The Contemplation to become aware of love

Fr Errol Fernandes SJ

The final meditation in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola is usually termed "The Contemplation to obtain Love." It is sometimes translated as "The Contemplation to attain love." The verbs "obtain" and "attain" are synonyms that mean "to get something or achieve something especially after great effort." From what Ignatius says in his explanation of this meditation, there is nothing about effort and nothing about achieving. The second prelude makes this abundantly clear: "It will be here to ask for interior knowledge of so great good received, in order that being entirely grateful, I may be able in all to love and serve His Divine Majesty." It is, therefore, about becoming aware or mindful about what God keeps giving, and gives generously. This is why I prefer to title this meditation as "The Contemplation to become aware/mindful/conscious of love". In this way of proceeding, one makes no effort. Rather, one opens one's eyes, mind and heart to see, feel and experience. The proclamation of Jesus, the parables He told and the miracles He worked all point to one indisputable fact – that Jesus revealed God as a God of unconditional love. Accordingly, God does not expect humans to "do" anything to "obtain" or "attain" that love, because it is given freely and gratuitously, and without reserve. John puts it succinctly in his first Letter when he says, "We love BECAUSE He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19), and a few verses earlier - "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us…  (1 Jn 4:10).

The four points made in this meditation have been linked with the four weeks. I see in them a beautiful summary of the four weeks, and therefore an apt conclusion to the "formal" Retreat.

For the Greater Glory of God

Fr John M. Froz, SJ

St Ignatius of Loyola—"A man of faith, who gave first place to God in his life," said Pope Benedict XVI—stressed that "Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God, Our Lord, and by this means to save his soul." This is the "First Principle and Foundation" of the Spiritual Exercises. Ignatius declares: "The goal of our life is to live with God forever, God who loves us and gave us life. Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into us without limit." Ignatius says that we glorify God when we extend grace to others, dedicate time to spend with God, and worship Him – not just through singing praises, but in the way we live our daily lives. Glorifying means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect God's greatness.

Ignatius emphasised a passionate love for the Saviour, Jesus Christ. In his month-long Spiritual Exercises, he devoted the last three weeks to the contemplation of Jesus: from infancy and public ministry, to His Passion, and lastly to His Risen life. There is a substantial emphasis on the emotions in Ignatius' methods, and a call for one to be sensitive to emotional movements in one's life.

St Ignatius of Loyola emphasised effective love. He usually ended his most important letters with "I implore God to grant us all the grace to know His holy will and to accomplish it perfectly." This love which leads us to a perfect correspondence with God's will demands concession, cooperation and open dialogue. Ignatius' prayer in the last exercise of his Spiritual Exercises, which remains popular among Jesuits is: "Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty."

St Ignatius' spirituality is the 'Contemplation to attain love'. "Contemplation in Action" and "Finding God in all things" are deeper stages of consciousness. God is present in all Creation. This devotion to the presence of God is qualified at the opening of each meditation.

Hallmark of Jesuit Education

Fr (Dr) Francis Swamy SJ

Education is a key factor in determining one's attitude and outlook. It is an undisputed fact. Yet, it is tragic to observe how highly literate persons are influenced by terrorism and a narrow outlook. Do the academic objectives and the ethos of educational institutions influence student achievement? Does the type of institute one attends influence one's personal development? Does the type of school one attends affect one's value system?

Every education system represents certain ideas and ideals, which play a decisive role in shaping the future of a society/country. Similarly, Jesuit education has its own identified objectives and characteristics, one of which is to motivate the students to strive after excellence in every field. 'Excellence' is an empowering word. People feel strongly and deeply about it. Excellence can be understood differently by different people. One cannot expect every person to be excellent, and yet everyone should aim at achieving excellence in one or other aspects of one's life.

The Jesuit concept of excellence is based on the Ignatian concept of the "MAGIS" – "THE MORE". It does not imply comparison with others or measurement of progress against an absolute standard; rather, it is the fullest possible development of each person's individual capacity at each stage of life joined to his/her willingness to continue this development throughout life and the motivation to use those personally developed gifts for others.

Jesuit schools undertake different projects with the main aim of inculcating in the students a love for excellence. But this pursuit of academic excellence is appropriate only within the larger context of human excellence. Jesuit education is based on the Ignatian worldview. This Ignatian worldview is not to prepare socio-economic elite, but to orient students to become leaders  in service.

Enhancing our Prayer through Ignatian insights

Fr Vivian Almeida SJ

During this Year of Prayer 2024, and on the occasion of the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, it would be a fruitful exercise to delve into some of the insights into prayer that Ignatius has provided us with through his Spiritual Exercises. The Spiritual Exercises, based on the personal prayer experiences of St Ignatius, is considered to be a compendium of the best practices for prayer and spiritual growth. Although this spiritual legacy of St Ignatius is usually used to direct and guide 30-day Retreats (due to its abundance of profound spiritual discernment and intuitions), it can also provide inspirational insights on prayer for people living the 'everyday life'.

