COMMUNITIES

High Call to Serve

Karen E. Young, Parent

Originally published in June edition of Xavier School Parents’ Bulletin

Posted Tuesday, 20-Jun-2006 3:11 PM    

     Year 2006 is the 50th Anniversary of Xavier School, the 450th death anniversary of St. Ignatius de Loyola (founder of the Society of Jesus), and the 500th birth anniversary of our school’s patron saint, St. Francis Xavier.  It is in commemoration of these events that this article is written.

     More than four centuries ago, a nobleman and soldier from Spain, (St.)Ignatius of Loyola, had a heart conversion and committed his life to serving not earthly kings but The Eternal King, Jesus Christ. Other like-minded men joined him. During their period of prayer, he suggested to his first companions that they be guided by the questions: “What have I done for Christ?”, “What am I doing for Christ?”, and “What will I do for Christ?” Together, they formed the Society of Jesus (SJ), now one of the largest religious orders serving in 112 nations on six continents.

     Unlike other religious orders based on isolation, the Jesuits follow the footsteps of Jesus, who Himself dwelt among people.  St. Ignatius found the presence of God in all things.  Jesuits serve God in all things, as “men on the move, ready to change place, occupation, method---whatever will advance ttheir mission in the church to preach Jesus Christ and His good news.”

     One of the arms by which the Society of Jesus fulfills its mission is through education.  Xavier School is one, among many Jesuit schools across continents, which combines academic excellence and character formation.  Since the birth of Xavier School, it has reared alumni who have themselves become full-fledged Jesuit priests. “Sons of Xavier”, they are fondly called.  Fr. Peter O. Pojol, SJ (POP), Fr. Aristotle C. Dy, SJ (ACD), and our very own School Director, Fr. Johnny C. Go, SJ (JCG) share their precious insights and inspire us with their profound love for God. They have committed to serve the Eternal King, Jesus Christ.

1. What about the Jesuit vocation attracted you?

     POP: My personal contact and relationships with flesh-and-blood Jesuits (who impressed me deeply by their devotion to God and to their work) was a significant factor in leading me to choose the Jesuit life. But institutionally, the Jesuit ideal of finding and serving God in ALL things and people has always inspired me. ACD: I was most attracted to the way St. Ignatius viewed the world, and how the Jesuits lived out this worldview.  I am referring to the very Ignatian attitude of seeing the world and everything in it as holy, blessed with the presence of God, and therefore everything in this world can be a pathway to God.  I encountered, either personally or from a distance, Jesuits in education, social work, music and the arts, politics—there is no area of life that a Jesuit would not consider a possible ministry.  I was fascinated by that.  And so, when I considered becoming a priest, it was clear to me that if God wanted me to be a priest, then He wanted me to be a Jesuit priest.

     JCG:  I was most attracted to the Jesuits’ openness to the world, their determination to “find God in all things,” even and especially in the most unlikely places.  Back in the Renaissance, there were all these new developments in science and humanities which at the time seemed anti-religious.  But the Jesuits were not afraid to learn about them, believing that beneath the surface of apparently anti-religious worldviews was the presence of the Lord. Through dialogue, they eventually purified them of their anti-Christian elements, and used them for their mission of proclaiming Christ to the world.

     I was also attracted to St. Ignatius’s legacy of spiritual discernment.  Today, more than ever, there is a temptation to reduce everything to black and white. Ignatian discernment insists that we recognize that reality or life consists of a whole range of shades of gray.  Ignatian discernment challenges us to recognize that life is ambiguous, on the one hand, and that we can still find what God wants us to do on the other.

2. When/How did you know that God was calling you for this vocation? 

     POP: Slowly but surely. It all started as a vague and general desire to serve God and the Church through religious student organizations--first in high school at Xavier, and then more seriously in college at UP Diliman. The more I gave myself to the opportunities and experiences of service and prayer, the more I became convinced that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The confirmation of this decision came piecemeal through my entry into the various and deepening stages of life as a Jesuit.

