Magis

What Are Your Options?

2008-10-11T23:43:00.001+08:00

Your Heart Today

2008-09-13T19:41:00.003+08:00

Here's a video clip of the song "Your Heart Today" by Manoling Francisco, SJ. For those who find their hearts hardened and made cold by the weariness of life, we hope that you find inspiration in this video.

As the Lord has promised:

from http://bibleencyclopedia.com/nasbsmall/NASB_Ezekiel_36-26.jpg

We hope that through this video, you will allow the Lord to give your that "new heart and new spirit" that will make you desire to do more for God!

from the youtube.com site of mhcaillesrn

Introducing: St. Ignatius of Loyola

2007-05-10T20:08:00.000+08:00

Get to know our founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVujbSBB4tk&mode=related&search=

A.M.D.G.: A World is Not Enough

2007-05-06T14:16:00.000+08:00

Want to know more about the Jesuits?

Follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThSWKGqf6zY

Last Vocation Seminar for the School Year

2007-03-10T10:42:00.000+08:00

Vocation Seminar

11.March.2007
Sunday
9 am to 6 pm
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila Campus
Loyola Heights, Quezon City

Please call the Vocation Promotions Office (426-6101) for more information.

First Principle and Foundation

2007-03-10T10:31:00.000+08:00

The First Principle and Foundation

The goal of our life is to live with God forever.
God who loves us, gave us life.
Our own response of love allows God's life to flow into us
without limit.

All the things in this world are gifts of God,
presented to us so that we can know God more easily
and make a return of love more readily.

As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God
insofar as they help us develop as loving persons.
But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives,
they displace God
and so hinder our growth toward our goal.

In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance
before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice
and are not bound by some obligation.
We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,
wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us
a deeper response to our life in God.

Our only desire and our one choice
should be this:
I want and I choose what better
leads to the
deepening of God's life in me.

- St. Ignatius as paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J. from the beginning of the Spiritual Exercises

Options: An Invitation

2007-01-25T13:09:00.000+08:00

Examen of Consciousness

2006-12-10T17:48:00.000+08:00

Through the steps below you can experience this "method" of growing in a sense of self and the source of self. You can grow more sensitive to your own spirit -- its longings, its powers, its Source; and you will develop an openness to receive the supports God offers.

"Love consists in a mutual sharing." ( Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius)

"Lord, lover of life, your imperishable Spirit is in all." (Wisdom)

Recall you are in the presence of God.
No matter where you are, hilltop or valley, country or city, in a crowd or alone, you are a creature in the midst of creation. The Creator who called you forth is concerned for you. The Spirit of God, sent by Christ, will remind you that you are gifted to help bring creation to its fullness, to restore it to the Creator's way. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you look on all you see with love. "Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way;... it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right ... Love hopes all things." (I Cor.)
Give thanks to God for favors received.
Pause and spend a moment looking at this day's gifts. Be concrete! Recall the taste of jam on toast, the fragrance of a flower, the smile brought forth by a kind word, an act of patience that gave someone ease. Take stock of what you received and gave. Notice these clues that guide living.
Now look at your more permanent gifts that allow your participation in this day. Recall your particular strengths in times of difficulty, your ability to hope in times of weakness, your sense of humor and your life of faith, your intelligence and health, your family and friends. God the Father gives these to you to draw you into the fullness of life. The Father sent the Son, Jesus, to assure us that God's kingdom is being established. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain us as we receive and bring life to others.
Pause in thanksgiving.
Ask for awareness of the Holy Spirit's aid.
Before you explore the mystery of the human heart, ask to receive the Holy Spirit so that you can look upon your actions and motives with honesty and patience. "When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit inspires you to see with growing freedom the development of your life story. The Spirit gives a freedom to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth. "Love hopes all things."
Now examine how you are living this day.
Recalling the events of your day, explore the context of your actions. Review the day, hour by hour, searching for the internal events of your life. Look through the hours to see your interaction with what was before you. Ask what you were involved in and who you were with, and review your hopes and hesitations. Many situations will show that your heart was divided -- wavering between helping and disregarding, scoffing and encouraging, listening and ignoring, rebuking and forgiving, speaking and silence, neglecting and thanking. See the opportunities for growth in faith, hope and charity and how you responded. What moved you to act the way you did?
Notice where you acted freely -- picking a particular course of action from the possibilities you saw See where you now sense you were swept along without freedom. This "method" is to give you habits of freedom. What habits helped or hindered you?
See where Christ entered your decisions and where you might have paused to receive His influence. "Test yourselves," St. Paul urges, "to see whether-you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you." (2 Cor.) His influence comes through His people, the Body of Christ. His influence comes through Scripture, the word of God. Now, as you pray, Christ's spirit will help you know His presence and concern.
As you daily and prayerfully explore the mystery of your self in the midst of your actions you will grow more familiar with your spirit. You will come to know that Christ is with you. Christ will continually invite you to love your neighbor as yourself and strengthen you to do this.
Pray words of reconciliation and resolve.
"The Word of God is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance. See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster... Choose life," speaks the prophet. (Deut. 18) Now, having reviewed this day of your life, look upon yourself with compassion and see your need for God and try to realize God's manifestations of concern for you. Express sorrow for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times you resisted God's light today. Give thanks for grace, the enlightening presence of God, and especially praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God's life. In these acts of sorrow and gratitude you grow in knowledge of God's gentle labor for you. "As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in mine." Jer. 18:6

Grateful Memory of God's Graciousness

2006-09-04T09:10:00.000+08:00

“ Remember the long way
that the Lord your God has led you ”

Key to the Jesuit/Ignatian charism is grateful memory for past graces. God is ever at work in our lives: sometimes this is as clear as day, sometimes it is not clear at all. Looking back at the road taken can remind us of God's grace at work in our lives. Take a moment to still the worries of the day and see the footprints God has left...

Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments. He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8,2- 3

“There will be mountains
That I will have to climb
And there will be battles
That I will have to fight
But victory or defeat
It's up to me to decide
But how can I expect to win
If I never try

I just can't give up now
Come too far from where I started from
Nobody told me the road would be easy
And I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me

Never said there wouldn't be trials
Never said I wouldn't fall
Never said that everything would go the way I want it to go
But when my back is against the wall
And I feel all hope is gone
I'll just lift my head up to the sky
And say help me to be strong

Lyrics from Mary Mary “I just can't give up now"

Prayer:

Loving God, we thank you for your continuous presence to us throughout our lives. You have walked with us when it was easy and when it was difficult. You have sent us companions to share the journey. Gift us with new disciples: women and men on fire with great desires and generous hearts. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

How do I Know God's Will?

2006-08-06T09:45:00.000+08:00

As Christians we are called to do God's will. But how do we know what God wants us to do? Does he want me to go to pursue graduate studies or embark on an alternative career like teaching? Does he want me to date now or wait? Am I cut out for religious life or married life? How do we know what God's will is? Do we just pray, and he'll tell us? I doubt anyone of us has heard the audible voice of God. How does he tell us what to do?

When called to make a decision, many pray and ask for a sign. The problem with this is that we set the conditions for the sign. If what we want is something we so much desire, we may ask for an easy sign. And if what is to be decided is something tough - like deciding on my vocation - I may ask for an equally tough sign.

Some ask for God's guidance but do not really try to discern what God has to tell him through the daily events in his life. Some of us just do not know how to read the signposts along the way. Hence, we sometimes end up missing the point of our lives.

So how do know God's will and not just try to feel it (like Existentialists?)

There are Five principles in determining God's Will.

#1. Scripture. God guides us through daily meditation of scriptures. When we pray with Scriptures, God's word somehow comes across us in a very personal way. His words are situated in our very own context. Hence, his message, although universal, is at the same time particularized in my very own context. Meditation on the daily gospel and going to the Eucharist daily are great venues through which God can share with us His thoughts and desires in a very personal way.

#2. Godly Wisdom. Wisdom is "Knowledge Righteously Applied." You can have all the Bible Knowledge possible, and decide not to use it. Satan knows the Bible better than you do, but he obviously does not follow its teaching. You have to take God's word and apply it in your life.

With wisdom, you also will be able to determine what to do when faced with two Biblical options. Should I go to college or go to Africa and be a missionary? Wisdom will be able to take the knowledge of the Bible and apply it to your life situation.

#3. Godly Counsel (Teaching, Training and Equipping). God did not create us to be alone. He created us in fellowship with one another. He set up the family so that the parents can teach, train and equip the children how to worship and serve God. He placed the pastor and the elders to do the same in the church. He gave us other brothers and sisters to teach us how to live more Biblically. He gave us the body of believers. Godly Counsel can help us know God's will more.

#4. Open Doors. If God wants you to go in a certain direction he will open doors for you. Or he will close certain doors. But be wary, Satan can open doors too. You must use Godly Wisdom, Godly Counsel and the Bible to determine who opened that door.

#5. Peace of Heart. This principle is last and purposely so. If you are where God wants you to be, no matter how stressful it might be, you will have an inner peace about it. But, be warned, too many Christians use this as the only determiner of God's will. If you only use this, you are basically only doing what you feel, and what gives you peace. This is not the peace that God gives. It's a wrongful peace that we get in doing what we want. This peace is false and can last for a long time, but it will eventually fade.

Some might think that this process of determining God's will is too much like a check list and takes faith out of the picture. But God is the one who gave us the Bible, he is the one who tell us to pray and ask for wisdom, he is the one who gave us parents, the church to teach us what to do and how to live and he is the one who give us the possibility of peace. He gave us all these things to grow our faith. Having greater faith is not knowing less so that you can have more to believe in. But greater faith is knowing the source of that faith even more.

To Discern God's Will better you must Know God more. So go out and study your Bible, ask for wisdom, seek learning from parents, church and other believers. Know God more and you will better know what his will for you is.

Let Me Talk Jesuit Today by Fr. Joaquin Bernas SJ

2006-07-31T20:37:00.000+08:00

TODAY IS THE FEAST OF THE FOUNDER OF the Jesuit Order, Ignatius of Loyola. This year in fact is an important date for the Jesuit family. We are celebrating the 450th year since the death of Ignatius and the 500th year since the birth of two of Loyola’s first companions, St. Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter Faber. I trust, therefore, that my readers will not begrudge me the chance to “boast” a little about my religious family and especially about our founder.

The origins of the Jesuit family go back to a 1525 boarding house in Paris, where two young men in their late teens shared a room. One was athletic and outgoing, the aristocratic Spaniard Francis Xavier, the other an introverted nerd, Peter Faber, from a family of French shepherds. The shepherd was the brighter of the two. The two got together very well, no doubt, partly because the brighter student coached the athlete in preparing for his exams.

Little did the two anticipate that their lives would be radically changed by a much older Spanish nobleman with a limp, who joined them as their third roommate. That boarding house produced two saints, Xavier and Loyola, and one blessed, Faber. Few boarding houses can boast of such a record.

This is where my story begins, mainly about that nobleman with a limp. Does he have anything to say to us moderns?

We can look at Loyola as a typical medieval saint, profoundly prayerful, wise in the ways of the spirit, disciplined and a believer in the vanity of the attractions of the world. Saints, because of their rigorous bodily discipline and severity on self, can be unattractive. If this were all that Loyola was, I doubt that he would have attracted the thousands of young men who have followed in his footsteps. I myself, not being very penitential, would probably not have been attracted to join the Jesuits. But even now his power to attract talented young men still remains.

