The
original documents of the Society of Jesus keep everyone in awe and wonder. They
are highly rich and condensed that volumes of books could be written based on
each section or even on a single word. Having gone through the readings, I was
moved to write my reflection on two sections [101] and [102] of the
Constitutions. This part of the Constitutions deals with some observances
within the Society which are more important for the candidates to know. I will flag
mainly number [101]. I would not see this section as in isolation, rather, I
would observe it as one of the central parts of the whole which flows from the Cum ex Plurium and the Summula.
The
sections invite the candidates, who want to join “the militia of Jesus Christ”
(Cum ex Plurium and the Summula, Fifth Decree),
to place the Creator and Lord at the centre of their lives in order to progress
in the spiritual life. The invitation to make Jesus as centre also means to
imitate him very closely. They need to develop the friendship so well that they
would be ready and willing to put themselves on with the same clothing and
uniform of their Lord because of the love and reverence which he deserves. It is
much surprising to notice how cleverly Ignatius asks the candidates to abhor
whatever world loves and embraces in its totality and not in part, and to
accept and desire with all possible energy whatever Christ has loved and
embraced. On the one hand, Ignatius was aware with the force and energy one
requires to gain worldly fame, honour, and esteem for a great name on earth as
world teaches, on the other hand, he also had learnt through his own experience
that it was possible to swim against the current of the world, to tensely
desire the opposite.
The
meditations of the Second Week of the Spiritual Exercises deal with desire for
God and also desire for the world, mainly the Kingdom Meditations (Sp. Ex. [136
– 147]). The meditation on two standards, the one of Christ, our supreme
commander and Lord, and the other of Lucifer, the mortal enemy of our human
nature, put this fundamental question before the candidates to make their
choices either of eternal life or of suffering (death). It is the result of his intellectual and
mystical favours Ignatius received to guide the way of life in the new society he
founded and to strengthen the body of the society. Hunger for worldly name,
fame, and honours have been the core hindrance in imitating Christ in one’s
life. Jesus Christ himself was tempted in the wilderness on the account of
one’s fundamental needs for survival, worship and honours (Matthew 4: 1-11). Therefore,
Ignatius asks all who wish to join the militia of Christ to free themselves
from the inordinate attachments of the world. He asks everyone to tread in the
path of Christ who laid the example to follow and to imitate him, “since he is
the way which leads people to life” [101].
Moreover,
it is fascinating to know the love of Ignatius for the candidate, who wishes to
join, but due to some human weakness and personal misery, does not experience
the Lord with ardent desires. Nonetheless, if he has at least some desires to
have desires in our Lord, and pursues to imitate Christ in everyway possible,
then he should be kept in the society, but should be questioned further if he
is determined and ready to accept and suffer with patience, through the help of
God’s grace, any injuries, affronts, even death, entailed by the wearing of the
uniform and clothing of our Lord Jesus Christ [102]. Consequently, the Society
of Jesus has the highest number of martyr saints in the Mother Church. The
imitation of Christ in every way possible would surely create oppositions in the
world, since Christ loves the things which the world hates. For instance,
Christ loves the poor and downtrodden people, but world hates them. It invites
all who join the society to be humble, to be available, and to seek for greater
in all they do (for Magis), and not to retaliate with evil for evil but good
for evil.
These
sections also affirm the basis of foundation for the vow of perpetual and
evangelical poverty in the society based on the Fourth Decree of the Formula of the Institute as well as the Pauperes Christi sacerdotes, poor of
Christ who are priests.
It
is exciting to note the grammatical exegesis in these sections. There is a
sharp contrast between the things which the men of the world love, and the
things which Christ loves and all who wish to follow him, should love without
any offence to his Divine Majesty, nor, to any imputation of sin to the
neighbours, because of their desire and love for Christ. Since, it was for the
humanity (for our sake, for our spiritual profits) that Christ clothed himself
as he did, even accepting the Cross, to set an example before us to follow and
to pursue in his path, since he himself is our way which leads all to life. The
desire to follow him closely is possible through the aid of his grace.
I
wonder the intelligence and vision of Ignatius, who wrote these documents almost five hundred years ago and still very insightful. The following of Christ and abhorring the world is
even more relevant now, I feel, than it was then. Since, the world has become
more materialistic and self-centred, many fail to give their attention to
God. God alone should be the object of worship, but today the things of this
passing world are becoming the objects of worship. Ignatius was a visionary who
foresaw things much ahead in future and thus his writings are so relevant today
to ponder and to follow Christ in his mission of spreading the love, faith, and
to save souls in the midst of challenges, misunderstandings, and even, to face
death.
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