     ACD: I began a serious discernment only in college at the Ateneo de Manila.  I did not practice my faith until my teenage years, so contrary to what many people think, I did not feel called to the priesthood from a very early age.  Even in college, I was in discernment for two years before I made the decision to apply for entrance to the Society of Jesus. 

     JCG: It began with a suspicion. Ever since I was a kid, people kept telling me that I would be a priest. I sort of turned it off and went against that. I worked for four years after college (two of those in Xavier School and two years in brand management in San Miguel). But there was the proverbial emptiness. Given my situation then, I had no reason to be unhappy, and yet I seemed to still be looking for something more.  I took the first step (I entered the novitiate) and waited for God to confirm that decision.  It was a process of continual discernment:  time, prayer, and reflection.

3. At what point did you know that you would give up the alternative layman life?

     POP:  When I was accepted into the novitiate (the first stage of Jesuit formation).

     ACD:  I did not think of it that way.  At every point in my discernment, all I could do was offer myself to God.  He provided enough light for me to take the next step.  Of course, I spent much time imagining what kind of life I was leaving behind, but when the time came to embrace my religious vocation, it was a matter of entering a door knowing full well that by doing so, I was closing other doors.

     JCG:  It was a gradual process, a deepening sense that this life was fit for me.  The most “dramatic” confirmation was right before ordination.  At that point I somehow very clearly felt that God had always wanted me for the priesthood.  I experienced a God who was always there even when I least deserved Him.  Together with a deep sense of personal sinfulness, I received a strong reassurance that God loved me for all that I was.  I saw how truly wonderful God He was, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life serving Him.

4. Who were your role models growing up?

     POP:  I grew up in a large but very close-knit family. I looked up to my parents and all my elder siblings. My two eldest sisters who worked very hard and made huge personal sacrifices to support the rest of us through our studies left a deep impression on me. ACD: My parents named me after the Greek tycoon, Ari Onassis, so you can imagine that I was brought up in a family with traditional Chinese values.  I aspired to be successful in business, and the TV shows I watched also attracted me to the legal profession.

     JCG:  My father. He was a Chinese gentleman, caring, strong, and a good provider.  He passed away when I was in Grade 5.  I also grew up in a movie house, so I grew up with all those screen heroes too.  Of course I looked up to the Jesuits in Xavier School. They were down-to-earth, had a great sense of humor, and were generous in their service to God:  Fr. Kauffman, Fr Pineau, Fr. Clifford, Fr. Papilla,   Fr. Cortina, Fr. Barbero, and Fr. Zuloaga.  They were very warm, friendly, and dedicated to us.

     5. What is the most fulfilling part of your life as a Jesuit priest?

     POP : Finding out how people are continually drawn to God by God himself, whether through what I do (often unwittingly), or what my brother Jesuits do, or through their personal experiences and prayer. I am constantly amazed at how intimate God wants to be and can be with each of us and with all of us.

     ACD:  The most fulfilling part of being a Jesuit priest is the sense of participating in a dream or a mission that is much larger than myself. It is the mission of Christ himself, carried out by the Society of Jesus within the Church, and that makes me a humble instrument of Christ.  I am constantly amazed at the amount of trust and goodwill that people have towards me not only because of who I am and my personal background, but also what I represent—the love and mercy of God, what God himself desires to do in this world.  At least in my best moments, this is what I mirror to people.

     JCG:   When I am in some way able to lead people to discover God in their lives and to love Him more---that’s really the most fulfilling part of my life as a Jesuit.  When people tell me that I somehow helped them find Him or recognize Him. I am also a teacher and writer at heart.  I am happiest when I’m writing or teaching people about God.  I also look forward to saying Masses because they are opportunities to talk to people about how great God is. 

6. Are there any downsides?

     POP: I would be lying if I said there weren't any. Because it can get lonely sometimes, especially if I get too absorbed in my work at the expense of my friends and family, or if I get overwhelmed by my own inadequacies. But it's certainly something that isn't unique to life as a Jesuit, and it would

be unfair and inaccurate to put them on the same level as the consolations and joys of Jesuit life.