Students of the life of Loyola see in him not just an ascetic but also a man who may in fact have exemplified not a saint characterized by his contempt of the world but one who enthusiastically embraced the world. I must confess to being attracted to this trait. He was not one to exhort his followers to engage in “holy follies.” He did engage in them in the early years of his conversion but he learned from his own experience that extremes can do great harm. Thus among his followers he preached moderation in penances.

If you look at the things he encouraged among his followers, you might even call him worldly. This is why, when you look at many of the things which his Jesuit followers do, you will find them engaged in a big way in matters that are far from other worldly.

Loyola actually started it all. He carved out for himself a path to holiness that would guide the religious order he had founded. When he finally got to write the handbook or “Constitutions for the Order,” he called his approach “nuestro modo de proceder.”

At the center of this “modo” was a vision of a world that is good. On the seventh day, God looked at the world He had created and He saw that it was good. That, too, is how Loyola looked at the world—good and wonderful, filled with the wonder of God.

In his own time, he began sending Jesuits into various parts of the world. He always wanted them to write about their accomplishments in their apostolic endeavors but no less in their worldly undertakings. Thus he received reports about plants and animals they had discovered, about languages and practices they had learned, about the length of days in summer and winter in various places and about their strange discoveries. He took pride in showing these around as part of the total mission of his Order.

Most illustrative of this “worldly” way was the manner in which he and the schools he founded so easily adopted to the ways of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was not just about the art and architecture of the masters. It was a rebirth of the appreciation of the literature of pagan Rome and Greece, which led to attempts to imitate their elegance. Thus in his own time and even into the 20th century, the Greek and Roman classics were studied in Jesuit schools.

Elegance, however, was not sought for its own sake but also for its usefulness in the formation of character and in the quality of oral and written communication. As one historian put it, “Most Renaissance humanists were school teachers or speech and letter writers for civil authorities. Learning to speak and write well, they believed, required studying and imitating the elegance of authors like Cicero and Seneca .... The humanists despised the wooden Latin of the summa in favor of the literary classics of Roman antiquity. They were aficionados of the classics.”

Loyola was also a humanist. He was not just a saint. The word humanist arose in the 15th century when the teachers of classical Latin—in order to distinguish what they were teaching from theology, the study of divinity—called their discipline studia humanitatis. Today, we call it humanities or liberal arts. Ultimately, what I am trying to say to our contemporaries, is that Loyola taught us that embracing the world should be humanizing and sanctifying at the same time.

Published on page A15 of the July 31, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Vocation Seminar for July

2006-07-09T08:39:00.000+08:00

Click on the poster for a larger view.

St. Ignatius and the Spiritual Exercises

2006-03-09T18:24:00.000+08:00

If you have read on the life of our founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola, you already know the significance of the time stretching from his convalescence after his injury at the battle of Pamplona, up to his months of prayer in the cave at Manresa on the other side of Spain. During these months, Ignatius noticed how God led him to pay attention to the diverse "voices" inside of him -- to the movements of consolation and desolation in his heart and spirit. Furthermore, he gradually learned to discern the sources of these desires, thoughts and movements of the heart and spirit: which of them came from God and which of them drew him away from God -- and, perhaps most importantly, which of them he should act upon. Throughout this time, Ignatius learned how important it is to look for God in the stuff of his everyday experience; he learned that God was shaping and forming him to be a companion of Jesus. The fruit of these months of prayer and reflection is contained in his Spiritual Exercises. If there is any genius to the Society of Jesus, it lies in this little treatise on prayer written over 450 years ago. The method of prayer outlined in that book helps each Jesuit to follow Jesus and seek God's will in any circumstances, from the most mundane day of teaching, administrating or writing, to a particularly trying experience of walking with people experiencing grave suffering or social injustice.

from www.stignatiussf.org

Preliminary Guidelines for the Present Situation of “National Emergency”

2006-02-28T10:11:00.000+08:00

A. The Situation:

There seem to be groups in the military who have seriously been engaged in attempts to seize state power. Part of the impetus for these coup plots appears to be legitimate grievances concerning the present state of the military under the present administration. But it does not seem that the ventilation of these grievances is the only agenda of the present movements among these groups. There also appears to be a genuine intent to take political control of the country. Transitional juntas, with civilians participating, appear to be envisioned. Some civilians, chiefly politicians and organized political groups, seem to know about these plans. Some, convinced that all constitutional means to oust the present administration have been exhausted, support these attempts.

There appears to be a crucial difference between the events of EDSA 1986 and the present. EDSA was a civilian-led initiative against dictatorship that received support from the military. What we are witnessing these days is quite different: a military-led effort seeking civilian support and legitimation.

The response of the government is the declaration of a state of National Emergency, through Proclamation No. 1017. The column of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., in today’s Philippines Daily Inquirer, explains the constitutional basis for and scope of emergency powers in the Proclamation. But Fr. Bernas also points to the disturbing inclusion of what seem to be martial law powers in the President’s declaration, particularly in its appeal to Article XII, Section 17 of the Constitution, concerning the temporary takeover of privately owned businesses and utilities, a move that seems aimed at government control of the press and media.

B. Some Guidelines:

1. The crisis of political legitimacy and the crying need for reform of the military are real. Nonetheless, any attempt by factions in the military to seize state power, however well motivated, cannot be supported. Such attempts overstep the noble task of the military in a democracy. The consequences of such actions that threaten civilian supremacy over the military will be extremely difficult to reverse and would be seriously harmful for the country’s future. The experience of countries in which a politicized military has taken state power—what we often refer to as “banana republics”—gives sobering illustrations of these consequences. Once having captured the state, military forces have not given up power easily. A cycle of constant struggles for state control among military elements begins, to the detriment of political stability, democratic freedoms and national development.

