Ignatian Holiday

Revived. Recharged. Renewed. Enlightened. Happy...
I can’t quite find the right word to use for what I felt during the St. Ignatius Mass last friday in the ASMPH.
(to celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius, the reason for no classes today btw!)
While I probably can’t effectively translate my feelings into words, permit me to try.

If not for your reading pleasure, at least for myself. So that whenever I feel another need for revival/recharging/renewing/enlightening/happiness, I can read this entry and remember. Oh! That might be the right word. Remember.

We all grow up with some form of religion chosen for us – one that our parents follow, and by convention, taught to us. As children, we diligently follow with the belief that we’ll burn in hell (or get karma, or become a cockroach) if we stray from the path. By college, we start to develop some degree of critical thinking (yes dooodes, you should be somewhat more mature now), and start to question everything we’ve been taught.

For most, they shrug it off. For others they continue to wonder – they either find their answer in a new spirituality; find the answer to be loosing their spirituality, or if you are at all like me, still wondering.

This lead me to theology – faith seeking understanding.

And I find solace, answers and purpose in the Ignatian tradition of self-reflection.
You seek the universal truths by first knowing yourself and then knowing your context, look at the world with a those inquisitive eyes.
I had originally thought that it was wrong to ask questions about my faith. That you should just trust what the church says, that you should just accept your religion. But the Jesuits, specifically the beloved (and feared) Fr. Dacanay during confession when I cried to him because I had sinned because I was asking questions, taught me “It’s okay to ask questions. Asking questions means you are starting to think.”

And when you are starting to think, your religion becomes a spirituality.

So basically, it is in the Ignatian spirituality that I find my answers, and more questions as I continue to mature in my humanity.
An instance of this lesson/answer-finding with the Ignatian spirituality is taken from the homily during the St. Ignatius mass last Friday. The priest talked to the officers of the different student organizations and student council. He talked about St. Ignatius’ life in Rome (which I want to read about soon enough).
More importantly, he gave out this advice: To always remember the 3Ds that Ignatian Spirituality is based on in dealing effectively with our fellow men; (the following definitions are my own insight or understanding of it)

Discourse
to know how to speak, listen, and communicate with others.
Desire
to always be fired up by our passions and desire to be magis, because the motivation that comes from our hearts are the strongest influences.
Deliverance
to do what we do, with the other in mind – to serve someone other than ourselves is true happiness.

I know. I know. Long entry AGAIN. Still working on the whole 'less words, more meaning' plan.

Hungry in Class

I'm hungry. *classmate talks to me
I'm hungry. *teacher discusses
I'm hungry *classmate says something funny, whole class laughs. Huh? What happened?!
I'm hungry. *teacher continues to discuss
I'm hungry *classmate makes fun of me during class presentation Hahahahaha
I'm hungry. *whole world goes on
I'm hungry.

This was my situation during class last friday. I learned absolutely nothing, recall absolutely nothing, and remember nothing, except that I was hungry.
Oh wait, no, I remember some other things…
My tummy hurt.
My head was throbbing.
I was fantasizing dinner – sambokojin or some kind of buffet to celebrate my sis bday.
Regretting not having had lunch.

And that's one day. One missed meal. One wasted class.
Imagine 10 months (an average school year). 900 missed meals. An entire school year wasted.
Multiply that with 4000 kids of only 4 public elementary schools.
You get the big picture that the Blue Plate for better Learning feeding program wants to address.


I had started to question my involvement in the program (being a part of the core team that conceptualized the blue platito program, ASMPH’s 1.6 M fund-raising contribution to the larger initiative). My time as a YL6 student is precious – if im not studying or blogging, I should be catching up on sleep (and the occasional meal), so I had to asses my commitments properly. I had three things that bothered me:

1. I couldn’t actually reconcile nation building with the idea of a one-meal-per-day feeding program.
My experience last Friday basically concretized this for me. A seemingly insignificant issue, but how are we all supposed to learn, to develop without nutrition. And as they say, the youth is our future, so we need to maximize their capabilities.

2. All these lessons on sustainability; yet we undertake a feeding program – a 6M worth task (all 4 Ateneo graduate schools).
Ricky’s inspired post basically answered this issue. His beautiful point was that despite the seemingly small contribution and shady sustainability of the program, it is still our concrete single drop. Plans for sustainability and nation building cannot remain in the classroom or in theories or in the minds of the nation’s intellectuals, they have to be translated to action.

3. Its hard enough to get support for extracurricular projects – how much more one that involves GIVING UP money.
You have to believe in people; when they see the value of something, the concrete manifestation of what they had just given up – they are ultimately altruistic. My Case in point: this freshie who gave up her shoe fund – absolutely adorable - as her pledge for blue platito. People WANT to make a difference. Give them an avenue to.

I am proud to be a part of this project. If not for our nation and for the kids, as I’ve explained; then for myself, to be part of something that actually wants to build and is building a nation.

Support Blue Platito! Support Blue Plate for Better Learning!