     ACD:  A Jesuit priest’s life can be quite stressful.  I feel that I am constantly shifting gears.  One moment I am a priest celebrating Mass or hearing confessions, and these are activities that take up much energy, and then the next moment I have to be a teacher, or administrator, or speaker, or animator, etc.  Without a prayer life or a contemplative lifestyle, I don’t know how I would manage.

     Knowledge can also feel like a burden.  Not academic knowledge, but knowledge about people and their deepest desires, hurts, and secrets.  People naturally feel that they can unburden themselves to a priest, and rightly so.  It’s part of our mission to listen to people, to be available, to counsel.  But then I cannot talk about any of that knowledge with others because it has been entrusted to me under the presumption of confidentiality.  I do not mention this as a “downside” of Jesuit life, but a paradoxical element of my life and ministry.

     JCG:  Any life has its set of downsides. Maybe the most difficult part of life as a school head is when we have to let go of students because the school can no longer help them; it is a cause for sadness because it is somehow also the school’s failure, but we just have to entrust them to God.

7. What would be your message to today’s youth?

     POP: (To Youth and Aspiring Priests)  Certainty about happiness in life cannot be mathematical nor scientific. Above  all, make your important life-decisions based on trust in God's goodness.

     ACD:  You live at a time when there are so many options, so many choices that you can make.  Follow your heart.  Follow your dreams, and use all your gifts to create a better world.

    JCG:  I have observed that many of our students are very gifted, but the milieu in which they find themselves today does not really encourage them to find their passion. For me, that is so important. I would like to encourage today’s youth not to be too swayed by the different voices in the world, not to be too obsessed with being “cool” at the expense of finding themselves, their voice, and discovering their passion because God speaks to us through our passions and desires. To today’s young people, I would say:  Trust that the Lord is speaking to you through your dreams and passions, and do not be afraid to follow them.  Of course, it sounds simpler than it actually is.  It takes a lot of years, openness, and generosity to detect that voice of God within us.

8. What would be your message to those who may be considering a life of priesthood?

     ACD: God loves you unconditionally, whether or not you become a priest.  The priesthood is God’s call, but also your response.  He will not love you less if you decide to serve Him in another way.  If you respond by choosing the life of a priest, then be at peace with all the things that go with being a priest.  God will give you the grace to live your vocation.

     JCG:  I’d like to encourage them by saying that if it is for you, it is a deeply satisfying life. I thought I made some painful sacrifices in 1987 when I joined the Jesuits.  But when I compare that to the blessings that I have received all these years, I’m actually embarrassed I felt that way at all. The Lord can never be outdone in generosity.  He does gives the promised “hundredfold,” and He gives it through the sense of fulfillment you experience in serving Him, the meaning that your life acquires, and the many people He sends to care for you. Looking back now, I realize that the things I gave up were “loose change” compared to the hundredfold that God has showered on me.  Also, as I discovered for myself, a Jesuit priest’s life is “cooler” than most people think.

9. What is your life mission?

     POP : To love and serve God and God's people as best as I can.   

     ACD: I think my life mission is still unfolding.  I have been working at Jesuit Communications, in various capacities, for the past five years.  I am also active in the Ateneo de Manila’s Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, and the Church’s Chinese-Filipino Apostolate.  There is enough work in these three involvements to last me a lifetime, but I also need to remain open to other ministries that the Lord may call me to in the future.

     Our beloved Xavier School was founded by Jesuit missionaries who were originally working in China.  I was quite inspired by the likes of Fr. Papilla, Fr. Desautels, and all their companions.  It is not unthinkable that some of us will continue their mission when the circumstances are ripe for it.

     JCG: I go back to that original desire to do whatever I can to help people get to know God better and to fall in love with Him. The precise form of that mission will change depending on my assignment.  But I just want to give back to God and share Him with others. 

10. How would you like to be remembered?

     PP: Simply.

     ACD: I am too young to think about how I want to be remembered.  I just desire to be available for the work that God will send my way.

     JCG: As a person who---despite his shortcomings and weaknesses---tried his best to follow God’s will and to serve others.  I would like to be remembered as someone who tried to help others get to know the Lord and love Him.

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