Democracy demands the rule of civilians who are legitimately chosen from and by the people, and not simply kept in power by military might. It is important to recall the principle articulated by the CBCP in its pastoral statement of January 2006: actions that “condone violence or counter-constitutional means in resolving our present crisis” are not acceptable, especially since they “would only bring about new forms of injustice, hardships, and greater harm in the future.”

2. The serious threat to democratic freedoms involved in Proclamation No. 1017 should be exposed, questioned, and resisted. Even constitutionally mandated emergency powers can be abused if they are exercised disproportionately, to the point of undermining basic rights. It is alarming that, even now, there seem to be indications of this abuse, such as the arrest of civilians without clear bases and charges. This is a serious and unacceptable violation of civil and political rights.

Furthermore, the present administration’s actions towards controlling the media must be resisted. Not only are these moves of questionable constitutionality, but state takeover of media seems morally unjustified, as such a measure would violate the freedom of expression which is a fundamental tenet of democracy.

We must not be naïve and uncritical. Many groups have taken and will continue to take advantage of the present confusion. We, especially religious and Church groups, must be wary about which groups we identify with, lest we indirectly legitimate and support antidemocratic groups with vested interests. The question of the future governance of the country, should the present administration collapse, is not a matter of indifference, but a serious moral consideration. Who assumes power, with what mandate and what agenda, are questions that we must seek answers to from those who would solicit our support.

The present administration’s actions to frustrate legitimate constitutional means of reform and accountability must be held largely responsible for the present crisis. Government’s constant attempts to evade accountability and true reform have made the military solution seem attractive and inevitable to some.

Thus, it is necessary that the following be addressed with greater urgency: the search for truth on the many controversies of the recent past; the revamp of COMELEC and other necessary electoral reforms; reforms in the military; and the continuing search for solutions to the problems of poverty and inequality that beset most of our people.

C. Some Immediate Courses of Action:

In this situation, the following are appropriate immediate courses of action:

Gatherings of prayer for peace and a non-violent resolution of the crisis;
Gatherings to exchange reliable information, and to discern collectively in the light of emerging developments;
Expressions and actions of protest against the curtailments of democratic freedoms in Proclamation No. 1017.

Jesuit Spirituality

2006-02-13T20:56:00.000+08:00

Following the example of St. Ignatius, Jesuit life centers on the imitation of Jesus -- focusing on those priorities which constitute Christ's mind, heart, values, priorities and loves. [This section adapted from Howard Gray, S.J.] What are those values, priorities and loves? Ignatius would encourage us to consider what Jesus said and did. At the foundation of Jesus' life was prayer, a continuous search for how best to live as an authentic human being before a loving God. Jesus preached forgiveness of sins, healed the sick and possessed, and gave hope to the poor, to those socially and economically outcast. Jesus spoke of joy, peace, justice and love; he summoned men and women from all classes of society to continue to follow his way to God and his commitment to helping people become whole and holy.

The Society of Jesus attempts to incorporate these same gospel values into all its works. Jesuits stress the need to take time to reflect and to pray, in order to find out how God wants us to serve in all our ministries. This active commitment to seeking God's leadership is called discernment. As Jesuits, the overriding characteristic we see in Jesus is loving obedience, an open-hearted desire to find and to pursue how God wants other men and women to be forgiven, to be free, to utilize all their talents and opportunities in ways which build up this world as a place where faith, justice, peace and love can flourish. This kind of spirituality is incarnational. It views the world as a place where Christ walked, talked and embraced people. It views the world, therefore, as a place of grace, a place of being able to give life to others.

At the same time, Ignatian spirituality is realistic. The world Christ faced was also a world of cruelty, injustice and the abuse of power and authority. Consequently, Jesuit spirituality affirms our human potential but also is dedicated to the ongoing, day-in-day-out struggle between good and evil. No one apostolic work exhausts how good can be done; therefore, Jesuits do all kinds of work. The Jesuit norm is: to find where God will best be served and where people will best be helped.

from www.stignatiussf.org

What is Spirituality?

2006-02-06T14:59:00.000+08:00

Spirituality is hard to define. It has to do with the "style" or the "spirit" of our life -- with the way in which we live out our faith in God: our way of being religious. Richard McBrien has written:

To be "spiritual" means to know, and to live according to the knowledge, that there is more to life than meets the eye. To be "spiritual" means, beyond that, to know, and to live according to the knowledge, that God is present to us in grace as the principle of personal, interpersonal, social and even cosmic transformation. To be "open to the Spirit" is to accept explicitly who we are and who we are called always to become, and to direct our lives accordingly.

[ Catholicism , Winston Press: Minneapolis, Minn. 1980. 1057.]

Each of the great religious families in the Church, like the Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans, has a distinctive way of following the Risen Christ and responding to the Holy Spirit. This pamphlet is designed to introduce you to Jesuit spirituality, to give you a sense of its contours or distinguishing characteristics. A written description, however, can only go so far. The best way to come to know Jesuit spirituality is to incorporate some of its principles and prayer into your daily life, and to talk with Jesuits and other people who live by the spirituality of St. Ignatius. To help you get started, the following pages offer some suggestions for prayer and reflection which will give you a feel for our way of following Jesus. Refer to these pages often in the weeks and months ahead. Developing some habits of regular prayer and reflection are essential for someone considering a vocation to religious life.

from www.stignatiussf.org

St. Ignatius' Prayer for Generosity

2006-01-28T15:33:00.000+08:00

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your will.

