KSJ Writers' Forum July 2015

JULY 2015JULY 2015 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg.02Pg.02

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.

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.

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL

Praveen Martis SJPraveen Martis SJ

St Ignatius The Master of Creative Re-invention

St Ignatius The Master of Creative Re-invention

ST. IGNATIUS AND COMMUNITYST. IGNATIUS AND COMMUNITY

Praveen Kumar SJ Praveen Kumar SJ

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg.03Pg.03

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.

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.

JULY 2015JULY 2015

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg. 04 Pg. 04

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

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

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.

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.

Alwyn D'Souza SJ Alwyn D'Souza SJ

TO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSETO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSE

JULY 2015JULY 2015

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg.05Pg.05

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.

Prashanth Saldanha SJPrashanth Saldanha SJ

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.

DREAMS SHATTER.....

FOR A GREATER CAUSE

DREAMS SHATTER.....

FOR A GREATER CAUSE

Contd. from pg. 4Contd. from pg. 4 Alwyn D’Souza SJ 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

TO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSETO CHOOSE AS ST IGNATIUS CHOSE

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.

JULY 2015JULY 2015

POEMPOEM

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg. 06Pg. 06

“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 conso la t ion and

desolation (Sp.Ex 316-

317).

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

impor t an t po in t i n

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.

EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAREYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEARDn Pratap Chandru SJDn Pratap Chandru SJ

JULY 2015JULY 2015

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg. 07Pg. 07

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.

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).

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 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 THIS COMPANY

A SHIP OF COMPANIONS

THAT MADE YOU THINK

WIDER

HELPED US SPREAD FASTER

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

IF NOT….IF NOT….

Leston Lobo SJLeston Lobo SJ

Contd. from pg. 6Contd. from pg. 6

POEMPOEM

EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAREYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEARDn Pratap Chandru SJDn Pratap Chandru SJ

JULY 2015JULY 2015

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 dare-

devilry even to this day against

all odds.

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. 08Pg. 08 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum

Vinod AJ SJVinod AJ SJ

ST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGERST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGER

JULY 2015JULY 2015

“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.

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.

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.

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…

JUST ONE HOUR WITH INIGOJUST ONE HOUR WITH INIGOPruthvi Rodrigues SJPruthvi Rodrigues SJ


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!

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.

ST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGERST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGERVinod AJ SJVinod AJ SJContd. from pg. 08Contd. from pg. 08

JULY 2015JULY 2015

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 7000.

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

Igna t ius !ha t

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 SJOvin Rodrigues SJ

IGNATIUS AS A STUDENTIGNATIUS AS A STUDENT

Pg.10Pg.10 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumJULY 2015JULY 2015

Lumnesh Swaroop SJLumnesh 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.

ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITYECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY

Pg. 11Pg. 11 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumJULY 2015JULY 2015

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

exhaus ted 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

“Ecology must echo in the hearts of Jesuits. It

must touch the vibrant nerve in us”.



ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITYECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITYLumnesh Swaroop SJLumnesh Swaroop SJ

JULY 2015JULY 2015

JULY 2015JULY 2015

SPIRITUAL GUIDE: GUIDES,

COMPANIONS IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY



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

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.

Therefore we can define spiritual guidance thus:

Spiritual guidance is a conscious and deliberate

attempt to accompany other people on their journey

to and in God. It is a process of

sharing what we have learnt as we made our own

journey.

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.

A spiritual guide is one who knows God and who

b r ings peop le

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

ear th . God i s

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

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.

Unless we know the pain and agony in the world, it is

impossible to know the pain the person is undergoing.

Anthony Pais SJAnthony Pais SJ


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.

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.




COMPANIONS IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEYAnthony Pais SJAnthony Pais SJContd. from pg. 13Contd. from pg. 13

Pg. 14Pg. 14JULY 2015JULY 2015 Writers’ ForumWriters’ Forum

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:

“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 SJFr Frederick D'Silva SJ

IGNATIUS OUR MODELIGNATIUS OUR MODEL


GUEST

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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.

2. 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.



IGNATIUS OUR MODELIGNATIUS OUR MODEL

Fr Frederick D'SilvaFr Frederick D'Silva

JULY 2015JULY 2015

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”.

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


IGNATIUS OUR MODELIGNATIUS OUR MODELContd. from pg. 16Contd. from pg. 16 Fr Frederick D'SilvaFr Frederick D'Silva

JULY 2015JULY 2015

We know about the deliberations of Ignatius and

companions in 1539. The matter for the

deliberations was very serious: to be or not to be as a

fellowship. They had placed themselves at the feet

of the Pope, for service to the Church wherever he

chose. The Pope took them at their word and started

asking them to go - here,

there, everywhere. Obey

they must, ready they were.

But that meant they would

be brief candles shedding

l ight here , there and

everywhere, and just ending

like that. Was it not God who

had brought them together

into a friendship in the Lord,

since early 1530s? In their

painstaking deliberations

and prayer they were shown

that they must preserve the

fellowship by forming

themselves into a new

religious order.

Painstaking deliberations

and prayer – was Ignatius

sincerely involved in that?

Did he not already want to

found a new religious order?

In response to that question Andre Ravier, in

Ignatius Loyola and the Founding of the Jesuits,

quotes Nadal: '… with a unique modesty of spirit,

[Ignatius] was following the Spirit, and not

anticipating him', and, 'was being gently led to

something which he did not yet know – being, so to

speak, wisely imprudent'.

Ravier concludes: 'It was not Inigo who knew that

one day with nine companions he would found the

Society of Jesus – it was God. God needed a man

whose heart would be in tune with him, who would

perfectly accomplish his will. By giving Inigo this

experience of discernment of spirits, this wisdom of

choice that was

s i m u l t a n e o u s l y

mystical and human,

in leading Inigo to

this point of self-

abnegation, wherein

the human heart

finally breathes in

the universe of God,

beats to the rhythm

of the heart of God,

regards the world

with the eyes of

God, from the time

of Manresa God was

p r e p a r i n g t h e

instrument which

would serve him in

f o u n d i n g t h e

Society of Jesus'.

Ignatius blends the

o p p o s i t e s :

fool i shness and

wisdom, mystical

passivity and cool-headed activity. Pray as if

everything depended on God, work as if everything

depended on you. Holy worldliness, worldly

holiness. It respects the human person, respects

human relatedness [discernment in groups], loves

the world – but on the first principle and foundation

of God.

Fr Joseph Pulickal SJFr Joseph Pulickal SJ

SMART INSTRUMENTS IN THE HANDS OF A SMART GOD!



GUEST

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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…

DEATH BY EXILEDEATH BY EXILEMartin Joseph SJMartin Joseph SJ


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.

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 SJFr Joseph Pulickal SJContd. from pg. 16Contd. from pg. 16

JULY 2015JULY 2015

POEMPOEM

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 HEROt 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.

4. A person for whom the mission of the Lord

mattered more than his personal interests. Ryan Rodrigues SJ Ryan Rodrigues SJ

SCHOLASTICS’ OPINIONSCHOLASTICS’ OPINION

Pg.20Pg.20 Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumJULY 2015JULY 2015

Rayan Lobo SJRayan Lobo SJ

George Pinto SJGeorge Pinto SJ

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.

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.

PEARLSPEARLS

“He who serves God as

he would be served, is

never satisfied with cheap

and ordinary labours”

“He who serves God as

he would be served, is

never satisfied with cheap

and ordinary labours”

St. Ignatius of LoyolaSt. Ignatius of Loyola