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
tothechallengesof thecontextinwhichwelive.
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 lifeforever.
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.
Teamworkineffectexpandsour creativepotentials
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
circlesinthechurch.
St Ignatius inspires us to live our lives
extraordinarily.Anumber 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
voiceof God andthevoiceof thepeople.
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 SJPraveen 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
fromthecommunitylife.
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
gadgetsthantospend qualitytimewithothers.
We are no exception to this. Although the intensity
of it may vary, its effects are becoming more and
morevisible.
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
compartmentalized.
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.Ignatiushelpus inthisendeavor.
JULY 2015JULY 2015

Writers’ ForumWriters’ ForumPg. 04Pg. 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
beautifulladyandthedesiretobelikeStDominic
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
thingswhicharelasting.
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
ourhearts”.
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
thetempter.
Alwyn D'Souza SJAlwyn 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
whereloveandtrustplayanessentialrole.
DREAMS SHATTER.....
FOR A GREATER CAUSE
DREAMS SHATTER.....
FOR A GREATER CAUSE
Contd. from pg. 4Contd. from pg. 4 Alwyn D’Souza SJAlwyn 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

“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'sAlice
inWonderland, 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
(althoughhewas notthefirstonetosuggest 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 consolation 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
important point in
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
morallygood.
EYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAREYES TO SEE, EARS TO HEAR
Dn Pratap Chandru SJDn Pratap Chandru SJ
JULY 2015JULY 2015

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
perceiveandhearingwemaylistenandunderstand.
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
(Autobiography55,82).
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 HEAR
Dn 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
hispropheticcall.
To begin with, the
Society of Jesus, the vision of
St. Ignatius, has stood the test
of time and is as effective as
ever,butinwhatway….?
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
variousapostolates,allfor thegreatergloryofGod.
Stand by the Mother in good and bad times: The
Church has always been considered affectionately a
Mother through various generations and throughout
thedifferentstagesinthehistoryof 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
allodds.
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
beginningof his studiesinParis.
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
catchphrasescouldbecalledspiritualitycapsules.
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
greathappenedinmylife.
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
invariouscountriesfarandwide.
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,Igotup.Iwas on mybed.
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 INIGO
Pruthvi 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
thisday.
Oneword forthisgreatman-Respect.
ST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGERST.IGNATIUS: THE GAME-CHANGER
Vinod 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
numberingmorethan7000.
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
Ignatius!hat
stands out is
his humility to
learn. At the
age of 33 he sat
with young
students to
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
madeIgnatiusshine.
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
cryingoutforhelp.
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
development and
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
oftheeartheverymoment.
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
stewardsof 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,
understand and
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-loveeverything.
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
humankindbuttotheentirecreation.
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
outlookandaglobalperspectivetoact.
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
associatedwithourvows.
Poverty: Going by our needs and not wants,
relishingdiversethingsratherthangreed.
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
empatheticheart.
Obedience: to accept
the reality, doing the
will of God, being faithful to the creation rather than
toego.
BeingRooted intheSpiritualExercises
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
helpus understandthecosmicChrist.
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,andservedthere.
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
exhausted 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.”-PaulKenney,SJ
“Ecology must echo in the hearts of Jesuits. It
must touch the vibrant nerve in us”.
ECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITYECOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY
Lumnesh 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
missionentrustedbytheLord.
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
livestowardsagreaterspiritualdepth.
A spiritual guide is one who knows God and who
brings people
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
realize God's
kingdom here on
earth. God is
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,compassionateandallloving.
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
impossibletoknow thepaintheperson 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
wellaswecan.
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
continuestodrawus totheDivinelover.
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,
itisspiritualcompanionshipandguidance.
Anthony 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 ultimategoal 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,
StIgnatiusofLoyola.
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,
sayingtoIgnatius:
“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
inthegraceshereceived.
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
discourageus.Wearenotlost.
Fr Frederick D'Silva SJFr Frederick D'Silva SJ
IGNATIUS OUR MODELIGNATIUS OUR MODEL
GUEST
COLUM
N
GUEST
COLUM
N

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
silence. As Father
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
needtolearnfromIgnatius.
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 – andthatwas thewillofGod.
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
throughmoralmuckon theinternet?
3. Another point for our consideration here is the
need for reflection and depth in our life. Ignatius
spentalongtimeinreflection.
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
Christfortheworld!
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. “AJesuit is
one who knows that he is a sinner and yet called to be
aCompanionof ChristasIgnatiuswas”.
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
Jesuit! One eloquent
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
wouldhaveplaymatesandattendantsdrawnfrom
Contd. 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
light 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
religiousorder.
Painstaking deliberations
and prayer – was Ignatius
sincerely involved in that?
Did he not already want to
found anewreligiousorder?
In response to that questionAndre 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,wiselyimprudent'.
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
Societyof Jesus'.
Ignatius blends the
o p p o s i t e s :
foolishness 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
ofGod.
Fr Joseph Pulickal SJFr Joseph Pulickal SJ
SMART INSTRUMENTS
IN THE HANDS OF A SMART GOD!
SMART INSTRUMENTS
GUEST
COLUM
N
GUEST
COLUM
N

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 EXILE
Martin 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,thegiftofIgnatiustous.
SMART INSTRUMENTS
SMART INSTRUMENTS
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
challengingtask?
ST IGNATIUS IS MY HERO
t 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
bringthemundertheorganizedfoldof theSociety.
3. A man who had a compassionate heart yet a firm
mindthathelpedpeopletowalkalong.
4. A person for whom the mission of the Lord
matteredmorethanhis personalinterests.
Ryan Rodrigues SJRyan 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
missionsays itall.
5. A Man who could surrender himself and the
SocietytotallytotheLord'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
greaterGloryofGod.

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

KSJ Writers' Forum July 2015

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KSJ Writers' Forum July 2015