God was themselves into a new p r e p a r i n g t h e religious order. instrument which Painstaking deliberations would serve him in and prayer was Ignatius f o u n d i n g t h e sincerely involved in that? Society of Jesus'. Did he not already want to Ignatius blends the found a new religious order? o p p o s i t e s : foolishness and In response to that question Andre Ravier, in wisdom, mystical Ignatius Loyola and the Founding of the Jesuits, passivity and cool-headed activity. Pray as if quotes Nadal: ' with a unique modesty of spirit, everything depended on God, work as if everything [Ignatius] was following the Spirit, and not depended on you. Holy worldliness, worldly anticipating him', and, 'was being gently led to holiness. It respects the human person, respects something which he did not yet know being, so to human relatedness [discernment in groups], loves speak, wisely imprudent'. the world but on the first principle and foundation of God. Pg. 18

19 POEM DEATH BY EXILE Martin Joseph SJ A nobleman of great virtue Knows not what went wrong Saw the face of crisis Waged a bloodless war Lost his family, foes and friends. May be he had a vision Or the vision had him I know not. Looking at the world around us I see familiar faces Annihilated races Thrown out fetuses. Time has the answer Or maybe not. Yet I know life goes on In the Constitutions Ignatius discusses: Who, what, will keep the Society going and flourishing? God and we, he answers. First we must pray knowing everything depends on Him. Secondly we must become smart 'pliable' is the word he uses - instruments in the hands of God with solid virtues and human qualities, solid learning and expert communication. SMART INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF A SMART GOD! Contd. from pg. 16 Obedient Jesuits must put forth their ideas and make known their holy desires, argue their case, fight their cause. Having done all that they must be passive like a corpse, like a walking stick. This blend of relentless sticking the neck out and trusting surrender is the secret of the Jesuit contributions to history, the gift of Ignatius to us. Fr Joseph Pulickal SJ Pg. 19

20 SCHOLASTICS OPINION GOSPEL THROUGH LIFE WITNESS reach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words, says Saint Francis of PAssisi. As we are in the year of consecrated life, we are called to preach the Gospel through our life witness more authentically than ever before. The call to Wake up the world means first of all to rise from the slumber of oneself and then to help others to do so. The celebration of the feast of St Ignatius in this context is really inspiring and challenging too. The life of this great saint was truly dedicated to the service of humanity and the salvation of the souls. Through his very life witness he could wake up the world. As the followers St Ignatius, we too are called to live a radical life and to preach the Gospel through our very lifestyle. Are we ready for this challenging task? ST IGNATIUS IS MY HERO t Ignatius is my hero, for he dared to be different. Here are a few reasons why I say Sthis. 1. He was a deep thinker, who could read the undercurrents of reformation and stand by the Church. 2. He was one who dared to gather men who were quite out of the way in their thinking, yet he could bring them under the organized fold of the Society. 3. A man who had a compassionate heart yet a firm mind that helped people to walk along. George Pinto SJ 4. A person for whom the mission of the Lord mattered more than his personal interests. Sending Xavier, his intimate friend, to a far away mission says it all. 5. A Man who could surrender himself and the Society totally to the Lord's will. Rayan Lobo SJ ST IGNATIUS THE PILGRIM pilgrim is a man in search of the will of God for his life. He depends on God for Ahis entire being. The Pilgrim Ignatius was a true Contemplative in Action looking for the p r e s e n c e a n d action of God in t h e e v e r y d a y happenings. All sorts of things come up during the ordinary times of o u r l i v e s, u n e x p e c t e d gratitude, powerful e m o t i o n s, surprising insights, c o n s o l i n g memories, feelings hard to express. All these are ways in which God can communicate with us. May this Pilgrim Saint inspire us to serve humanity sincerely for the greater Glory of God. Ryan Rodrigues SJ Pg.20

21

22 PEARLS He who serves God as he would be served, is never satisfied with cheap and ordinary labours St. Ignatius of Loyola