Companions in a mission of justice and reconciliation

23 January 2021

UAP stories from the Indonesian Province

After a year of assimilating and implementing the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs), the Indonesian Jesuit Province has rolled out a series of videos showing the preferences in action by Jesuits and collaborators. Each episode shows how the UAPs have motivated and even “disrupted” the lives of many individuals.

In the first episode, we meet Angelie whose experience with the Spiritual Exercises helped her look past her illness and see the grace and love of God. Angelie admits that the first time she made the Ignatian retreat, she felt that she did not get anything out of it, but eventually, through the help of the Indonesian Jesuits who designed a 30-day Spiritual Exercises retreat specifically for lay people, she was able to encounter the Lord more and engage in dialogue with Him, and even include God in her decision-making.

In episode two, teachers of Kanisius Kaliwinong Elementary School in Bandungan, central Java visit the houses of their students to ensure they are not left behind in the pandemic. These students live in remote places where online learning is not an option. In many instances, the teachers have to cover long distances to reach their students, whose houses are situated far apart. Despite the struggles, the teachers are determined to teach the children, seeing in each of them “a person sent to us by God to accompany”.

In the third episode, we encounter Max and Fani. Max’s mother was one of the victims of terrorist bombings in the churches in Surabaya in 2018. Max shares the importance of forgiveness in a world where there is much hate, and the need to accompany young people in building a future filled with hope through the gift of Ignatian Spirituality.

The fourth episode tells the story of Gauden, a Dayak working to protect what remains of the Kalimantan rainforest, which has been destroyed by oil palm plantations and gold mining. As a young man learning to become a sustainable farmer, he is often teased by his friends because of his choice of occupation. Gauden hopes to be an example for his people that there is no need to destroy nature to earn a living by deforesting the landscape. “My hope is that what is green now, will still be green in the future, without being disturbed by the green of oil palm trees.

The stories in the series show us that the UAPs are an invitation for each one of us to be provoked, to be restless, and to make changes in our personal life, communities, and workplaces.

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