I shall walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living. ~Ps 114 (116A)
“Life is so difficult!”
“We simply want to live, and yet it remains a great challenge!”
“We simply want to live, and yet it remains a great challenge!”
In my ministry, I hear many similar helpless remarks from various people of different backgrounds, of which, surprisingly, the majority are young adults. The phenomenon reveals a sort of reality of our time: a huge number of people are under pressure, suffering from all kinds of problems. Their situation and desires need to be taken seriously.
Described as the “First Contemplation” in the Second Week of the Spiritual Excises, Ignatius invites us to contemplate how the Trinity contemplates the world:
[T]he Three Divine Persons looked at all the plain or circuit of all the world, full of men…to see the various persons: and first those on the surface of the earth, in such variety, in dress as in actions: some white and others black; some in peace and others in war; some weeping and others laughing; some well, others ill; some being born and others dying, etc.… to hear what the persons on the face of the earth are saying, that is, how they are talking with one another, how they swear and blaspheme, etc.This prayer plays a significant role in the Exercises. It not only starts a series of contemplations on Jesus’ worldly life, but also helps us to see the triangle connection of God-world-me-God. It allows the exercitant, first of all, to see the true situation of the world with God’s eyes, and to feel the feeling, desire, and even the impulsion of the Creator God in order to be connected with God and the world, and then to see God’s immediate action so that we all can participate in his mission.
The first prayer ends with contemplating the action of God,
“to look…likewise what the Divine Persons are doing, namely, working out the most holy Incarnation… that the Second Person shall become man to save the human race,”
followed by the next prayer on Nativity. The arrangement of the prayers is clearly an indication that, for Ignatius, God does not stop at contemplating; he engages Himself immediately in action, that is, the Incarnation—the very concrete and deep involvement in the reality of the world.
Here we see that the inevitable aspect of God’s contemplation is God’s action. For Ignatius, God’s contemplation never ends in contemplation as such; it always brings effects and lands in action—the Incarnation—becoming human, entering the world and accompanying people in the world, especially the marginalised. If we are faithful to the Spiritual Exercises today, God continues to invite us to move from contemplation to action, to incarnation, as he does.
The Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) are the fruits of our discernment based on our contemplation—both as individuals and as a community— of the world with God’s eyes and heart. It reveals the situation and the urgent needs of our world today. We, Ignatian family, are invited by God to participate in His mission in a special way at this historic moment. The UAPs are of being and doing: confirming our identity as companions of Jesus and conforming our mission to the Misio Dei. Every Jesuit province has done or is doing its Apostolic Plan according to the UAPs. Both the plans and their implementation require the act of incarnation—to touch, to live with, and to make a difference with the Gospel spirit in the reality of our concrete living world.
Two key words intentionally used in the UAPs are “walking with” and “journeying with”. They demand not only courage and commitment, but also compassion for the world – to struggle with those who are struggling. While the UAPs set the directions, the Province Apostolic Plans serve as a clear roadmap within our respective regional contexts. Their authentic realisation depends on our constant godly contemplation and incarnation in everyday life. Through which we may feel the beating of the heart of the world, so much so that we may be activated in service with passion and a sense of urgency.
By Xavier
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