As I journey through my first year in the Juniorate program, I am beginning to see that formation is not just about study but about self-transformation for the service of God’s people. Humanistic studies, such as visiting museums, watching theater plays, reading literature, and attending sessions on mental health, counseling, and spiritual direction, open my eyes to the beauty and pain of the human condition. Through these experiences, I am learning to see the world as God sees it: as a place where grace works quietly through art, emotion, and human encounter. This, I believe, is part of the Jesuit way of proceeding, to find God in all things and to allow every experience to shape the heart for service.
One moment that deeply marked me was when our Prefect of Studies at Loyola House of Studies said, “Study is a mission. When you study, you think of the people of God. We don’t study for ourselves, but for them.” Those words changed how I approach my formation. Study is not a privilege for personal success but a sacred duty of love. Every time I open a book, attend a class, or reflect on a text, I remember that my learning is for the service of others. My studies are my prayer and my offering; a way of preparing myself to respond more generously to God’s call. This is magis: to strive for something greater, not for my own glory, but for God’s and the good of others.
My apostolate also reminds me of this call to mission. Each week, I visit the prison, an hour’s journey to the women’s section and nearly three hours to the men’s. Despite the distance and my limited ability to speak Tagalog, I feel a deep connection with the people there. In their faces, I see both suffering and resilience; in their silence, I hear the cry of humanity longing for mercy. I do not go there to fix or to preach, but simply to be present; to listen, to accompany, and to remind them that they are not forgotten by God. Those moments teach me cura personalis; care for the whole person as I learn to love them not as “prisoners,” but as brothers and sisters sharing in the same wounded humanity.
Through these experiences, I have come to realize that vocation is not a status, but a mission. It is God’s continuous invitation to love and to serve, using the gifts He has placed within me. Formation is God’s patient work, shaping my heart through studies, community life, and apostolate. He forms me through people, places, and events, calling me to trust that everything belongs to His plan. As I walk this path, I keep hearing His quiet assurance: “Be still. Let Me form you.” Indeed, my vocation is His mission, and my mission is to find Him, serve Him, and love Him in all things.
Written by: Efrizidio Amon A. Correia, S.J.