“Pray to find the good in the lowest part of the day…this will give you great power.”
Mr. Garrison, the principal of Jesuit, stressed this message in the first prayer service of the 2015-2016 school year on August 28th.
Elaborating on this point, Mr. Garrison emphasized the importance of the daily Examen, how it allows us to reflect on our actions and refocus ourselves for the rest of the day. However, stressed by academic pressures and extracurricular activities, many students often use the Examen as a chance to study for an upcoming quiz or take a quick nap, not taking full advantage of the opportunity to communicate with God. Bobby Turner’ 17, who juggles schoolwork with two sports, recognizes how “it can sometimes be easy to just fall asleep during the Examen,” especially on days where he stays up late the night before finishing homework after hours of practice. Nonetheless, Bobby still knows that he “must not fall asleep so that [he] can use the Examen to grow closer to God.”
Referencing St. Ignatius of Loyola, Mr. Garrison talked about the “cannonball moments” that we, like Ignatius, all face and have to overcome. After being hit by a cannonball and deciding to live a life of virtue and faith, Ignatius had to constantly “reset to plans C,D, and E,” making the best out of the situations he was dealt. During the prayer service, Mr. Garrison challenged the student body to try to emulate Ignatius and similarly make the best out of the difficult situations we encounter on a daily basis. This point really resonated with Thomas Whitaker ‘17, who remembers moments in his life where he “could have directly confronted certain obstacles and tried to overcome them,” instead of “shying away from them and refusing to make anything good of the situations.”
Principal Garrison also highlighted God’s will during the prayer service, explaining that God’s will may not always coincide with our own and that we might sometimes have to change what we perceive it to be. Zach Watts ‘17 took this point to heart, noticing how “insurmountable obstacles pointing [us] down a different path than we are used to” can cause us to change how we view God’s will.
