a. Sensus Christi and the Election

In the second week of the Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius asks the exercitant to pray for the grace of sensus Christi - to know Christ more intimately, love him more ardently, and follow him more closely. The grace of sensus Christi is the grace of the Ateneo Hearter. We believe that this grace is given in a special way to us formators. Paul speaks of the sensus Christi in 1 Cor 2:16 and in Phil 2:5 and in his moving prayer in Eph 3: 14-21. Also, in the second week, we find the Ignatian decision-making. An Ignatian retreat is made not just to gain some new insight, but to find the concrete way of following Christ. It is an experience of being drawn by the love of God and of being able to freely choose that which God wills.

b. Where does discernment enter into the IPP Online?

On a webinar on Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm Online, a participant asks the presenter where discernment enters into the IPP online? The speaker answers by saying that he is careful in using discernment in just any context. But, what do we mean then when we say: Always Magis, always Lux Oriens, always AMDG? Doesn’t the Ignatian spirituality lead us to find and serve God in all things? Are we not encouraged to do the daily Examen so that we may find God in our everyday life? Doesn’t Ignatius suggest as opening prayer for every exercise in the Spiritual Exercises: Direct, Lord, all my actions by your holy inspiration, so that every prayer and work of mine may always begin from you and by you be happily ended? Isn’t this what the famous quote from a Jesuit* speaks of? Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings...what breaks your heart and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. Isn’t this what da Camara says about the 60-year-old Ignatius? Yes...like a lover whose beloved is always in his mind in his waking hours and even in his sleep! Yes, there are people who are in tune with each other that they tend to feel, think, and behave the same way. There are people who are in tune with God that what God wants is also what they want. And so knowing what is of God comes like second nature to them.

Discernment by definition is knowing from the source (e.g. knowing from the source whether something is of God or not). Now, is this something confined only to certain persons, activities, and times or is it rather something that belongs to all because we are chosen in Christ? If we accept the latter, we can then easily understand the expression To love and serve God in all things. We can even think of this in terms of the experience of Ignatius towards the end of his life when he said whenever he wanted to find God, he found Him. There are people who have grown so close to God that loving, finding God comes like second nature to them. It is also conceivable that a practitioner of IPP or a teacher using a different paradigm of pedagogy can actually discern while practicing their crafts. Having said this, we understand why the presenter is careful to use discernment only in a special context, like in the context of the Spiritual Exercises. This process is what we shall sketch in the rest of the article.

c. Indifference in the Exercises

Ignatius explains that the term Spiritual Exercises means any form of prayer that helps the exercitant to rid himself of his disordered desires so that he may seek and find the will of God for him. From this, we see that for Ignatius the great obstacle to finding God’s will (Magis or the concrete way of following Christ) is our disordered desire or attachment that can keep us from choosing that which God wills for us. Hence, Ignatius wants us to pray for indifference, that is, the grace of being free from our attachment so that we can discern and decide.

The presenter speaks of a special context for discernment (like the process envisioned by Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises). It is special in the sense that it is a choice that can’t just be made anytime. It needs the right time for it because it’s not just any everyday kind of choice, but a very personal, life-changing kind of choice. It needs the right time because we are not always in our best (and free) self (Ignatius’ indifference) when maybe we first think of it as a possible choice. It’s a special time because ultimately it depends on the kairos of God’s love. We know, for example, that the decision to get married can’t just be made at any time. The joke is some people have already planned out their wedding even though they still don’t have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Besides the fiancé or fiancée, there are of course other things that are involved before one arrives at the possibility of getting married.

We recite in class:...I embody the Ignatian ideal of Magis - to do more and be more...We attach Magis to our greetings. And in our messages we sometimes end with Always Magis, always Lux Oriens, always AMDG. We have a gymnasium named Magis Eagle. There is even Magis TV. Magis is undoubtedly one of our favorite words! And it is perfectly okay. We are proud of the Ignatian character of our School and formation. But, in Ignatius, Magis is linked with another word, Indifference. It is in the spirit of Indifference that one arrives at what is for the greater glory of God. Ignatian indifference tells us that before we decide we are already inclined or disinclined towards a choice. (This also applies to relating with people. Sometimes even before we get to know a person we already have a bias, an attraction or aversion towards the person.) Since we are not always in the state of indifference we need to pray for this grace. We need to make sure that we are indifferent as we seek for the Magis and until we find it. Indifference exists for the Magis and when the Magis is found, only then Indifference (and discernment) ceases to exist in as far as the decision arrived at is concerned.

On a webinar of a panel of campus ministers, one shared the poem that has gone viral, a poem by a Capuchin Brother entitled Lockdown. The facilitator commented that it reminded her of Ignatius’ indifference - not to seek health rather than sickness, honor rather than dishonor, etc...And in all these, one ought to desire and choose that which is more conducive to the end for which one is created. (For more inspiration on the subject, one can also reflect on the traditional formula of the marriage vows or on what Paul wrote about his experience of being an apostle of Christ [1 Cor 9: 19-23, 1 Cor 10:31-11:1] and of being in danger of death in prison [Phil 1:20-26]). Given the good choices before us, we have to have the holy indifference of Ignatius to find the Magis. Being indifferent is like being the needle of a weighing scale pointed right in the middle, in a balance, not tilting on one side or the other, until God tilts it to the side He wants.

*Barton Geger, SJ, attests to the fact that the real author of the said quote is a former Maryland provincial, Joseph Whelan, SJ - not Pedro Arrupe, SJ - citing a copy of the former's prepared talk where the said quote is found.