Theme: PRAYING THE IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY Sub-Theme: A Spirituality of Generosity The Grace I Desire and Seek: I beg for a heart that is generous and trusting so that God may take me and dispose of me and all that I possess according to his most holy will. Opening Song: Panalangin sa Pagbukas-Palad (SAP #111) Panginoon: Turuan mo aking maging bukas-palad Turuan mong maglingkod sa iyo, Na magbigay ng ayon sa nararapat Na walang hinihintay mula sa Yo. Na makibakang di inaalintana Ang mga hirap na dinaranas, Sa twina y magsumikap na hindi humahanap Ng kapalit na kaginhawahan; Na di naghihintay kundi ang aking mabatid Na ang loob Mo y s yang sinusundan. THEME: PRAYING THE IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY Sub Theme: A Spirituality of Generosity August 2010 Recollection Guide Opening Prayer: O gracious God, who so generously lavishes our lives with goodness, create in our hearts a deep center of gratitude, a center that grows so strong in its thanksgiving that sharing freely of our treasure becomes the norm and the pattern of our existence. Remind us often of how much You cherish us, of how abundantly You have offered gifts to us, especially in the hours of our greatest need. May we always be grateful for Your reaching into our lives with surprises of joy, growth and unearned love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 2
Reading: 2 Sam 7:1-29 (David and God s Generosity) Silent Reflection PRAYER PERIOD 1: PRAYER EXERCISE Take time to quiet down before the Lord. Behold him beholding you with much love. When ready, beg repeatedly for The Grace I Desire and Seek. Prayerfully read the Background and Basic Meaning of Generosity. Background If there is one virtue that Ignatius and his early companions really tried to practice, that virtue would have to be generosity. It is not surprising therefore to find several other terms or phrases in the Ignatian vocabulary echoing or expounding on this basic ideal of generosity. Whether the term is magis ( more ); or Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam for the greater glory of God ); or greater service and praise ; or love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words (SE no. 230); or to go where there is greater need (Constitutions no. 622) the never-ending challenge is to learn to be genuinely magnanimous in our loving and serving the Lord in everything. This magnanimous spirit (grande animo SE no. 5) started consuming Ignatius during his convalescence in Loyola (1521) when he began reading the The Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony and the lives of the saints in The Golden Legend by Jacobo de Voragine. Moved deeply by the total self-giving of certain saints, particularly Sts. Dominic and Francis of Assisi, he wondered what would happen if he were to do what they did. All this wondering culminated with him deciding to go to Jerusalem and imitating their austerities like any generous soul (animo generoso) on fire with God is 3 accustomed to do (Auto. No. 9). From then on, this generous spirit was to impel Ignatius to do great things for the Lord and to seek always the better choice for God s greater glory. For certain, this spirit of generosity is one defining quality of Ignatian spirituality. As one commentator, Anh Tran, notes: (Ignatian spirituality) is a Generous Spirituality, living for the greater glory of God... a response to the love and generosity of a Triune God who created, redeemed and continuous to draw humankind closer to him. Basic Meaning Generosity for Ignatius is always relational. This means that Ignatian generosity must be viewed always in the light of our personal, loving relationship with God. Without this loving relationship with God it becomes so difficult to make out which option is the better choice. And here, the better choice always is that which pleases God more. One question we need to ask now is: When discerning, how exactly can we tell which one is the more pleasing choice for the Lord and thus, the more generous response for us Ignatius answer likely would be: That option which ascertainably gives us more joy, more faith, more hope, more love, more peace, more sense of inner congruence with God in short, more spiritual consolation is the better choice. And indeed if a particular option has been discerned as the better choice, due to the greater fervor and intensity of consolation that accompanies it, then it follows that this better choice also is the more pleasing and more generous response to the Lord and his call to us at this point in our lives. Not excluded here are other (objective and external) factors that may come into play like the priorities of the 4
mission, or the actual needs of the communities we wish to serve. Whatever factors there may be, what we need is to make sure that both subjective and objective elements are considered and examined well when doing discernment Such was the experience of Francis Xavier (1506-52) when he was choosing between two very good options, specifically, whether to stay in India or to go to Japan. After much discernment, he said, I will not abandon the idea of going to Japan, because of the abundance that I have felt within my soul (i.e., spiritual consolation), even if I were certain that I would be in dangers greater than those I have even seen myself in. In the end, for Xavier, after sifting much both his subjective and objective criteria, going to Japan became the better choice largely because of the (greater) abundance of consolation that went with it. And because it was for him the better choice, it then also became the more pleasing and the more generous response at the time, given his love for God. From our discussion, we