Prayer for Vocations

2006-01-25T23:45:00.000+08:00

O loving and gracious God, Father of all,
you bless your people in every time and season
and provide for their needs through your providential care.
Your Church is continually in need of priests,
sisters and brothers to offer themselves in the service
of the gospel by lives of dedicated love.

Open the hearts of your sons and daughters
to listen to your call in their lives.
Give them the gift of understanding to discern
your invitation to serve you and your Church.
Give them the gift of courage to follow your call.

May they have the spirit of young Samuel
who found fulfilment in his life when he said to you,
"Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.

A Worldwide Brotherhood

2006-01-23T09:50:00.000+08:00

The Society of Jesus is the largest order of men in the Catholic Church. Our 20,000 brothers and priests work in more than 120 countries. Ignatius of Loyola started the order in 1540. St. Ignatius gave up his life as a nobleman and knight to serve God by serving others as a "contemplative in action." He wanted the passion for all a Jesuit does to spring from his life of prayer and his companionship with Christ. Every Jesuit begins his religious life with Ignatius Spiritual Exercises, which become the well-spring for his prayer, service, and companionship with his fellow Jesuits.

Becoming a Jesuit means becoming a brother to men spread over all the Earth, bound to them all by a common love for the Jesuit way of following Christ. Jesuit priests and brothers alike vow lifelong chastity, poverty and obedience, and they work side-by-side in all the Society's apostolic efforts.

All Jesuit begin their formation as novices for two years, then move on to first studies - one year of juniorate (focused on the study of communications skills in Filipino and English) and two years of philosophy. After a period of fulltime ministry (usually teaching in one of the Jesuit schools) called "regency," those wanting to be priests begin further theological studies that usually last for four years. They are usually ordained within 11 years of entering the novitiate.

adapted from www.nwjesuits.org

God's Call

2006-01-20T10:06:00.000+08:00

Being "called" is a very mysterious reality. Often when someone is called,they do not realize it or accept it for some time. This is especially true if your "call" is a religious call! We may begin to ask ourselves the questions: Who's calling? How do I answer? Then again we may want to say: Stop calling! I'm too busy to take "calls" right now!

Each day in the community where I live we pray for Vocations. Today, when we speak of "call" or "vocation", we often mean priesthood or religious life. But, what about the majority of people we know? Are they called? Do they have vocations?

Vatican II reminds us that by our baptism all Christians have a fundamental call to holiness. All of us are invited into a very special friendship by God. How we live out that special relationship with God is as unique and different as we are!

How do we know what we are called to be? How do we know if we are called to a religious vocation? The key, of course, begins with self-understanding, prayer, and a willingness to allow ourselves to ask the questions. We often need to have other people share in the discernment process. A good spiritual director is a necessary element of any vocation discernment! So often we feel that we are the only ones who have these types of questions or feelings. We may feel we are the only one in the whole world who has been called! Of course the opposite is true.

Therefore, we cannot go through the discernment process on our own. We need to talk to those special people who know us well and speak to us honestly and directly. We may also need to hear the experiences of others and find strength in the shared pursuit of this mystery.

Go to the Scriptures to see how God has acted in the past. The prophets and the apostles all had different responses to their individual "call". The enthusiasm with which they responded to God's call varied. Some were willing to give up everything. Others did not want to respond at all! Knowing how God acted in the past can help us to understand how God may be acting in our life right now!

We often hear: "God's ways are not our ways". Certainly in the lives and events of Scripture this seems to be the case. From a human standpoint, God seems to act so illogically especially when calling individuals to accomplish some task. Our culture and "business" orientated approach to vocational discernment usually encourages us to try and find the most qualified person for the job. We seek the most experienced, the best educated, the most gifted! Yet, look who God chose! Moses, Sarah, David, Jeremiah, Mary, the apostles, and many others - people seemingly limited because of age or lack of skill but human beings in tune with the reality of God's presence in their lives.

Do we at times put ourselves down because we feel that we are not worthy enough? Or good enough? Or talented enough? Do we put ourselves down because we are not perfect? Do we rule out the possibility of a religious vocation because we are all too aware of our "humanness"? If so, we may be overlooking the very gift that God has given us to serve the Church.

For some tragic reason we may be too blind to see the unique gift we can bring to religious life. "Come, follow me," Jesus said to the apostles.

To us, this may sound very vague and unclear. Most of us want clarity. We want a job description before we say yes! We want to know our benefits. We want to know what is expected of us. Yet, when we receive the call, Jesus simply says, "Come, follow me".

Our need for control and certainty can prevent us from responding to the invitation of Jesus. Our concerns and anxieties about the future can often be paralyzing and can minimize our freedom of choice. And yet the questions remain - am I motivated by my faith or controlled by my fears? What is it that is getting in the way of my response to God? Why do I feel so unfree at times? Unable to move forward?

Again experience in the Scriptures can assist us. While God's action in our lives may seem illogical and vague, God's call or invitation is never in the abstract. God calls each of us personally, by name. And God called in the present. These two realities can help us as we try to determine our best response to God's invitation.

Since God calls us by name, our response can only be from the unique individuals that we are. We respond with our own talents and abilities, our own shortcomings and limitations. As Peter was different from Paul and Mary from Martha, so each of us is different and so is our response. We respond to God in a way that is not better or worse than others just uniquely different.

God calls us always in the present. Jesus called his followers at a particular moment in history. They answered accordingly, out of their culture and time frame, out of a whole series of relationships. Today's disciples are no different. The circumstances and people in our lives help to clarify our response to God. We live in the 20th century with uniquely rich backgrounds and special human relationships.

