Before my trip to Spain, I had little or no idea about what MAGIS was all about and what being a part of it entailed. I personally, thought of it as a program consisting of a lot of prayers and reflection and other boring monotonous stuff. I was so wrong.
The MAGIS experience was more doing than praying. Each experience was based on something that Ignatius did, the people he helped and the places he visited. The experience was indeed more than just being there and sight-seeing, it was living like Ignatius did, feeling the things he did and re-living his experience that ultimately led him to finding the true meaning of life.
Being in Loyola (or “Loiola” as it is known in Spain), the birthplace of Ignatius was indeed inspiring. We saw his actual sword and various Stained – Art windows depicting the different scenes in his life. 3000 pilgrims needing to eat was a gigantic task, which was organized very well. The Indian contingent was asked to help on the first day to serve dinner to all the pilgrims. This not only helped us meet people but also allowed us to give back in a small way to the Jesuits of Loyola
There were 6 different experiences namely Pilgrimage, Art & Creativity, Volunteering (Social Work), Faith & Culture, Spirituality and Ecology. People taking the Pilgrimage walked the paths of Ignatius. Art and Creativity involved trying to find Jesus in different art forms and also through the use of dance, film and theatre. Ecology included farming and other tasks to help the environment. Spirituality involved deepening your faith and understanding of God. Finally, Faith & Culture and Volunteering involved social work in the community
My experience involved Social Work. The beautiful thing was that the organizer’s allowed us to choose what type of work we would be doing. We could work with Immigrants, Physically and mentally handicapped people, drug addicts and terminally ill people with AIDS. Since one of the places included art and Computer workshops for the mentally disabled, I figured it would be great for me. But since we were given 2 choices, I also volunteered to help the terminally ill people with AIDS.
As luck would have it, I was chosen along with 3 others to help the terminally ill people with AIDS. I remember being reluctant and scared at first because of the stigma associated with AIDS. Although the virus is not transferred through contact, I was scared because I thought maybe I’ll get this disease and that’ll be it for me. Something that helped me overcome this fear was the reading for that day: Dueteronomy 31, 1-8 which says “Be Valiant and Strong, do not fear… for the Lord, your God is with you...It is the Lord going before you. He shall be with you.”
My first impression of the patients was rather shocking. None of them were sad or angry at their condition. They were content. Each day they would greet us happily and never once complained about their sickness.
Learning about their short life expectancy (The patients have stage 4 of the Virus), I learnt to appreciate my own life more fully and from their great attitude, I learned to look at the good things in daily life, no matter how small or insignificant they are.
We used to go take them into the city where we would have coffee and a small snack at the local café. For anyone else, this would be a normal outing with no extra meaning but this meant a lot to them. They were so happy just enjoying the sun or having a coffee or waving to someone on the street. Things that we take for granted like our family (The patients have family but they rarely visit them) and friends were held in the highest regard.
Although they spoke Spanish, we tried our best to converse with them and helped them in whatever way we could. We had a special mass for them where we sang hymns and encouraged them to join in. Each day we learnt a little about them but not once did we hear a complaint or a harsh word. Truly their optimism and good nature was a feat.
This was my experience. It makes me want to thank God for life and always be grateful for all my blessings. It made me stronger, looking at their resilience and their awesome outlook.
Instead of me helping them, they helped me discover a deeper meaning in my life. They taught me that the mere presence of a person can change someone's day and make it a little better. A simple smile or a kind word could make someone who’s having a bad day, a little happier.
This experience left me with a lasting impression. I am more prone towards helping others and try to appreciate the little things in life. I thank God for each of my blessings and for every day, which we take for granted sometimes. I thank God for helping me to learn and experience and to meet such great people. I hope that I can help other people and make them feel better as well. Jesus told us to love our neighbor but what we don’t realize is we must love our neighbor just as Jesus would: unconditionally.
