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JED Reflection Paper 2

This reflection paper discusses three events from the life of St. Ignatius that have impacted the author. [1] The battle where Ignatius was injured touched the author by showing how personal experiences can change one's perspective like becoming a father did for him. [2] The name "Pilgrim" most appeals to the author as Ignatius sought to understand the world through experience rather than isolated study. [3] Ignatius' time in Manresa inspires the author to remain steadfast in his ideals as a teacher despite challenges and doubts in his career path, drawing strength from Ignatius' perseverance.

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Renz Marion CARAS
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240 views4 pages

JED Reflection Paper 2

This reflection paper discusses three events from the life of St. Ignatius that have impacted the author. [1] The battle where Ignatius was injured touched the author by showing how personal experiences can change one's perspective like becoming a father did for him. [2] The name "Pilgrim" most appeals to the author as Ignatius sought to understand the world through experience rather than isolated study. [3] Ignatius' time in Manresa inspires the author to remain steadfast in his ideals as a teacher despite challenges and doubts in his career path, drawing strength from Ignatius' perseverance.

Uploaded by

Renz Marion CARAS
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ateneo de Naga University

Graduate School
S/Y 2016-2017

Renz Marion C. Caras


MA in Philosophy
G200500001
JED 200 Ignatian Philosophy of Education
Reflection Paper

1. What event/s in the life of St. Ignatius has/have touched you?

It comes to no surprise that one of the significant events in the life of St. Ignatius of

Loyola that has touched me the most would be the battle at the citadel of Pamplona against the

French where he was hit by a cannonball on May 20, 1521. I consider this the event that touched

me the most because I see certain events in my life that would be my own “cannonball”. My

experiences may not be totally parallel to what St. Ignatius endured but I see them having the

same effect. One of those experiences would be when I held my first daughter right after she was

born. I am not a person with the same inclinations and passions as St. Ignatius prior to his

redemption. I couldn’t really consider having my own child as a “redemption”, but having a

family of my own really put things in perspective. I no longer lived just for myself but for others.

I was “hit by a cannonball” when I saw the smile on my daughter’s face. It told me that life is

great and that I needed to get things in order. I may not be as valiant or as pious as St. Ignatius

but having someone to care for, someone to raise as my own and help grow, makes me a better

person. As I help my daughter grow, I grow as a person as well.


2. Among the names that have been attached to St. Ignatius: soldier, hermit, pilgrim,

scholar, saint, what is most appealing to you?

The most appealing name that have been attached to St. Ignatius, for me, is “The

Pilgrim”. It is a name that even Ignatius himself subscribed to in his travels. The moment that he

was able to walk, he began his journey to Jerusalem so as to, as is written in his autobiography,

“kiss the earth where our Lord had walked.” He hung up his sword and gave away his rich

clothing and opted to travel with only the bare essentials. It was not just a physical renewal but a

spiritual one as well.

The name “pilgrim” might not appeal to a lot of people as it has some impoverished tone

to it but to me it provides some form of comfort. I see life as a constant unfolding of journeys.

This name appeals to me because I believe one does not just judge the world from the confines of

a room or a book. I realized that I must see the world and let it unfold to one’s eyes and heart as

it is, unfiltered and unbiased. I want to understand the world not simply as an object of study but

as a lived experience. The name “pilgrim” teaches me that one has to feel lost in the world in

order to find who they are.

3. In St. Ignatius’ experiences, what do you think would be relevant to a teacher and to an

educator in general?

I believe that in St. Ignatius’s experiences, his stay in Manresa would be quite significant

to a teacher or an educator. This again is an experience that one might consider to be less than

expected but would ultimately turn into some grander destiny. As St. Ignatius gave most of his

belongings away, he had little finances for his journey towards the Holy Land. When he stayed
for 10 months in Manresa, he merely asked to lodge in at a hospital for the poor while doing

chores in exchange for a place to sleep. He begged for food and often can be found in a cave in

prayer. This went on for a long time and often would lead him to doubt and depression. I think

this is a similar experience I am facing as a teacher and educator. When faced with a career

dilemma, one must stay strong and faithful. I took up law for idealistic reasons. I firmly believed

that I could make a valuable contribution in society through pursuing the values of justice and

truth. But when I was immersed in the academic study of law and the observations I had

regarding the profession, I was disheartened. I saw the corruption of people for the sake of

financial gain. I saw the injustice in the shoehorning of cases. I was disillusioned by what I saw

regarding the law profession as some elite field to gain personal glory. I was taken aback by what

I realized but I did not lose hope and chose to still not abandon my ideals about the law

profession. But I realized that if I really wanted to make an impact to society I had to start

somewhere where I am able to influence my ideals to others. Because of this I decided to return

to the Ateneo and provide a contribution to my community by helping teach fresh minds.

However, it was not without its dilemmas.

One of those dilemmas that bothers me is the monotony of teaching and the current

educational revisions have led a lot of educators to consider a change of pace. I see the current

curriculum revisions to be dehumanizing in the sense that the students, as it appears, are being

groomed more as parts for a great capitalist machinery rather than holistic human beings. But I

know I must not falter and let my ideals be swept under the rug. I draw inspiration from St.

Ignatius’s experience when I recall the same reflection I had when I underwent a 5-day Silent

Retreat. I realized that I still had a lot going for me and that I must remain steadfast.
St. Ignatius inspires us all to take in those seemingly mundane encounters and see the

grace within them; to take it as our own and inspire others as well not to take lightly of our lives.

Whatever paths we take and whatever career we wish to pursue, we continue to inspire people to

take courage and answer the call of destiny. Hoping that we all have the courage to answer; we

imagine ourselves the agents of our destiny, capable of determining our own fate. But have we

truly any choice in when we rise, or when we fall, or does a force larger than ourselves bid us our

direction? Is it evolution that takes us by the hand? Does science point our way, or is it God who

intervenes keeping us safe? We could only choose not to falter in the face of adversity and

possess the will to overcome fear.

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