Today and this week I received an extraordinary number of request from friends, needing rides, needing to borrow money, just wanting to talk with someone who would listen and asking for advice. At times I was tempted to think how about me? I need more time to read, write, be quiet and pray. But then I thought back on my Jesuit education in the Ignatian Spirituality which I learned about in my 13 years of Jesuit education and still study and try to practice. One of the core elements of Ignatian Spirituality is being “Men and Women for Others.” In address to educators in 1973 Father Arrupe S.J. than the Leader of Society of Jesus, Jesuits, described it this way. “Today our prime educational objective must be to form men-and-women-for-others; men and women who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ - for the God-man who lived and died for all the world; men and women who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men and women completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce. “
Living in a society of individualism run rampart n (Give me my tax break and hell with common good), living in the me generation when “do your own thing” abides and truth and facts are treated with “you are entitled to your opinion” being “Men and Women for Others.” However, if I look at my busy week as being a man for others my busy week is blessing.
Whenever I am asked for rides I remember that years ago after giving someone a ride they asked me how they could pay me back. I said they already have by allowing me to be of service to them and just to leave the blessings at the door as they got out of my car. I called my car the Blessing Cab since it allows me to receive so many blessings.
Special blessings are received from poor, “least of neighbors.” An Indian priest, who was from the lowest caste in India became a Jesuit priest and went back to work with the outcast caste of India told me once that he found peace and grace in the people he was working with. He prayed to God to give him the grace and blessings he discovered with the poor and marginalized. He said that God answered him by saying: “I gave all my grace and blessings to the poor, go to the poor to receive them.” Looking at life this way I am full of gratitude.
One of my social justice projects is to reform the local St. Vincent de Paul Society. Blessed Frederic Ozanam(1813–1853), co-founder of the Society put it this way: “We must do what is most agreeable to God. Therefore, we must do what our Lord Jesus Christ did when preaching the Gospel. Let us go to the poor. ” The local Society rather than offer person to person contact with people in need has developed into a four million dollar social agency that derives money and donations given to the poor and, according to Rules of Society, belong to the poor.
So, yes, let us strive to be Men and Women for Others. It might be hard at times, involving inconvenience, poverty, suffering and insults. But the Reward of being Men and Women is an everlasting blessings and one full of joy and gratitude.
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