Meditatively read Eph 1:3-14.

Although Jesus is not mentioned explicitly in Ignatius’ Principle and Foundation, Ignatius was certainly speaking of the vocation in Christ when he says that the human person is created to praise, reverence, and serve God.

Paul praises God the Father for the gifts He has bestowed on us in Christ. He enumerates some: The call to holiness, the gift of divine adoption, redemption, the revelation of God’s plan in Christ, and the gift of election and faith in Christ.

As Paul does, enumerate the blessings you have received in Christ. One that is not mentioned by Paul, but one that we can certainly add is the gift of a mother in Mary. How about you, in your life, what would these blessings be? Working in SHS-ADC, being a mother...? Dig deep and list what you are personally grateful for that you have received in Christ from the Father. But, more than just coming up with a list, ask God for a sense of awe and wonder at your Christian vocation and a sense of appreciation and gratitude for it. Mark the blessing of all blessings for you. And sense the Giver through his gifts. Compose your own recital of blessings to God and read it before the Lord. Express to the Lord how you feel and imagine how the Lord looks at you as you express your gratitude to him.

For inspiration, read Paul's vocation narrative in Eph 3:1-13 & Acts 9:1-9, Mother Mary's in Lk 1:26-38, or the brief sketch we have of Ignatius' call.

Reflect on your vocation in Christ, the story of how God revealed his Son to you, how you came to know Jesus and his call to you.

Guide questions:

What brought you to teach/work in SHS-ADC?

What made you decide to teach/work in the school?

What have been your joys and sorrows as a SHS-AdC formator?

Has this deepened your friendship with the Lord?

Would you say that this is a call from the Lord?

You don’t have to limit yourself to these questions. If you will, use them as springboards. The idea is to reflect on how God has revealed his personal love for you and how you have responded. If you want you can take a different track. Begin with your most unforgettable experience of God’s love for you - maybe your experience of being lost in a trackless desert and how the Lord guided you. End your prayer by thanking the Lord for the grace of his call.

In Anthony de Mello’s book, Wellsprings, there are quotations at the end of the book which are culled from the prayer exercises in the book. One of these is the question: Would you be any different had Jesus not been born? How would you answer it? No difference? Or yes, there is a difference? If yes, what makes you say so? How has knowing the Lord impacted your life? End your prayer by thanking the Lord for the grace of knowing him.

Read Mk 8:27-30.

After hearing his disciples tell him what people say about him, Jesus asks them, What about you, who do you say that I am? Now the Lord turns to you and asks you the said question. Be very personal and creative in your answer. To find inspiration for your answer, you may go over what you wrote in your journal about blessings received, your vocation story, and how knowing Jesus has impacted your life. You can answer through a drawing, a symbol that represents your experience, a short poem, your personal name for Him - however inspiration strikes you. Speak to the Lord about your answer and see his reaction. End your prayer by thanking the Lord for the grace of knowing him.

Right after the first meditation on sin, Ignatius asks the exercitant to do a colloquy with the crucified Lord on his answers to the following questions: What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?

In the Autograph (the Spanish version of the Spiritual Exercises with corrections written in the hands of Ignatius, hence the name Autograph), it reads: lo que he hecho por Cristo, lo que hago por Cristo, lo que debo hacer por Cristo. Note that the phrase por Cristo is rendered in English for Christ. There is another Spanish word for for, which is, para. It could have been para Cristo. But Ignatius used por, not para! While translating por Cristo to for Christ may be good to the English ears, it may not however carry the nuance that Ignatius wants to convey. Let me demonstrate it by comparing it with another use of por and how it is translated in English. In the Mass, after saying the Eucharistic prayer, where we remember the sacrifice of our Lord for our salvation, the priest says the doxology: Through him, with him and in him...In Spanish, it is Por Cristo, con el y en el…Ignatius’ por Cristo conveys the same sense as the one in the doxology. So, Ignatius’ question should not be taken as asking what you think you ought to do based merely on your own estimation of your capabilities, but based on or in response to what the Lord has given you! For isn’t the context of Ignatius’ question the colloquy with the crucified Savior? Similarly, isn’t the context of the doxology the recalling of the sacrifice of Christ for us? If you think of it, there’s a great difference in how one takes the questions depending on how one understands the phrase for Christ.

For us, we have been prepared for this deeper sense of por Cristo for in our prayers we have been reflecting on how we have been blessed to be chosen in Christ. So think about this as you consider Ignatius’ questions.

One last point. The third question - What ought I to do for Christ - ought to be asked in the context of your present situation. So, what ought I to do por Cristo as I begin to move into Microsoft Teams, into teaching students online even in the midst of this pandemic? Or maybe it is not something about one’s professional life, but something more personal. So, the question may be phrased: what ought I to do por Cristo in this personal crisis I’m in? Give yourself some time to think about this point. When done, in prayer offer to the Lord your answer - your desire for this new school year or this new stage in your life.