the base of my spirituality from tribals of chotanagpur and Ignatian love of divine

Modern thought in the west puts a high price on individuality. It also treasures the separation between religious and secular spheres, and frowns upon outside involvement in personal decisions. These are the ideological suppositions of our time. But, they are not universal human qualities. Care must be taken to discover cultural nuance in young retreatants, and so, find the stalk onto which the fruitful branch might be grafted. For modern youth, the Ignatian adventure will probably be a first experience of unconditional connectedness. Putting on the Lord’s colors, one is no longer an individual. Pre-moderns don’t call themselves individuals, except in a pejorative way, as if to say, selfish or self-involved. To the south and east, a subject exists primarily for the good of the community. Honor, more than personal satisfaction, dictates appropriate personal options. In some ways, that makes the person more open to making a lifelong allegiance. He was going to do that anyway. The Exercises propose that the allegiance be to the Eternal King. Ignatius was accused of brainwashing the young. They would do the Exercises, and as often as not, break with expectations. They would choose a different life, because their new alliance with the Lord would override submission to traditional authority. Then, Ignatius would go before the Inquisition. It was intense and unlike anything I’d gone through before. It was simple and very real. I liked that you didn’t make it flashy so it would seem cool. You told us just enough to let us explore our way through our prayer time, and then afterward, redirect, in case there were any problems. Tim, 24 years old In our time, paranoia has made it dangerous to be involved with the young for any reason, especially to influence their personal decision processes. We must make it clear that the Exercises are not intended to manipulate. Retreat directors are not supposed to promote any particular cause or option, [15]. This is not a movement, not a fraternity, and not a [to] explore our way through our prayer time secret society. It is a method intended to open the heart to the Lord’s call. It is the property of the Church, for the good of the faithful. The young, of any culture, are just passionate enough to make the oblative gesture of the Exercises, pouring out their lives, in poverty, at risk of great suffering, to serve our Lord and King. For them, it is an adventure, an honor, a challenge to be met. For the older generation, taught to live by the rules, it is often taken on as a requirement. The kids really are better at this. Even so, the youthful quest for meaning is at a crossroads. Modern boys and girls are often functional orphans. Broken homes provide shakier foundations. Emphasis on career and personal satisfaction in the parents’ generation, have left them with minimal support or direction. The Church is afraid to deal with them. She often doesn’t recognize them as full members,7 and she doesn’t value what they have to offer. And there they are, as hungry as ever for a cause or a purpose. Contrary to Maslow, the young would happily go without food, water and security, in exchange for meaning. In the absence of a guiding hand (whether to follow it, or rebel against it), contemporary young men and women are particularly vulnerable to totalitarian relationships with authority, religious and civil. There seems to be a growing sentiment of lost-ness, or just plain fear, as the global scenario becomes polarized, often with religious overtones. Many seem eager to submit to exacting disciplines, in which others make all their choices for them. Fundamentalism has never found more fertile soil, even among the most devout Catholics. Spiritual leaders who dictate what people must do to be saved can really fill the pews and the collection baskets. We are seeing absolutist religious manipulation. Frighteningly, this is also a climate conducive to the formation of brown shirt brigades and storm troopers. And yet, because we are the image and likeness of a God who freely loves, many young men and women are not swallowing the bait. They are pleading for help. They want to learn to love sincerely and give freely. Are we answering that call? Are we putting our treasure out there for them?