Page 30 - Y Mind

Samborlang Nongkynrih SJ

does our jesuiT formaTion
d oes our j esui T forma T ion

?
need reneWal?
W
need
rene
al

ormation is a period when men or wom- ited to the intellectual apostolate. Our hearts
Fen are trained and imbibed with skills are blocked. We often fail to feel what the com-
and activities for the tasks entrusted to mon people feel. We often neglect our workers
them in the future. Ignatius of Loyola him- and sometimes even deprive them. I feel we
self was a militant fighting for the king. need to have more experiences with the poor

When he founded the Society of Jesus in during our formation so that we can have
1541 he already knew what formation it re- them in our hearts, not only in our homilies.
ally needed to train his men for God’s mis- 3. Universality: Are we universal? Jerome Na-
sion. Now, looking at the present world, do dal beautifully said: ‘The world is our home’.
you think the Jesuit formation needs renew- But why do we still get attached to our cul-
al? Certainly yes! Some of the reasons are: ture, language, likes and dislikes, place and
1. Prespection (looking ahead): Are we formed so on? Formation period is the best time to
in a manner or way that we will be able to face have our scholastics experience different
the world fifteen years from now? Presently, places, cultures, people etc. Sad to say the

we face and encounter a lot of issues like athe- we are some Jesuits who have become so
ism, Gnosticism, broken marriages, abortion, narrow- minded and think that they belong
scandals and many others. We are having a only to their province. Where is the spir-
tough time with all of these. Is it not because it of universality? The spirit has to be nur-
we are not well equipped? We need to look tured and emphasized during the formation.
ahead and have a better formation of real trans- As the world grows and develops rap-
formation that we can really face the world. idly in various ways with the advancement
2. Walking with the poor: Our second UAP of modern technologies and discoveries,
rightly says: to walk with the poor …… And we also need to grow and reform our for-
our pope Francis said we should get the smell mation for effectiveness of our mission. As
of the sheep; are we not locked up? I often feel Pedro Arrupe said: you cannot give yester-

that we are locked up in our comfort zone. day’s answers to today’s questions? So our
Comfort zone of our life and institute. Even formation needs to be reformed and revi-
our minds are locked up and sometimes lim- talized according to the needs of our times.

29 Young Minds 2020