The year 2020 was easily overshadowed by the pandemic crisis. As the coronavirus was making its way, the major superiors were still blessed to have made the Spiritual Exercises at the Mirador Jesuit Villa Retreat House, Baguio City, Philippines conducted by José Garcia de Castro SJ from Comillas Pontifical University. This first eight-day retreat of the major superiors, made at the start of February, was a significant shift from being simply an executive body to becoming a discerning community of the conference. After the retreat we continued to discern further the invitations of the Lord in the proposed JCAP Plan (2021–2025). We are now in the final stretch of our discernment process before we submit the plan to Fr General for his blessing.
In this time of the pandemic, our world changed, and uncertainty became a new normal. Many lives have been claimed by Covid-19. Millions have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Physical distancing and virtual interaction have become part of our culture. The pandemic deepened further the pre-existing issue of marginalisation, inequality, and exclusion in our world. Pope Francis raises rightly these issues in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. In a real sense, the pandemic is the new stage upon which the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) can be appropriated and pursued. We don’t have to wait for the pandemic to end before we can carry out the UAPs.
Apart from the pandemic, we also had to endure the ravages brought about by a string of strong typhoons that pummeled Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
To be fair, however, the year was not all doom and gloom. There were heroic moments of solidarity, accompaniment of the poor, the homeless, and the hungry. There were deep expressions of faith, and unwavering hope. The Jesuit provinces and regions across Asia Pacific along with their mission partners were involved in the distribution of food packs, hygiene kits, and protective equipment. They also enabled access to their facilities for the frontliners and those who needed to be quarantined. Several Jesuits accompanied and ministered to Covid-19 patients. Others offered online liturgical celebrations and reflections to make sense of the pandemic in the light of faith. In moments of crisis, there is always a ray of hope.
We take comfort in the words of Pope Francis: “Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all” (Fratelli Tutti, #8). Let this dream be our task as well. This is a fitting disposition as we prepare for the celebration of the Ignatian Year (20 May 2021 – 31 July 2022).
Tony Moreno SJ
President
Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
Related story: JCAP highlights crisis and celebration in 2021 annual report