Magis

 Fr. Ferapont's Monasterium Tremendum

Religious reflections of an aspiring homilist

Previous posts:

Recognizing God

In My Father's House

Not Many But Much

In my father's house, there are many rooms.

One of the words that made a star appearance at an Ignatian Spirituality in Education Seminar was the word "magis". It might have been because the Jesuits kept emphasizing the concept, or because they kept trying to define it, or because the very first question asked by anyone was regarding magis or simply because we all struggle with that expectation of magis without really knowing what exactly is expected from us.

The common definition of "magis", which the speakers tried to transcend was the concept of magis as "more". By this it is meant that we should strive to do more, to walk that extra mile, as it were.  This is the "dramatic" magis; to check those papers when it's way past your time to sleep because you need to give comments to the students on the next day, to spend time preparing for a lesson you've taught for several years even if you don't feel like doing it, to spend a little more time in school with a student organization even if it eats into your leisure time. All these acts entail a little more effort on our part and in that sense, we regard them as magis.

I came home from a seminar in Antipolo one weekend and almost instantly realized an alternative definition of magis. A student of mine was scheduled to meet me on the next day when I was scheduled to return his paper. I arrived home late at night and I needed to wake up early for another seminar in the morning. I did not have time to check the paper any time on the next day so I needed to check the paper immediately and lose some hours of sleep.

I did not see this as an act of virtuous sacrifice or noble martyrdom on my part. I would, in fact, think of this as a little irresponsible putting things off to the last minute. Thinking these things, I stumbled across a definition of magis.

Magis is more, it is true, but the more here is not necessarily more effort but more effective. As a co-worker of mine would say, you have to find greater leverage. It is not magis for me to check the paper now but merely my duty (for obligation is what I have effectively reduced it to). True magis entails an ordering of one's life in order to do the good most effectively.

Sometimes, true magis entails a re-ordering of one's life; in real terms a re-ordering of how one uses up time in order to do the good most effectively. In this case, magis entailed fighting off that temptation to put things off until the last minute. In a sense, my life becomes organized around a particular goal and I so order it such that a goal will be accomplished.

When God calls us to do some thing, the call entails that we so order our life that we may more effectively respond to that call.

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