GROWTH
Fr Parmananda Divakar believed that “the secret of Father Arrupe’s popularity is his loyalty to all that is foundational and his relevance to all that is modern”. Fr.Arrupe’s loyalty to the Society of Jesus and to the person of Jesus were indeed his strength. These qualities led him to grow as a prophet of the modern world. When you begin to grow like him, people begin to trust you, have confidence in you; they respect you, their expectations are met in you.
How does a person grow? A person grows as that of a tree. A seed does not suddenly sprout and grow into a big tree. It needs good soil, care, nutrition, water, and time. In order to grow well, one must have a capacity to face struggles and challenges in life.
If I only look at the final out come of Fr Arrupe’s growth, then I am not going to grow like him. I should try to find out the core qualities that had helped him in making him so popular.
There are many factors which helped him to grow: his family, the civil society, the neighborhood, school, the streets, the Church etc….. As Don Pedro grew in age, he also grew in spirit because of the love for Jesus that filled his whole being. And while in medical school his sense of loyalty deepened and he was able to have a positive attitude to the modern developments that were taking place in his time.
His life blossomed because of his spirituality. He always emphasized on our common and ongoing search for God’s will. He always looked to strengthen his spiritual life and the apostolate, welding them into a perfectly integrated whole so that what he did really flew from the gospel and gave effective witness to Jesus Christ. As a superior general, he strongly suggested that we should give creative openness to our apostolate. He humbly acknowledged a need for a strong spiritual renewal and a new apostolic thrust in the Society. For that he specified four principle themes:
1) Experience of God in Christ
2) Work for the salvation of the world
3) Habitual union with Christ
4) Sharing with “companions”
He pointed out to the basic problem, namely, “ the fact that many of ours do not have that profound faith-experience, a genuine integration of the spiritual life with the apostolate (faith and mission) that ought to penetrate and energize every aspect of our life”. “Contemplation in action” must be not merely a slogan but a living reality. “Today it has been made clear to us that the faith is not something acquired once and for all, but that it needs to be constantly renewed, sustained and strengthened. Prayer helps us to develop our proper spiritual stance, frees us from reliance on purely human means and from doctrinal extremes and prepares us so that in humility and simplicity we may be open to receive that revelation which is only given to little ones (Luke 10:21)”.
I would like to conclude with the following quote from Fr.Arrupe which has touched my heart: “True, I have had my difficulties, both big and small, but never has God failed to stand by me. And now more than ever I find myself in the hands of this God who has taken hold of me.”