can see one chief point regarding Ignatius understanding of generosity: This virtue is based not really on quantity but on quality. This means that Ignatian generosity is not all about giving ourselves to more activities like more ministries, more parishes, more schools, more retreats, with the thinking that the more we multiply our acts of service, the more magnanimous we become in God s eyes. In fact, Ignatius in the Constitutions (nos. 622-623) brings up certain criteria for choosing ministries. He does this because he is aware that resources, especially people, are always limited and that undiscerned generosity, in the end, becomes nothing else but caritas indiscreet (Constitutions no. 217). And indiscreet charity certainly can move us away from God. On the whole, Ignatian generosity is more about the quality of our interior disposition and attitude like being more humble, more honest and truthful, more open and 5 adaptable, more daring and courageous, more detached, more trusting, in short, more Christ-like. And indeed, this Christlike attitude is most crucial so that when God does speak and reveal his will to us, we can listen to him and to our consolations and respond more authentically in accordance to the Spirit s lead. And for Ignatius, no doubt, it is only by being magnanimous in this way that we can serve God as he deserves. What points draw your attention? What points do you find significant and inspiring? Take and ponder them in prayer. Below is a section from the Jesuit Constitutions on the virtue of generosity and its likely fruits. Take it and prayerfully reflect on it. It will be very specially helpful to perform with all possible devotion the tasks in which humility and charity are practiced more; and, to speak in general, the more one binds himself to God our Lord and shows himself more generous toward His Divine Majesty, the more will he find God more generous toward himself and the more disposed will he be to receive graces and spiritual gifts which are greater each day (Constitutions no. 282). PRAYER PERIOD 2 Scripture Reading: Psalm 23 ( Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life. ) One name Ignatius uses to describe his God is Infinite Goodness (SE no. 52). Pray over Ps. 23 Here the psalmist says that Only goodness and kindness follow (him) all the days of (his) life (v. 6) 6
Like Ignatius and the psalmist, how has God been the Infinite Goodness in your life? In what sense has God s goodness been infinite (or magnanimous)? Take time to clarify these in prayer. True generosity inspires. This was the case with Ignatius. After reading the lives of the saints particularly Sts. Dominic and Francis of Assisi, he was moved much to be generous himself. Who are your own models of generosity? Why these persons in particular? One excellent test of generosity is when we give not from our abundance, but from our poverty. When were those times when you gave not from your abundance but from your poverty? What exactly were you giving or sharing then? To whom were you giving and sharing then? What exactly moved you to give and share generously then? Go back to these moments and relish them in prayer. Today in the sprawling slums of Kibera (Nairobi, Kenya), Jesuits from the Chicago Province run a high school. What is different about this school is that all students are HIV/AIDS affected. This means that in order to be admitted the student must have lost one (or both) of his/her parents to HIV/AIDS and the surviving parent must also be afflicted with the disease. The name of the school is St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School for AIDS Orphans. For the Chicago Province Jesuits in Nairobi, this apostolate with these AIDS orphans has become the greater need, and thus, the more generous response to God s call to them at this point. Reflect on these Jesuits doing ministry at St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Nairobi and their practice of generosity. How has our story on these Jesuits at St. Gonzaga helped you understand and appreciate more this Ignatian ideal of generosity? Examining your life, who have been the people who have been most generous to you? Why these people in particular? PRAYER PERIOD 3 Scripture Reading: Mark 6:34-44 (The Feeding of the Five Thousand) Do a contemplation on the Feeding of the Five Thousand Imagine the deserted place and enter prayerfully into the Gospel scene, beholding the place with the crowd and the disciples there. What do you see? hear? smell? touch? taste? Spend time going into the details of this Feeding Miracle story. Slowly, in the end, focus on the Lord and gaze lovingly at his face. Here in Mk 6:34-44, we see our Lord first being moved with compassion for the crowd, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Our Lord s compassion then moves 7 8
him to carry out this generous act of feeding the five thousand. What more recent experiences have moved you with compassion, leading you to greater generosity? Who have been the objects of your compassion lately? What have you done and what are you willing to do for them? Take time to clarify these in prayer. Below is the famous Prayer for Generosity attributed to Ignatius. Take this prayer and pray it with much fervor. Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve you as you deserve to be served; to give without counting the cost; to fight without fear of being wounded; to work without seeking rest; and to spend myself without expecting any reward, but the knowledge that I am doing your most holy will. Amen! Take time to dialogue with the Lord on our points above. End the Recollection with shared prayer Reference book: Schooled by the Spirit by: Fr. Ramon Maria Luza Bautista, SJ 9