Tuesday, November 27, 2012

LaSallian meets Ignatius of Loyola

Ignatius of Loyola
Having grown up and having been reared by La Salle through high school and college, it became second nature for me and my co-LaSallistas to simply dislike the boys from the hills of the Katipunan. Now that I'm years removed from college, and having been able to develop friendships with Ateneans (which thankfully enabled me to change my perspective on the so-called "rivalry"), my curiosity regarding 'The Ateneo' has led me to one of the current ironies of my life: spending much time studying the life and works of the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit) himself, Ignatius of Loyola.

How Ignatius met the Lord
Ignatius did not experience a typical, normal childhood. At an early age, he was orphaned due to the tragic death of his parents, and was subsequently taken in by family friends. His encounter as well with God was unlike that of typical church-goers, finding God in probably the most painful and most trying time of his early life. Ignatius, in the middle of battle as a soldier, suffered a very severe leg injury that rendered him immobile and incapacitated. He needed time to recuperate and heal, and it was a toilsome and difficult time in his life. However, in the process of physical recovery, he also found spiritual healing. His isolation from the outside world became the opportune moment for him and the Lord to finally meet intimately. In isolation, he read through writings and accounts of noble saints and their faithful service and devotion to God. He read how they lived and how they served God. He met the Lord in pain through the stories of noble men of faith, and had become the comfort for both his physical and spiritual struggle. However, despite the spiritual awakening, Ignatius’ life experienced further hardship (http://bin.jesuits-chgdet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Partners_WI03-4_pp16-17.pdf, accessed October 8, 2012).

Struggles and Difficulties
Having decided to equip himself for God, Ignatius studied in Spain and still went through many difficulties. He was abandoned by friends, ridiculed, faced inquiries about his beliefs, and even suffered physical beatings from his detractors (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm, accessed October 8, 2012). But through it all, it was his stern spiritual walk with God and the early trials in his life that contributed and inspired the recording, writing, practice and teaching of arguably his major contribution to Christianity, his Spiritual Exercises.

Ramon Ma. Bautista, S.J. records in his book “Hearts Burning: The Consciousness Examen as an Authentic Ignatian Formation in Discerning Love” that Ignatius was a truly passionate man of God. He deeply loved the Lord and gave himself deeply to service of God and for God’s people. Service was his primary goal and priority in life, and it was also what he preached and taught to his followers.
19th century Karshuni manuscript of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Spiritual Exercises
According to Bautista, Ignatius wrote about the following: 1) How God’s servant should give the highest possible glory to God all the time, and 2) highlighted the importance of the centrality of God in one’s life. He wrote about 3) Jesus Christ, about his passion, death and his resurrection, and 4) man's ensuing natural response to his own sinfulness in view of Christ. He also wrote about 5) the joy man would receive and find through the grace of God and by the triumph of Jesus Christ from death.

Ignatius' impact to the Church
The book would be evaluated by Papal censors and was officially approved and commended by Pope Paul III for legitimate ministerial use (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm, accessed October 8, 2012). As described by the Pope himself, Ignatius’ work was “...full of piety and holiness and that they are and will be extremely useful and salutary for the spiritual profit of the faithful.” (http://www.jesuit.org/ignatian-spirituality/spiritual-exercises/, accessed October 9, 2012).

Ignatius’ work in the Spiritual Exercises left a great blue print and manual for teachers, missionaries and ministers on how to properly treat their calling as God’s representatives, and leaving believers a very useful guide and reminder on living up to their identity in Christ as workers of the church. Ma. Christina A. Astorga, in her dissertation about Ignatius records that, “In relation to this fundamental engagement of persons in decision making, Ignatian discernment is the distinctive contribution of Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises to humanity and to Christian spirituality.” Indeed, despite a seemingly outdated material, it is amazing to see how the exercises can still be used today by believers, reflecting what it means to truly be a believer and follower of Christ.

As revealed by his work and his life, it seems that even St. La Salle himself, the man of God who championed education and social service to the poor and needy, would benefit much from the teachings and the lifestyle of Ignatius. Maybe, it doesn't always have to be black and white, left or right, or even Green or Blue.

Questions for further discussion
·         Are trials, difficulties and hardships (abandonment by friends and also physical beatings like what Ignatius experienced) essential and a “must have” for church leaders, workers and volunteers?

·         Should church leaders, workers and volunteers follow and submit entirely to his/ her organization’s policies, rules and guidelines in ministry and in personal life, or should they plainly follow scripture? 

·    God desires that his servants simply love him in everything they do, so is love for people even fully essential and necessary in gauging effective ministries? Why/ why not? 

Sources

Astorga, Ma. Christina. Ignatian Discernment: A Critical Contemporary Reading for Christian
Decision Making. ATLA Religion Database EBSCOhost. http://www.search.ebscohost.com (accessed
October 16, 2012).

Bautista, Ramon Ma. Hearts Burning: The Consciousness Examen as an Authentic Ignatian Formation
in Discerning Love. Makati City, Philippines: Bookmark, Inc, 1990.

Link, Mark S.J. “The Life of St. Ignatius Loyola: A Prayerful Introduction.” jesuits-chgdet.org. 
http://bin.jesuits-chgdet.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Partners_WI03-4_pp16-17.pdf (accessed 
October 8, 2012).

Loyola Press. “St. Ignatius Loyola”. http://www.ignatianspirituality.com. 
http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/st-ignatius-loyola/ (accessed October 8, 2012).

Pollen, J.H. “St. Ignatius Loyola”. http://www.newadvent.org. 
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639c.htm (accessed October 8, 2012).

The Society of Jesus in the United States. “The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola”. http://www.jesuit.org/. http://www.jesuit.org/jesuits/wp-content/uploads/The-Spiritual-Exercises-.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).

The Society of Jesus in the United States. “Frequently Asked Questions.” http://www.jesuit.org/. http://www.jesuit.org/jesuits/wp-content/uploads/The-Spiritual-Exercises-.pdf (accessed October 9, 2012).

http://www.hmml.org/preservation10/OLM.htm (accesed November 26, 2012).


http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/seil/index.htm (accessed November 26, 2012).