As we continue to celebrate the launch of Ignatian Ministries into the world, we can’t help but be reminded how impossible it would be for a reality of this sort to come to birth without a community. A singular dream, a daring idea, filled with prompting and nudging from the Spirit, must take root in a cohort of hearts attune to deep listening, before the community can be invited to partake in the vision and of the feast. It is only then that the platters can be circulated, that the music can begin, that the celebration becomes about what is larger than all of us! We inhale in hope and exhale in awe. Ignatian Ministries is about setting the table, aware of the presence of the Divine.
These days, I am sitting at a different table altogether. A little over a year ago, I changed jobs, from a decades-held position as diocesan director to employee at Catholic Charities. The CEO offered me a job that had never existed at this local agency before, Director of Mission and Identity. The implicit gift is that there is no blueprint – but that is also the intimidating part! I have been tasked to create a culture of prayer and identity in this Catholic agency where most of the employees and leadership staff are not Catholic. My adult life to this point, as a religious sister and active lay woman in diocesan formational ministry, was spent with Catholic insiders, folks who knew the language and the subtext.
Even though I’ve lived in Reno for years, I only had marginal knowledge about our local Catholic Charities before I came onboard. As a member of the staff took me around, introduced me to leadership and collaborators, it became clear that my coworkers were a living invitation to listen and learn. I work beside men and women who have criminal records, who are recovering addicts and who have lived on the streets as unsheltered individuals. I work beside those who struggle with mental health challenges, who speak other languages and, literally, worship other gods. “What is your job?” they’d ask. I was completely out of my element.
What could I bring to these genuine people who have been doing the work of charity in this organization for years, motivated by interior goodness long before I could be tempted to paste a Catholic label on it? How could I be a credible witness? Every spiritual experience of my life had to be reapplied in this new context over the past year.
I spent months listening to them casually, and then more in depth, having lunch with them, working beside them, asking them questions, and answering a few. Moving from outsider to insider, I seem to have become a more credible companion. Someone whom they ask to intercede with leadership; someone who laughs with them, someone who prays with them.
This community in which I work invited me to become a credible witness, to meld my story with theirs and to forget about manufactured separation. As a coworker who has now gained a few stripes, I am reminded of St Paul’s message to the Greeks in Acts 17:23f, as I begin to speak to them of the One in whose name they serve, even if they don’t know what to call this God.
After months of simple accompaniment and learning from my coworkers, I’ve made myself available to meet with folks individually as a spiritual companion whenever the burdens of working with the poor – or living on the streets - weighs too heavily. We also now gather twice a month for a Spiritual Tune Up Tuesday, to pray through a modified Lectio model, on the Names of God and Scripture. All are welcome and we are up to about 20 regulars. They tell their own stories. They share from the heart what they think about God at this point in their lives. They share the frustrations of a God they have felt was absent…and we all nod our heads in empathy. It’s not perfect. It’s not always inspiring. Yet, I am completely inspired by them…by people who teach me daily what it means to serve when you don’t have the entrenched faith background I do.
One thing is crystal clear, there’s deeper faith at work here than I may ever know myself. Ultimately, I’m being called deeper every day, we all are. The Spiritual Exercises are intended to build spiritual muscle for the long haul. How are you being shaped as a credible witness in your life? What graces are you exercising daily? Put a spotlight on that. Don’t undervalue your personal history. Make disciples among those you encounter…and trust. Divine fingerprints on your story give you all the credibility you long for.
Going Deeper
- Read Jeanne Heaton’s blog post, Consolation Beyond a Smile: Increase in Faith, to reflect on another way of being a credible witness and companion.
- Jen Coito’s post, The Need is the Call: What if I can’t see a way to use my gifts? takes us deeper and helps put the pieces of our history and our call together.
- Checkout one of the audio resources available in our Soundcloud Guided Audio Prayer Library, Joseph’s Dream Imaginative Prayer, and join your own hesitancy with Joseph’s deep faith in trusting how God has the ability to make you a credible witness.
- Read Gretchen Crowder’s beautiful reflection on IgnatianSpirituality.com website, about allowing God to love us as we are, while inviting us to grow into who we can be
- All Souls Day is just around the corner. Join us in honoring those who have passed by attending our virtual workshop on accompanying those who are grieving. If you can’t attend live, a recording will be sent.
Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash
Monique Jacobs
Monique Jacobs has been engaged in professional active ministry in the church for 40+ years, offering workshops, retreats, and writing. She accompanies people in these roles, and as a Spiritual Director, using Ignatian methods and spirituality. Her joy is to serve as mentor and companion to others, highlighting their gifts and helping to build up the body of Christ. Monique also hosts a YouTube Channel: Finding God in All Things, new videos posted weekly. Monique serves as the Director of Mission and Identity for Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada. Subscribe to Monique’s YouTube Channel, Finding God In All Things.
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