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Ignatian Assignment

[2008-2009]

                                                                           Arul Rayan sj

FRIENDS IN THE LORD …

COMPANIONS IN  MISSION….

               The decree ‘a fire that enkindles other fires ’of GC 35 begins with this subtitle ‘many sparks, one fire; many stories one history.’ This summarizes to some extent the life and formation of the first companions. Each of them was ignited by Ignatius whose school master was the Lord himself. We the Jesuits are from different socio-cultural background. We are called by the Lord to be schooled in the charism of St.Ignatius. St.Ignatius addressed his companions as ‘friends in the Lord’, as all of them were friends of the Lord in the first place.

 St. IGNATIUS

               If the spiritual master were to live today, he would surely hold a doctorate ‘saving souls’ with special reference to the inner movements of human spirits. His autobiography (A.B), the spiritual Exercises, the constitutions of the Society of Jesus would be more than sufficient for his doctoral thesis. He would be a University himself. It was at such a University that the first companions were schooled.

       We come to know from AB 48, 52-53, and 69 that “simply being with Christ was not enough for Ignatius. His desire was to become one with Christ, poor and humiliated. He felt great joy when he had to suffer for Christ. As St. Paul said in Phil; 3:8-9 ‘for his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ’. In AB 96 we see that the grace for which St. Ignatius had been praying to the Father, through the intercession of mother Mary was granted to him. It was at La storta, he was placed with the Son carrying the cross. Fr.Aruupe calls it as ‘the culmination and summing up of so many graces received since his conversion’. Fr.Kolvenbach comments on it as ‘the vision of La storta has not been given to us so that we might stop to gaze at it. It is the light in which the Jesuit understands his identity and looks at the whole world’.      

THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST COMAPANIONS.

The fire in the first companions was enkindled by another fire that was burning in the heart of St. Ignatius. The spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius are based on his unique mystical experience at Manresa.  He sees, ‘the whole of creation in a totally new and comprehensive vision, as it originates from God, as it moves towards its fulfillment in God; Jesus Christ is the center of his vision’.

This vision gave orientation to his whole life and work. This also became the unity bond that gave to his first companions a common orientation, a sense of intimate spiritual communion. Though they were soon scattered over many countries and engaged in different works, they remained imbibed from the spiritual Exercises.

Decree 4 of GC 35 gives an account of the experience of St.Ignatius and the first companions. I would like to highlight few points from it. The first companions’ desire to accompany Christ and to wear themselves out in his service so that all men and women might be saved and freed from their suffering and slavery, took on a concrete form in the vow they took at Montmartre in 1534. If their plan to travel to the holy land did not come to fruition, they promised to place themselves at the disposal of the pope so that he might use them as he thought would be  for the God’s glory and the salvation of souls. This offering of the first companions was confirmed in the vision at La storta where, through St.Ignatius, the Eternal Father gave them to His Son as His companions and promised to be propitious to them in Rome. In this way, God responded to their unceasing prayer, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to be placed with the Son.

Before their priestly ordination in 1537, the first companions had taken vows of poverty and chastity. In 1539 after prayer and discernment, they concluded that vowing obedience to one of them would allow them “to follow the will of God in all things with greater certainty and with greater praise and merit”.

 Hence they all spread to the ends of the earth; giving what they received; shepherding the flock; dying for the faith; doing the impossible and bearing fruit that lasted. The society gave many saints and scholars to the church.

The Society of Jesus and me.

Recently I was at the diamond jubilee celebration of Fr. Lionel’s priesthood at the papal seminary in Pune. He was asked ‘what is the single most moment in your life that you cherish?’ Fr. Lionel answered ‘it is my joining the Society of Jesus’. There was thunderous applause that filled the room which contained all religious, but mostly non- Jesuits.

        I see that our society is dear to all of us. I have read about Jesuits and seen Jesuits who pray for the grace to live and die in this least society. I love the society. I love my companions in the society. I strongly believe that all of us are called by the Lord to go and bear fruit. We are men called for a mission.

            GC 35 did not bring out a separate decree on community life. However it has inculcated the importance of community life in almost all the decrees. My community life in itself becomes a mission for me; therefore as I live my everyday life in my community I have an opportunity to live my mission. When I receive love, care and concern from my community, I go out to share the same.‘Jesuits know who they are by looking at Him’ (GC 35Dec: 3.2). I shall be a friend in the Lord and companion in mission when I know who I am by looking at Him.