Being attentive to our experience will provide the clarity we need. God's call is mysterious and unclear. Knowledge of ourselves, acceptance of our strengths and weaknesses, and self awareness are crucial in helping us respond. But it is the realization that God is present NOW inviting each of us to a deeper friendship that is the source of this call. It is the promise of Jesus, "I will be with you always" that makes our response possible.

from www.ecclesia-ottawa.org

Vocation Seminar on February 2, 2005

2006-01-18T09:59:00.000+08:00

What is My Calling?

2006-01-14T13:10:00.000+08:00

How can a solider in the middle of a war be effective if he or she doesn't know what their assignment is? Are they supposed to lie back and defend or should they attack? They'll end up not doing anything, the wrong thing or even end up hurting soldiers on their side.

When it comes to the Christian walk, which God refers to as a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10-20), many Christians have no idea what their assignment is. This reduces the Christian to an ineffective life. This Christian ends up walking aimlessly around the battlefield in the wrong place and maybe shooting Christians along the way (which happens way to often). If there's enough Christians who are like this, the entire army is reduced to ineffectiveness.

So how does one determine what one's calling is? First we have to discuss that there are general callings and specific callings. General callings are for all Christians such as to worship God, be a good witness, and transform culture. But God has given everyone specific callings - callings personalized just for you.

God has given you three main things to figure out what your calling is.

#1. Gifts
#2. Talents
#3. Resources

It can be put this way: Gifts + Talents + Resources = One of Your Callings.

Gifts are spiritual areas of life that God has given you (Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor 12). Some gifts are: teaching, service, preaching, encouragement, generosity, music, hospitality, etc.

Talents are physical areas of life that God has given you that you are good at. Public speaking, singing, mathematics, debate, accounting, writing, cooking, interior design, child care, etc.

Resources are physical objects God has blessed you with that enhance your gifts and talents. Money, car, house, friends, schooling, degree, church, family, etc.

For example God has called me to be a teacher of doctrine. When I was in high school I was learning that I was getting pretty good at teaching and logic. This was an inkling that I might have a gift in this area, but I wasn't sure yet. Later in college my public speaking (a talent) increased. I started to learn more about Christianity in college and continued in Seminary - these are resources. The gifts, talents and resources put together point me to my calling of teaching doctrine.

Another calling God has given me is: giving money to his work. God has given me the gift of generosity, talent in accounting, and the resources from that job would be money. Those things combined make me realize that I have been called to be a source of income for God's work. So if my father's ministry in the Philippines needs money I am quick to give. If my friends need monetary help in a rough period of life, again I am quick to give. My gifts, talents and resources point to my calling of giving.

If I didn't know that this was a calling I wouldn't be so willing to give, and even if I did give money, I would not be worshipping God in my service. Furthermore the ministry in the Philippines would have a lot less money to work with - lessening its effectiveness. So me not knowing just one of my callings affects potentially hundreds of people in two countries.

God is telling you what your calling is by these three things. You can't wait for God to tell you what your calling is, because he's already telling you what it is through your gifts, talents and resources. That would be like waiting for God to tell you the answer when it's already right in front of you. You ask, its there, you wait, its still there, you question why you haven't received any direction from God - it's been there the whole time. To 'hear' God, you must determine your God given gifts, talents and resources.

God has a calling for everyone. Sometimes you are at a point in your life that you do not know your calling for when you are an adult, but you still have a calling right now. For most kids the calling is a little more general and becomes more specific as life goes on. God has called most everyone to be a student early on. I wouldn't have been able to be as effective as an accountant to make money for God's work now if I screwed around in high school and college and got bad grades, got a useless degree and worked at Spatula City making minimum wage. So for those of you in school right now, that is one of your callings - so do it well. God is preparing you for a more specific calling that will have wide ranging effects.

Figuring out your calling isn't the easiest thing in the world to do.

from decapolis.com

Panalangin na Malaman ang Kanyang Loob

2006-01-06T23:13:00.000+08:00

Panginoon
isa akong silyang nakatunganga
sa harap ng papel at pluma
sa matamis na simoy
na hatid ng hatinggabi
at ng kundimang sadyang
nagbabagabag
nag-aaliw
nagpapalumanay
sa diwa kong balisa
at sa'king pagmamasid
nais kong iguhit
sadyang nasa ng pusong
umawit din ngunit
san pupulutin ang tinig
sa anong ibon hihiram
ng huni
at dito
dito sa pinagkakalagyan
sa kapayapaan
sa balisa
sana'y ang sarili'y
maihanap ng kahulugan
nasa'y mamasdan ang tunay
na larawan
ng buhay.

AMEN.

This poem was written by Danilo dela Bajan, one of the 47 participants of the Jesuit Vocation Workshop held last December 26-30, 2005 at the Sacred Heart Novitiate.

Who God Uses

2006-01-06T09:14:00.000+08:00

Here's something worth reflecting on. Sometimes, we feel that we are not worthy to respond to God's invitation to the religious life because of our sinfulness. Here we are reminded that God also calls and uses the sinful. Whenever, we get in touch with our sinfulness, it is to remind us that we have a God who tremendously and extravagantly loves us despite our sinfulness. So the next time we feel discouraged to respond to God's call, think of the following people. Perhaps, our attitude should be like that of Mary who trusted in God's grace and providence because she humbly accepts her limitations. Her "unworthiness" did not stop her from saying "Yes" to God's will.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember...

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

John the Baptist ate bugs

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer...AND

Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses now. God can use you to your full potential.

Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's me.
3. Growing old is inevitable . growing UP is optional.
4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
5. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
6. Do the math. count your blessings.
7. Faith is the ability to not panic.
8. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.
9. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.
10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home everyday.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.
12. The most important things in your house are the people.
13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still.
God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

God, grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the Courage to change the one I can, and the Wisdom to know it's me.

