WHAT THE WORLD IS DOING FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD

For many centuries,  the humankind has locked himself to a way of living where everything he did, does and will do shall be directed to his own credit.

Surviving in this world has never been so easy and this has become the common excuse of the selfish concern of a man for himself. This approach to life, though it is the most conventional, is not most of the time the appropriate.

As St. Ignatius de Loyola would tell the world, the people ought to strive more and dare struggle harder not mainly for the praise to himself but for the greater glory of God. Thus, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

However, in the pursuit of this principle, sometimes people are left confused with many issues. The most common irony reflects how man executes his decision with the uncertainty of why he is doing such choice.

Most of the time, the reason of such choices is his own ego. But from the context of a religous order founded by St. Ignatius himself, the Society of Jesus, a man’s life isn’t all about the man’s sense of self. Because it is claimed, that there is a God. And therefore, people are inserted to complexity of including God to their actions.

But more than this matter, what is more questionable is how much of what a man is doing is intended for God’s glory. Or the simpler way around, what is a man doing for God’s praise.

Looking back, the world’s lifestyle has been so simple but gradually turned into an intricate structure. It is the transition like of an apple, as once a fruit but now becomes a laptop. Like of a mouse, that children are trying to run away but now they loved to hold.

The technology that man has developed over the years has usurped their own attention. But you might doubt on which part of these technologies was made for God. More so, if these technologies were either used for God’s glory or man’s triumph alone.

During the course of World War II, as hundreds of bombs had blasted and destroyed homes, you might want to cast a query if atleast one of those explosions would make God more glorious. Or if at any rate, one of those million lives that were killed will serve as offering to Him or just as a plain revenge of a man’s anger to his own race.

All through the dark days under Martial Law, many souls were silently protesting. Perhaps you could get skeptic if at one point, Ferdinand Marcos had ever think of Ad Majorem dei Gloriam before such rough proclamation.

When you try to examine how the Filipinos courageously marched towards the armed forces, you would probably wonder of their intention. Is it for their freedom? Or is it for God’s greater glory?

You see how people has been put into an illusion that what is success for themselves will be also a victory for God. This circumstance had always mislead the people to destruction. And unfortunately, in the weak manipulation of leaning in their own understanding.

At one point, a man may come up interrogating what is the meaning of Ad majorem dei gloriam. If it is not about thinking of oneself alone, what it is then?

Ad Majorem dei Gloriam is not abandoning yourself and addressing to no one else but only God your ultimate motivations for living.  It is instead including yourself  in the process but learning to be selfless. It is the drive to execute things as they are to what they should be even if it would cost your selfish desires. Because for the greater glory of God,  the purpose of making things is not egotistic but altruistic.

Trace from the president of this country to congessional representatives, barangay officials down to class officers, it is inevitable that people in those positions may lack consciousness of doing things for the Supreme Being. Occassionally, everyone is tempted to submerge themselves in a responsibility. They thought that serving the people is the end of the profound reason. But beyond their service to mankind, they are actually serving God.

Reality is, either a person chose to be corrupt or faithful, possessive or liberal, peacemaker or peacelover, at the back of every contradicting forces he may wish to accomplish something, it has an impact of whether it is for the greater glory of God or not. Ad majorem dei Gloriam, such an easy phrase to comprehend but a difficult principle to live with.  This might be the reason why the late Pope John Paul II loves to include this line affixed in his signatures; to keep him reminded of such essence.

            This world is very tricky but humankind themselves are more clever. People could have declare that what they are doing is for God’s praise. No one is being punished under the human law for making such assumptions. To claim is easy, but to prove is not.

            It is how an individual evaluates himself with his personal relationship to the Almighty if his actions were guided by the principle of Ad majorem dei Gloriam. And if time comes he’ll get lost in search of God’s answers, he has no other option but to reflect which among those things he has done to the world he became victorious in bringing glory to the Divine.