Ignatian Principles
The following is an interview with School President Jesuit Father Guillermo “Willie” M. García-Tuñón ’87 conducted as part of a project being done by the Spanish Honor Society called “Ignatian Principles, a Challenge in the 21st Century”. Each month a different Jesuit priest will be interviewed and their Q&A’s will be shared with the school community.
Q. In Belen, we say that we should be “men for others” at all times. How can this generation put this motto into practice in a society that usually puts themselves before others?
A. The first step is to create a solid foundation that emphasizes the virtue of charity above all things. While that solid foundation should begin at home with the way that parents raise their children through word and action, it needs to be supported with what they learn at school. Education is a very powerful tool for good, especially if it works in tandem with what the kids are learning at home. Second, it is important to create the opportunities for service and for students to experience realities different from their own. Giving students access to experiencing poverty and the injustices that cause it opens their eyes to the reality of the world and how the majority of that world lives it. Third, it is important also to create and experience for students to encounter Christ and to have them reflect on the focus of Christ’s life. Jesus came to serve, not to be served. Jesus was especially inclined to help the poor, heal the sick, and empower the marginalized. Establishing a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ empowers us to serve others and to think of them before ourselves. That kind of relationship puts our lives in order and helps us understand our priorities. And fourth, it is important for young people to understand that the problems of this world, the poverty and inequality, are rooted in selfishness. Because it is the world they live in and have to work in, young people have to understand that they are called to rebel, to say “no” to that mindset and way of life, and be an agitator for the good. This is exactly what Pope Francis has been challenging young people to do.
Q. Which values would you consider are lacking most in today’s world and how can we fix it?
A. I think that the world today understands values such as love, compassion, peace, joy and fidelity, but they have a hard time putting them into practice. There are some values that are simply not appreciated and much less practiced. For example: prudence (just because you can, does not mean you should), faith (in a modern world science is more important than faith, faith is oftentimes regulated to the ignorant or simpleton), absolutes (this for me is one of the bigger ones; there is no appreciation for absolute truths. We are scourged with a relativist society and moral relativism. What’s good for you is not good for me, whatever floats your boat, “don’t judge” are usually the phrases of the relativist society. The best way to overcome these challenges is by educating a new generation of Christian men and women who are willing to bring about a resurgence of those values that define a Christ-centered life. Educational programs must be built upon values that help build and not tear down a society.
Q. Superior General Father Arturo Sosa said that “if Jesus isn’t in front of us, in us, and with us every day, there’s no reason for the Society of Jesus to exist.” Considering people are losing faith at a higher rate than before, how can we not only understand, but practice the idea that without Jesus something lacks in us?
A. As I mentioned above, we have to create those experiences that give young people the opportunity to encounter Christ. Too often we soften our curriculum at schools or soften our language with young people out of fear of offending or intimidating them when it comes to the topic of Jesus Christ. But as Jesuits, we have a responsibility to preach about Jesus and to speak very clearly and confidently about him. I have always thought that speaking only about God in general terms is too benign. We need to be more straightforward and speak directly about the person Jesus Christ. Jesus is God getting His hands dirty in the world so that the world could see, hear, touch, and experience God. We need to get our hands dirty and make sure that it is Jesus we are talking about, even at the risk of turning some people off.
Q. Seeing that this year’s theme is “do not be afraid,” which things should young Belen students not be afraid of? Which ones should they fear?
A. This year’s theme is inspired by the words of St. Pope John Paul II when on the occasion of his papal inauguration he told the crowd gathered there to not be afraid to open their hearts to Jesus Christ. He then repeated these words on several occasions (e.g. Cuba, Poland) encouraging young people especially to not be afraid to proclaim and live your faith in Jesus Christ, no matter what the political or social circumstances. The lives of so many saints demonstrate this attitude. We should not be afraid to accept Jesus in our lives and to surrender to him. There is fear that can arise from that because of the adversity we experience in the world. We cannot be afraid of that adversity. And even if the fear is there, the true test of a man or woman of faith is to be committed to Jesus despite the fear. Any degree of fear that keeps us from doing what needs to be done needs to be avoided and overcome. There are healthy doses of fear that can be helpful: fear of causing pain or sorrow, fear of getting in trouble, fear of the effects of drugs and alcohol, fear of letting God down. But how much better would it be to not get in trouble out of love for doing what is right or not getting involved in drugs or alcohol out of love for the health of my mind and body.
Q. Many in today’s society live by the idea that we are free to do whatever we want, using it to justify questionable actions. How can we find a balance between living a free life and following God’s teachings?
A. The confusion arises because we have moved to an extreme. All the positive movements in our modern society that worked tirelessly for freedom have swung to an extreme (and all extremes are bad). We have adopted the attitude that freedom means we are free to do whatever we want. Anything that impedes that freedom in any way shape or form is bad. But that is a naïve disregard of the law. We must remember that there is a divine law that is given by the Creator and Lord of all things, there is a natural law that is revealed to us and governs all of creation, and, then, man is called to develop a positive law that helps maintain a civil order. That positive law, in order to be good and ethical, must be rooted in the natural law which, in turn, is rooted in the divine law. All forms of law seem at first to be binding or infringes on our “freedom,” but nothing can be further from the truth. Actually, those laws are there to protect our freedom. We give of ourselves in order to maintain that freedom that protects the dignity of man.
Q. In conclusion, which would be your description of an Ignatian man in the XXI century?
A. The Ignatian man of the XXI century is aware of the presence of God in his life and the world that surrounds him. He is a critical thinker who can see beyond the veil of ignorance that oftentimes our world desires to cast upon everything in order to distract us. The Ignatian man understands that the needs of others outweigh his own. The Ignatian man also understands that compassion and love and mercy are not virtues that are practiced in an environment of moral relativism, but are exercised sincerely and most effectively in an environment of moral expectations and absolutes. While there is much gray in the word, the Ignatian man understands that there are basic, fundamental truths that cannot be compromised.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.