Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church
Reading 1: Isaiah 40:25-31
Psalm: Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10
Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30
I notice a familiar conversation among ADZU employees about their work and its relation to the Ignatian principle of Magis. When someone works overtime even without pay, the justification would be because he or she did it for the sake of Magis. When, after so many years working in Ateneo, they still find themselves working in ADZU amidst the meager salary and benefits, they would always employ the term Magis to justify such commitment and I should say, difficulties endured while working in ADZU. However, in some instances, while we use the principle of Magis as the reason for our sacrifices, I cannot but also notice the questions we raise. Is Magis still a good reason? Is this not the case where the university is already exploiting the faculty and staff and simply masquerades it through the ideals of Magis? What is the true meaning of Magis?
I am aware that, based on our experiences, we all have our own notion of what Magis is. The most common meaning that we attribute to this term is “more” – i.e., the act of always giving more of what we have. It can be our time, our skills and efforts exerted for the good of the ADZU community, or even just when we share our listening ears to those who want to be listened. Yet in this giving of more, human as we are, we do also get tired. If we don’t experience exhaustion, we might as well ask ourselves if we are still human. Being tired is being all too human. Never forget this.
Here the passage of today can console our weary souls. “Come to me and I will give you rest,” the Lord Jesus Christ promises. Amidst our exhaustion and perhaps sometimes confusion (probably because we don’t understand anymore why we are working in ADZU), rest assured that the Lord God, if we will entrust all our joys and pain to Him, is offering us a place of peace and tranquility, a sacred dwelling that lies deep within His loving heart. And this place can best be found through prayer. “Pray as though everything depends on God and work as though everything depends on you.” If we heed this call, then our burden becomes light and we will discover that life still makes sense after all.
Reflection Questions:
1. What are the problems, ideas, or issues that burden me today?
2. How can I entrust all of these to God so that I can make this day a wonderful and joyful day to live?
MR. MARLONE M. ARANETA
Faculty, SLA Department
