In the 21ST annotation of the Spiritual Exercises (Spex) of Ignatius of Loyola, he defines the purpose of the Spex: “The conquest of self and the regulation of one’s life in such a way that no decision is made under the influence of an inordinate attachment.”
Tim Perrine of the Christian Classics Ethereal Library writes, “The aim of the Spiritual Exercises is to assist people in finding God’s will for their life, and to give them the motivation and courage to follow that will.”
The Spex gives us what we can consider the two basic “tasks” of life. One, it is to discover—or rediscover—God’s will or mission for us. Two, once rediscovered, it is to live this with great love that bears fruit in service; to follow the will, the mission; to follow Christ more nearly.
This Sunday’s readings powerfully give us the depth and power of these life tasks. The depth comes from a total giving of self, giving back is the more appropriate term; “totus ad laborem,” giving oneself totally to the work or mission, to following Christ.
The power comes from the passion, the intense desire to live this mission and in following Christ.
Last Sunday, reflecting on a community rooted in the love of Christ, I introduced this Sunday’s reflections by citing how “raw” human love can be dangerous. It is a two-edged sword. Handled wrongly it can lead to the death of inspiration when repressed. Love, I am convinced, is the purest and most potent form of passion and desire.
There seems to be two possible outcomes of “raw” human love: sin and death, or virtue and life.
Ignatius gives us a wonderful map fashioned out of a deep understanding of human nature. He says that passions and desires are to be reoriented, redirected toward our following Christ more nearly, toward mission.
This Sunday’s readings, especially the first reading, Numbers 21:4-9, and the Gospel, John 3:13-17, give us the powerful symbols of the central mystery of our faith, symbols that capture the essence of the mystery.
Serpent
In Numbers, we witness the plague of the serpents in the desert. Moses turns to God and intercedes for the people who beg for help and mercy. God instructs Moses to mount a bronze serpent on a standard and anyone who is bitten by a serpent and looks at the standard will recover and not die. (Note that from this comes the symbol of the physician.)
This story prefigures the standard of Christ, the Cross. The Lord refers to this in the Gospel, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3: 14-15)
Close to 25 years ago, Fr. Jean Louis Ska, SJ, a Belgian Jesuit scripture scholar, conducted our annual eight-day Spex retreat using the Gospel of John. He reflected on this part of John 3 using the story of Moses.
He pointed out the two characteristics of the serpent. One, it crawls on its belly and thus its natural position is horizontal. Two, in its natural position, it can cause death by its bite. Placed on a standard, a vertical position, which is counter to what is natural to the serpent, these two characteristics of the serpent are transformed into a life-giving power, healing and restoration to physical life.
Father Ska then reflected on the Cross using the same line of reasoning.
Human desires
Fr. Benny Calpotura, SJ, told us that the vows of poverty, chastity/celibacy and obedience ask us to reorient natural human needs and desires. It is natural for a person to desire and acquire material things as an extension of his/her person, yet one is asked to renounce ownership of these.
It is natural for a person to seek intimacy in relationships and express this in a sexual way, yet one is asked to aspire for a chaste or celibate way of life.
It is natural for a person to work for autonomy and independence, yet one is asked to be obedient to others and to the work or mission.
All of what is human and natural in us, especially human love with its passions and desires, is to be reoriented toward mission from God and the following of Christ.
Fr. Hans Kung, SJ, has a very thought-provoking thesis on human love. In his 2009 book, “What I Believe,” he has a chapter on “The Art of Living.”
He criticizes and disagrees with the sharp distinction theologians have made between the “desiring ‘eros’ of the Greeks and the giving ‘agape’ as Jesus understood it.”
He points out that such a distinction between the Greek “eros,” “amor” in Latin, and “agape,” “caritas” in Latin, does an injustice to both.
Long story short, he raises two points—one, he is “against any devaluation and demonization of ‘eros.’”
Eros and sex
Two—I beg your kind indulgence in this long quote—“The devaluation and demonization of ‘eros’ and sex on the other hand resulted in a heightening of ‘agape,’ removing it from the senses. ‘Agape’ (wrongly called ‘Platonic love’) is spiritualized: the ideal of a love without passion. The vital, emotional, affective elements are excluded. But where love is only a resolve of the will, without venture of the heart, it lacks human depth, warmth, inwardness, tenderness. Such ‘Christian caritas’ can certainly do good deeds, but hardly radiates love.”
Father Kung cites two other “bookends” to these two points or arguments. The first is from the Greek ideal of love, from Plato’s “Symposium,” again if I may quote, “as the urge toward the beautiful and philosophical knowledge rooted in friendship, as a creative force of opening up of the sensual world to the world of ideas and the highest divine good.”
The second “bookend” is his citing that Christ used the word “love” sparingly in the Synoptic Gospels as love for other persons; he says “extremely sparingly.”
One though sees love in his actions and preaching; as Ignatius repeats, “love is best expressed in deeds.” Not just any ordinary deeds, but one done out of the “magis,” the more, with passion and great desire, with greater love and greater service for the greater glory of God.
Earlier this year, I interviewed Dingdong Dantes for a book we are publishing in Easter 2015. I asked him what kept him going through the years. His career is an inspiring story of perseverance. He started as a dancer in a group, worked his way up and evolved into the big star and respected advocate.
He is one of the biggest stars and is probably the most bankable star of GMA. He has also made a tremendous mark in his advocacy for the youth. Having been active in his Yes Pinoy Foundation, he was first appointed ambassador for the youth of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Recently, he assumed office as commissioner of the National Youth Commission as ambassador-at-large with rank of assistant secretary.
The work of his foundation has been consistent and remarkable the past years, organizing various events to advance the interests of the youth.
Inspiration
His response to my question had a humbling effect on me. “You remember, Father, noong fourth year high school kami? Yung motto ng batch namin was ‘The Passion to Be.’ (You remember, Father, when we were in fourth year high school? Our batch motto was ‘The Passion to Be.’) That has always been my inspiration. Binabalik-balikan ko lang siya (I constantly look back to it) in good times and hard times, it always inspires me to do my best and be passionate in whatever I do.”
This moved me because I was Dingdong’s high school principal and my passion then was to give young men like him a good Jesuit, Ignatian education and formation—that they may discover Christ in their life, discover their mission and live out this mission following Christ with great passion; loving them into excellence, into the grace of the Passion to Be—reorient their passions and desires, in Ignatian parlance, “ad majorem Dei gloriam,” for the greater glory of God.
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
Having eternal life is living a life of passion, the Passion to Be the best of who we are and can be. Who we are at our best is in the following of Christ in our mission.
Human love begins to share in the love of Christ as we see him more clearly in our life, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.
Human love is transformed by our love for Christ expressed in deeds, the following of Christ with great passion and love. Human love becomes a source of life for us and others as we love others into excellence.