Oburu Mboya Joseph Thomas, SJ
Final vows as a call to greater inner freedom and apostolic availability
Through divine providence, I made my final incorporation into the Society of Jesus in Rome at the Gesù Church, just a few metres from the tomb of the first Jesuit Superior General, St Ignatius of Loyola, under his 36th successor, Fr Arturo Sosa. My greatest consolation is that I am now part of a rich history of generations of Jesuits who have taken the same vows as I did—imperfect men, yet called to love and serve throughout their lives in this «our least society». One question lingered: what kind of Jesuit was I invited to become? My vows on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, reminded me that my gaze should firmly be fixed on the one we seek to imitate, love and follow – the incarnated, crucified and risen Christ.
During my preparation retreat for the vows, I was given a text by Pedro Arrupe on “Apostolic Availability” to pray with. Pedro Arrupe poses the question, “How can we know for certain if we are men who have reached a mature inner unity, truly integrated, for whom all the experience of God is action for others and all action for others is such that it reveals to them the Father and draws them close to Him in affection and commitment?” For Arrupe, Jesuit spirituality is meant to form a man who is available for mission, truly «a new man», in other words, Apostolic availability, which means, to strive to become by God’s grace, “a man profoundly free, mortified by self-denial «to be led more surely by the Holy Spirit», a pliable «instrument» in the hands of the Lord, all the more effective for being, the more disposable”. Availability implies a spirit of indifference and discernment founded on an authentic experience of God.
Reflecting on my vocational history while praying instilled in me a profound gratitude for all the blessings I have received during my formation. I felt reassured that God had demonstrated immense generosity and kindness towards me. The words of the vows were deeply impactful, consoling, and simultaneously weighty. Imagining myself in the presence of the Triune God, accompanied by Our Lady, the angelic court and countless saints, was an overwhelming experience, comparable only to the offering of greater worth and moment (Cf. SpEx 97&98). These words resonated within my heart and mind: “Those who desire to show greater devotion and to distinguish themselves in total service to their eternal King and universal Lord, will not only offer their persons for labor, but «go further still»”. Professing final vows entails not only «going further still» in the mission, but also «growing further still» in apostolic availability, indifference, and interior freedom.
