TO BECOME GOD’S HOPEFUL PRESENCE IN THE WORLD: A Reflection on the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
August 30, 2016
By:
Fr Gilbert Emmanuel P. Levosada, S.J.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John:
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.
One of the most beloved characters in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the hobbit companion of Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, known as Sam. Because of his own doing, Sam was forced to be the travel companion of the ring-bearer Frodo, yet his quiet and constant companionship proved valuable time and again. Sam would not just bring the sleeping bags or cook for the fellowship but would always help Frodo by keeping a watchful eye on Gollum, battling giant spiders, and rescuing Frodo from the guards of Mordor.
But Sam’s most important contribution to the mission was keeping hope alive in Frodo. There came a point in the story when Frodo, weighed down by the power of the ring and the darkness of the enemy, was losing hope and slipping towards despair. Yet time and time again, Sam reminded Frodo of their home back in the Shire, of the goodness in the world and that their ordeal, bleak and difficult as it seemed, would pass. It came to a point that Sam literally carried the distraught Frodo and brought him hope.
This image of Samwise as a quiet and hope-filled presence reminds me of the resurrected Jesus that St Ignatius experienced in his life. If you look closely at Scripture, many of Jesus’ friends, especially after His crucifixion seemed to have lost hope because of His seeming failure, disappointment, and death. Mary Magdalene cried at the tomb of Jesus’ missing body, some disciples departed and headed to Emmaus, and Peter and the rest of the crew abandoned their profession and went back to fishing. Yet Jesus, all this time, revealed Himself, appeared to them in a quiet manner, and slowly led them back to hope and joy.
One thing I find beautiful in these Gospel stories, and which I think is the good news is this: Jesus finds us when we, too, are on the road of despair and disappointment and leads us home. Jesus understands us well. When we are sad, distressed and when we have walked away from people, Jesus, our companion in our earthly pilgrimage, finds us, enters our chaos, and turns us around. As Jesus reminded His friends about the Scripture, or the breaking and sharing of the bread, He, too, reminds us of the many things and ways by which He loves us. By reminding us, we regain our vision and our hope and find the courage to again return to our faith.
Maybe it would be good to remember and ask ourselves: Who are the “Samwise Gamgees” in our lives? We are no strangers to failure and disappointment. There have probably been moments when we said, “I’ve had it!” yet a concerned friend or family member came along, gave us an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and told us, “All will be well,” or posted on your account “You can do it!” These acts of thoughtfulness and compassion are sure signs of hope for us, God’s way of reaching out to us and lifting us up.
Perhaps, we have encountered friends and classmates who have experienced some hardships and problems that moved us to console and to stay with them, even if we couldn’t solve their predicament. These instances, I believe, are graced-filled moments when God calls us to become His hopeful presence in the world. Being children of Easter morning, may we always keep the Lord’s love and hope alive in us and may we share it with people who are in darkness.
Let us pray
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Consoling God, be a source of serenity for me
when struggles and difficulties threaten to overwhelm me.
God of hope, assure me of your unconditional love
when I doubt myself or question the worth of my life.
Truth-bringing God, encourage me to embrace you
during those times when I get lost in lies of my weakness.
Compassionate God, hold me to your heart
when I feel helpless in the face of the world’s pain.
Light-filled God keep me ever close to you
during moments when bleakness surrounds my life.
Comforting God, shelter me under your wings
when I am engulfed in sadness and overcome by distress.
God of peace, you are the center of my life,
a strong refuge of peace in the whirlwind of my pain.
I look to you for strength and a constant assurance of hope. Amen.
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(Prayer by Joyce Rupp)
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IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY RESOURCES
Link on Ignatian Spirituality that may be helpful for you!
www.phijesuits.org
www.emmausphil.org
www.ignatianspirituality.com
www.loyolapress.com/ignatian-spirituality.htm
www.cisphil.org
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