Prayer is a conversation or dialogue with God, and so it creates in us the disposition to connect our human heart with the Divine. It is imperative that prayer goes hand in hand with our human efforts towards making this world a better place for 'you and me and the entire human race'. Thus, prayer cannot be substituted for work or other commitments. While we are required to put in 100% effort to accomplish any responsibility that we are tasked with, we must concurrently pray wholeheartedly for everything to go as planned, and yet be open to 'God's will being done'. Such a disposition draws from the Ignatian belief that God co-labours with us in our work so that our work fructifies into His will.

The spiritual union that we achieve in prayer is because of God's spirit that is at prayer in us (Eph 6:18). Prayer is thus a relationship with God, and so it needs to be nurtured and deepened over time. To strengthen this Divine-human relationship, Jesus, through the 'Our Father', gave us the template of how to pray, and St Ignatius, through the Spiritual Exercises, gave us various nuances and methods of prayer.

Contemplatives in Action

Smith Tuscano SJ

Throughout the long history of the Church, many religious orders and congregations have emerged. Initially, most were contemplative orders, where members isolated themselves from the world to connect with God. This tradition persisted for about 1000 years with few changes, aside from individuals like St Francis of Assisi and St Dominic who ventured outside their contemplative lives. It wasn't until the 16th century that the concept of 'Contemplatives in Action' was introduced, fundamentally altering the perspective of religious life. This visionary approach was designed to meet the needs of the times, and the person responsible for this significant change was St Ignatius of Loyola. His Spirit-inspired vision not only guided the Church through difficult times, but also remains relevant today.

St Ignatius was a remarkable visionary. His insights, now nearly 500 years old, were relevant in his time, but what about today? Are his ideas still pertinent in our rapidly evolving world? Almost half a millennium after his death, Jesuits and their collaborators find contemporary relevance in his teachings, not just within religious circles, but also in the corporate world. In today's environment, regardless of your field—whether corporate, religious, or otherwise—having a vision is crucial for success. In fact, corporate success is closely linked to vision. St Ignatius is hailed as one of the greatest visionaries of all time, not only for offering a new vision, but also for equipping us with the tools to become visionary leaders ourselves. Decision-making, Human Resource management, the organisational mission, social responsibility, career development, and the meaning of work are key areas where Ignatian spiritual values have a lot to contribute.

Pastoral Plan for the Church  in India

The CCBI is poised to embark on a transformative journey with the official release of its landmark Pastoral Plan, "Journeying Towards a Synodal Church: Mission 2033". This visionary initiative aims to revitalise the 16 Commissions, 4 Apostolates, and 7 Departments of the CCBI, as well as the Regional and diocesan Commissions, through a comprehensive pastoral planning process.

Developed with the goal of fostering a more coordinated and synodal approach, the Pastoral Plan seeks to align these entities under a unified vision, empowering them to better serve the diverse needs of the Catholic Church in India. By embracing the principles of synodality, the plan envisions greater participation, dialogue, and shared responsibility among all members of the Church.

The release of the Pastoral Plan at the national level is scheduled for September 2024. It is proposed to have the official launch of this Pastoral Plan on November 24, 2024, at the Regional, diocesan, and parish levels, by celebrating a Thanksgiving Holy Eucharist. The launch event will serve as a powerful symbol of the Indian Catholic Church's dedication to embracing a more synodal and collaborative approach.

The CCBI decided to engage in the pastoral planning process, by responding to the question "Where is God calling the Church to be by 2033?" It has been a year-long process, involving 5,000 members of the Latin Catholic Church in India, comprising of bishops, clergy, religious, women, men and youth.

Leave No Child Behind

Sr Gracy Rodrigues, FDCC

July 30, 2024 is commemorated as the World Day against Human Trafficking. This day raises the alarm about the horrible crime of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes, including forced labour, sex, abuse and exploitation. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Traffickers the world over continue to target women and girls. The vast majority of detected victims of trafficking are women, children for sexual exploitation and forced labour. Trafficking in persons is a global problem that affects virtually every country in every region of the world, and yet, it remains an invisible phenomenon to the eyes of many people. Victims of trafficking are building our homes, cleaning our houses, monitoring our rental rooms, working as domestics in hotels, processing our food, and tailoring our clothes.

This year's global campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. Leave no child behind in the fight against human trafficking. Children represent a significant proportion of trafficking victims worldwide, with girls being disproportionately affected. Children are twice more likely to face violence during trafficking than adults. Amid overlapping crises such as armed conflicts, economic hardships and environmental challenges, children are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking. Furthermore, the proliferation of online platforms poses additional risks, as children often connect to these sites without adequate safeguards.