The first reaction, after a quick glance at the four preferences, may be that they bring nothing new; so, we would continue our lives as before... Well, let’s look again, with open hearts, beyond all weariness and creeping cynicism...
1. As I begin my prayer, I ask for the Grace: of feeling a re-energized enthusiasm to follow Jesus and serve His Kingdom in the Society of Jesus today.
2. In the memory of my heart, I revisit the initial enthusiasm that made me enter the Society to follow Jesus. I desire to feel again that fire, as for the first time.
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. (Mk 1: 16-18)
3. With this attitude, I consider the meaning of the UAPs for the Society today.
“The process we have gone through has its source in the winds of ecclesial renewal inspired by the Spirit in the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. That same Spirit, present and active today in the Church, has been at work also in General Congregations 31 to 36, leading the Society through a demanding process of spiritual and apostolic renewal.”
“We began ... with many doubts and concerns, not knowing the path well and struggling to overcome skepticism. ... But we have found a unity of desire, a common passion to serve Jesus.”
“The Universal Apostolic Preferences … are the fruit of an election. … Our desire has been to find the best way to collaborate in the Lord's mission.”
“We accept them as a mission of the Church through Pope Francis, who has approved them by confirming the communal discernment that was undertaken by the apostolic body. … The preferences seek to unleash a process of apostolic revitalization and creativity that makes us better servants of reconciliation and justice.”
“During the next ten years, the following preferences will guide us in incarnating the mission of reconciliation and justice in all the apostolic services to which we, along with others, have been sent.”
- How has been, so far, my inner disposition regarding the UAPs?
- What do I desire to be transformed in me for a more open and generous reception of them in my life and apostolic work?
I consider these questions and talk about them with the Lord.
4. With my spirit transformed by prayer, I reread now: the opening paragraphs of Fr. General’s letter Feb. 2019 (p. 1) and section "II. Guided by the Spirit" (pp. 6-8).