Prayer of Abandonment (Tagalog)

2006-01-03T14:17:00.000+08:00

Ama,
Ipinapaubaya ko ang aking sarili
sa iyong mga kamay;
Gawin mo sa akin ang bawat naisin mo.
Ano man ang gawin mo ay ipagpapasalamat ko.
Nakahanda akong tanggapin ang lahat,
Masunod lamang ang iyong niloloob para sa akin,
at sa iyong mga nilalang.
Wala na akong mahihiling pa, Panginoon.

Sa iyong mga kamay inihahabilin ko ang aking kaluluwa:
Ibinibigay ko nang buong puso,
sapagkat mahal kita, Panginoon.
At kinakailangang ibigay ko ang aking sarili,
isuko sa iyo nang walang pag-aalinlangan,
at may pagtitiwalang walang kapantay, sa dahilang
Ikaw ay aking Ama.

Charles de Foucald

St. Ignatius on the Consciousness Examen

2005-12-27T00:41:00.000+08:00

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is a book not to be read but to be savored. It actually logs the the spiritual journey of St. |Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Throughout the centuries, this book has been used by many retreat directors as they accompany their retreatants through their individual spiritual journeys.

In this book, St. Ignatius outlines the Consciousness Examen which he suggests that the retreatant do everyday during his long retreat. This method of prayer though has been adopted by many religious and lay people as their daily prayer. It is suggested that the examen, as it is commonly called, be done twice - one during noon and the other before retiring for the day. The prayer is helpful to one who wishes to discern how God moves in the daily routine of his life and to pray over God's invitation to him everyday.

Below is a quotation from The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius on the Consciousness Examen:

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMEN. It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.

Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.

Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.

Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.

Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

Our Father.

from http://spiritualorientations.com/first.html

Examen of Consciousness

2005-12-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

The Examen of Consciousness is a 15-minute prayer that Jesuits
and other religious men and women pray twice a day -
once during noontime and once before bedtime.
This prayer is very helpful in bringing to one's consciousness
the movements of God in his daily life.
The prayer consists of five movements:
Counting One's Blessings
Reflecting on a Tension Experienced
Reflecting on God's Message in the Events of One's Life
Reflecting on God's Invitation
Begging for the Grace One Needs

(Disposing One's Self for Prayer)

Quiet yourself by breathing deeply.

"There are two things you should know:

First, what you are;

Second, that you are not what you are by your own power.

"Then, you will boast, but not in vain.....

So we should greatly fear that ignorance

which makes us think less of ourselves

than we should..."

(Bernard of Clairvaux)

Jesus Christ, Savior,

I pray for the grace of awareness and insight

as I ponder this day.

Living in your call to ongoing conversion, help me to see as You see!

Open my eyes to recognize you,

to see how you and your goodness and kindness

were present in the persons and events of this day.

I pray this, invoking the presence and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

(first movement)

Reflect:

How did I experience the goodness and kindness of Jesus this day?

How was I the goodness and kindness of Jesus to someone this day?

Pray:

Praise and thank God for these moments.

(second movement)

Reflect:

What is the tension or dis-ease in my life today?

Pray:

God, this is what happened.....

Give me the grace of insight to understand what really took place.

(Listen)

(third movement)

Reflect:

What new awareness is waking up in me?

How are you speaking to me in my heart, Lord?

Pray:

Thank you, Lord, for these- they are gifts that can bring

me closer to you....

(fourth movement)

Reflect:

What events in this day touched me?

What response is God calling me to through

these events?

(Listen)

(fifth movement)

Reflect:

What grace do I need right now to respond to you, God,

more deeply and faithfully?

(Listen)

(conclusion)

Pray:

I thank you, Loving God, for the gifts of this day,

and the gifts of this prayer time.

(Conclude with your own prayer of gratitude.)

from www.sdssisters.org

Sinner Yet Called

2005-12-25T23:48:00.000+08:00

One of the biggest blocks to one's vocation is one's misplaced feeling of sinfulness. We all are sinful. This is one fact that we must learn to accept. And whenever, the Lord asks us to face and embrace our sinfulness, it comes with a reminder that we are tremendously and extravagantly loved by a God who does not tire to invite us into a loving and intimate relationship with him.

The sign above is a good reminder for us who feel that they are being called to the religious life. No one is too bad to come in and entertain the idea of being a religious. No matter how sinful you are or have been, the Lord calls each one and takes him for who he is. Remember, God does not love us because we are good; instead, we are good because God loves us.

Some may shut themselves from the idea of religious life because they feel that there is much more in life that they can achieve than just simply being locked in a seminary to pray and do acts of mercy. Even if you are a professional - a doctor, lawyer, engineer, businessman, or an artist - God will still find use for all these talents even if you join the religious life. Religious life does not mean that you shed off everything that is secular or worldly in you so that you can embrace things that are holy. Remember, God calls the entire of who you are and does not choose only the good part. This is why we have lawyers, doctors, engineers, musicians, accountants, and a lot more in the Society of Jesus.

As you discern whether you are being called to the religious life of not, just remember that no one is too bad to consider it and neither is anyone too good to ignore it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Peaceable Kingdom

2005-12-13T22:53:00.000+08:00

by Henri Nouwen

All of creation belongs together in the arms of its Creator.
The final vision is that not only will all men and women
recognise that they are brothers and sisters called to live
in unity but all members of God's creation will come
together in complete harmony. Jesus the Christ came to
realise that vision. Long before he was born, the prophet
Isaiah saw it:

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the panther lie down with the kid,
calf, lion and fat-stock beast together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze,
their young will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like the ox.
The infant will play over the den of the adder;
the baby will put his hand into the viper's lair.
No hurt, no harm will be done
on all my holy mountain,
for the country will be full of knowledge of Yahweh
as the waters cover the sea.
(Isaiah 11:6-9)

We must keep this vision alive.

from www.henrinouwen.org

Whose Advent?

