Day 10 of Ignatian Reflection

July 10, 2014 Thursday – Mt. 10: 7-15  The Commissioning of the Twelve

7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Reflection:

 As an educator, I have realized that I share the responsibility of the disciples to proclaim the good news to the people of God which is my students, and try to live the gospel in my everyday dealings with the people I meet, as I connect the Ignatian value of  Cura Personalis in this gospel because “ it requires not just that we step out of ourselves and the work that concerns us; It also requires that we give ourselves, our effort and our time to the total care of our neighbor.”

To care for the other or personal care” may mean doing small things, like listening to the daily stories of my students even if it’s already out of context of the lesson or making an effort to understand someone who is very different, to be forgiving and patient with the short comings of others especially my students. At times it calls for bigger action. “To care for the other” also means making it a point to regularly check-up on a student that I know is going through hard times. It could mean swallowing the bitter pill of being the first to say sorry in an argument. In all its forms, Cura Personalis pushes me out from the confines of myself, it pushes me to be generous enough and embrace the concerns of others before my own and this is no easy thing since there is no cost to all this just like what in the gospel of Mt.10:8 “without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.

Reflection Questions:

1. How do you practice cura personalis?

2. How do we become more like Christ when we do cura personalis?

Ignatian Value : Cura Personalis

Reflection by: Rizza M. Dennison 

If you know someone who might be interested : MEET THE JESUITS - Discernment Talk.

Join us again tomorrow for another day of reflection and prayer.