2005-12-13T22:35:00.000+08:00

Whose Advent?
Charles Moore

Though Advent (literally "arrival") has been observed for centuries as a time to contemplate Christ's birth, most people today acknowledge it only with a blank look. For the vast majority of us, December flies by in a flurry of activities, and what is called "the holiday season" turns out to be the most stressful time of the year.

It is also a time of contrasting emotions. We are eager, yet frazzled; sentimental, yet indifferent. One minute we glow at the thought of getting together with our family and friends; the next we feel utterly lonely. Our hope is mingled with dread, our anticipation with despair. We sense the deeper meanings of the season but grasp at them in vain; and in the end, all the bustle leaves us frustrated and drained.

from Your Daily Dig of bruderhof.com

Sa Tagaytay Pa! - Part 2

2005-11-30T18:52:00.000+08:00

Pagdating ko sa week- end encounter, marami nga akong nakilalang mga dalaga. Sa simula, sa

kanila nakatuon ang aking atensyon ngunit habang lumalalim ang retiro, hindi ko na sila masyadong

gayanapapansin. Nabighani ako sa mga panayam at gumaan ang aking kalooban na hindi ko alam na mabigat pala. Unti-unting bumalik sa akin ang ibig sabihin ng mga pinagkakaabalahan ko. Bahagya kong tinanong sa sarili kung ano ang dahilan ng aking trabaho, pag-aaral ng masterado at pagkakaroon ng sariling negosyo. Bahagya kong tiningnan ang kabuluhan ng aking buhay at hindi ko maiwasan maramdaman ang kakulangan. Tila mayroon pang higit sa kung ano ang kaunting meron ako na hindi kayang bigyang halaga ng salapi o pinag-aralan. Hindi ko maintindihan. Unti-unti rin bumalik sa akin ang kagustuhang maging pari noong nasa ika-anim na baitang ako. Sa puntong iyon, natawa ako at piniling isipin na gawa-gawa ko lamang ang lahat at maglalaho rin ito sa aking kamalayan gaya ng dati.

"Bakit naandito ka sa labas?" ang nag-aalalang tanong sa akin ni Angelie.

Napatungaga pala ako.

"Wala lang ... hindi ko lang kaya sa loob", ang mahina kong sagot. Yinakap ako ni Angelie at pumasok siyang muli sa bulwagan.

Sa sandaling iyon, nadama ko na marahil may tumatawag sa akin. Naisip kong baka may nais humingi sa buhay ko na hindi naman sa akin kung tutuusin. Huminga ako nang malalim at nadama kung paano napuno ng magkahalong mainit at malamig na hangin ang aking dibdib.

Dahil wala pa rin akong sagot sa mga bagay na hindi ko pa alam kung paano itanong, nagpasya akong tumayo upang bumalik sa bulwagan. Pagpasok ko, nadatnan kong nakataas ang mga kamay
ng mga nagdarasal, nakapikit at inaawit ang parehong kanta.

Dahan-dahan kong itinaas ang aking kanang kamay, pumikit at sumama sa kantahan: "Lord I offer my life to you, everything I've been through, use it for your glory."

-Shio Cruz, SJ

Sa Tagaytay Pa - Part 1

2005-11-23T09:10:00.000+08:00

“All that I am, all that I have, I lay them down before You, o Lord”.

Ito ang mga huling linya ng kantang narinig ko bago ako lumabas ng bulwagan ng Angels Hills sa Tagaytay. Noong sandaling iyon, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit sabay mabigat at magaan ang aking dibdib at parang wala akong magawa kung hindi umiyak na lamang. Dahil ayokong isipin ng mga kasama ko na nababaliw ako, pinili kong iwanan ang sesyon noong Linggo ng umagang iyon upang itago ang luhang nagtataglay ng mga bagay na hindi ko maintindihan at hindi ko mabata.

Habang nasa labas, nadama ko ang halong init ng araw at lamig ng hangin. Sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan, tila alam ko na hindi ako nag-iisa. Gusto kong magtanong ngunit hindi ko alam ang tatanungin. Hindi ko alam kung saan ako babaling sapagka't hindi ko rin naman alam kung sino ang kakausapin. Hindi ko rin alam kung paano ako makikitungo sa hindi ko nakikita. Nanghina ako habang patuloy na tumutulo ang aking luha.

Hindi nagtagal, lumabas si Angelie mula sa bulwagan. Isang Linggo pa lamang ang nakakalipas simula noong anyayahan niya ako sa Singles Encounter Weekend na iyon. Pagkakita ko sa kanya, biglang bumalik sa akin kung paano nag-umpisa ang lahat.

"Ano?! Ako papapuntahin mo sa retreat? Alam mo, hindi ako relihiyosong tao at ayoko sa mga Praise the Lord – Praise the Lord na samahan. Isa pa, bukod sa dami ng gawain natin dito sa opisina, marami rin akong tanggap sa talyer."

"Okey lang yan" wika niya, "Marami naman kayong singles doon na maraming ginagawa at bago rin sa ganitong gawain."

"Singles? Ibig sabihin may mga babaeng single doon?"

"OO naman!" ang kanyang simpleng sagot.

Napangiti ako sa aking narinig at nagkunwaring nag-iisip. Ilang sandali pa at pumayag na rin akong sumama.

Nothing is More Practical

2005-11-17T14:13:00.000+08:00

Do You Want to be a Jesuit?

2005-11-16T18:33:00.000+08:00