IFP 2

Ignacian Spirituality
for Mission
 Opening Prayer
• God has saved us by living water which gives our lives a fresh
beginning, and he put his Spirit in us, so that healed by his grace we
may share his life and hope to live forever (Titus 3: 5,7).

• Lord our God, your word of life gives us a new birth. May we receive
it with open hearts, live it with joy and express it in love. Send Your
Holy Spirit to make us witness before the world to the good news
proclaimed by Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord, who lives with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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 Overview

O
Module 1

Mother Ignacia and Mission

Module 2

Mother Ignacia’s response to

the Sign of the Time

Module 3

The Influence of Mother

Ignacia in Today’s World
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 Module 1

T
Mother Ignacia and Mission
1. Discuss the three-fold function that Jesus
shared to the baptized

2. Describe how Mother Ignacia lived out

her baptismal promises

3. Resolve to do humble service as

expression of missionary effort as
baptized

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 Introduction
For Christians, baptism marks the beginning of our life in Christ and mission to
serve in whatever situation we are in. For Catholics, without baptism, one cannot
receive any other sacraments. For Filipinos, baptism is one among the popular
family celebrations that fosters social relationships of family and relatives, friends
and neighbors. Does each one know that the baptized is to be brought up in the faith
and Christian living? What does it mean to be incorporated into Christ in baptism?
How should this be expressed in our day-to-day life? Do we give importance to the
missionary implication of being baptized? Let us learn and take inspiration from
Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo on how she lived up to his baptismal promises
through her mission as a beata or religious.

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 Activity

Recall your baptismal day by providing the following information:

Date of baptism: _________________ Church: __________________

Members of the family present: _____________________
Presiding priest/pastor: _____________________ Godparents: _______________________

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Concept Development
 Baptism as a Seed of Missionary Calling

• We become Christians when we are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.” As baptized we share in the mission of Jesus as
prophet, king and priest. Jesus as a prophet proclaimed the Word of God by His
teaching. As King, He came to serve not to be served. As priest, He offered
Himself as a sacrificial lamb to unite us back to God. We, too, are called and sent
by Jesus to do the same in our human capacity. As priests, we are called to
intercede for others. As kings, we are called to serve others. As prophets, we
proclaim the word of God. These threefold-functions of Jesus which we share
mark us as true disciples of Jesus, in words and in deeds.

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Baptism
 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King
• At your baptism you were marked with oil as a sign that you are consecrated to
God and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Your anointing also was a sign that you
are joined to Christ and share in his threefold mission as prophet, priest, and
king.
• The Israelites anointed their priests and kings with oil. They spoke of their
prophets as being anointed with the spirit. Jesus, known as the Christ, the
anointed one, fills all three roles. According to Luke, at the outset of his public
ministry, Jesus read from Isaiah and claimed that the words referred to him:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.

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 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King
• A prophet is a messenger sent by God, a person who speaks for God. He
or she witnesses to God, calls people to conversion, and may also foretell
the future. Prophets often are killed for their message.
• Jesus fits this description. He is none other than the Word of God in the
flesh. He called the world to turn from sin and return to the Father and
was put to death for it. In Scripture Jesus is presented as a prophet.
Crowds identified him as “Jesus the prophet” (Matthew 21:11). He spoke
of himself as a prophet: “No prophet is accepted in his own native place”
(Luke 4:24). He foretold his passion and resurrection.

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 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King
• A priest is a mediator, or bridge, between God and human beings. He offers
sacrifice to God on behalf of all. Once a year on the Day of Atonement the
Jewish high priest went into the Holy of Holies in the Temple. There he offered
sacrifice to God to make up for his sins and the sins of the people.
• The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews compared Jesus to Melchizedek, a
mysterious, superior priest in the Old Testament who blessed Abraham. Jesus is
the greatest high priest. Because he is both divine and human, Jesus is the perfect
mediator. He is not only the perfect priest, holy and sinless, but the perfect
sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus need never be made again. Jesus “entered once
for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own
blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). Jesus continues his
role as priest. “He is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
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 Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King
• A king is a person who has supreme authority over a territory. When the Jewish
people were ruled by kings, they became a nation. They longed for a Messiah who
would again make them great.
• Jesus is spoken of as a king in the Gospels. Gabriel announced to Mary that the Lord
God would give her son the throne of David his father, and he would rule over the
house of Jacob forever. Magi looked for a newborn king of the Jews. When Jesus last
entered Jerusalem, crowds hailed him as a king. He was arrested for making himself
king, and the soldiers mocked him as one. When Pilate asked if he were king of the
Jews, Jesus replied, “You say so,” and he clarified, “My kingdom does not belong to
this world” (John 18:36). The charge written against Jesus was “Jesus the Nazorean,
the King of the Jews.” Jesus announced the kingdom of God. His mission was to have
God reign in the hearts of all and to have peace and justice in the world. Jesus
exercised his royal office by serving.
• † Christ, help me carry out my baptismal mission! †
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 1. Baptism as a Seed of Missionary Calling

• Like that of Mother Ignacia, our baptism makes us sharers in the life of Jesus
Christ and incorporates us into the Church. From the very start of Mother
Ignacia’s Christian life, her relationship with God was deeply personal and truly
communal. In our life, we participate in the on-going life of the Church in our
faith and prayer, in communal celebration of the Sacraments, in our moral conduct
in works of love and service to our fellow human beings.

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 • “Being born of water and spirit”, is the requirement given by Jesus
for a person to enter the Kingdom of God. The first effect of
Baptism is to unite the baptized with Christ, their risen Lord
through the symbol of water and God’s Spirit and by sharing in
Christ’s Paschal Mystery.
• Mother Ignacia lived the Paschal Mystery. She followed Christ’s
example of service to others. She found new ways of manifesting
love, care and concern for others especially for women and girls of
her time. Experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in her life,
Mother Ignacia helped others respond to the dynamic presence of
the Spirit in their own lives.
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 • The second effect of Baptism is to unite us with other members of
the Body of Christ. This is very evident in the life of Mother
Ignacia by opening the beaterio not only for the natives but also to
mestizas. They ventured forth into ministry and brought light and
hope to a society darkened by division and afflicted by
discrimination. Lastly, baptism allows us to share the divine life,
thus, making us a new creation.

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant
• Video clips from the movie “ULIRAN”

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant
• Video clips from the movie “ULIRAN”

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant
• Video clips from the movie “ULIRAN”

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant
• Mother Ignacia’s missionary service was a response to the needs of her times. Fr.
Murillo Velarde, her biographer, eulogized her “zeal for souls.” This expression is
evident in the Rule of Life or 1726 Constitutions she wrote that young women who
entered the Beaterio were to be known as those who ‘serve God, our Lord.’ This
phrase was reiterated sixteen times form the opening text: “The goal which should
motivate each and every young woman who would aspire to stay in this House must
be to serve the Lord God with all their heart…” The final statement: “the motive of all
our acts must be the service of God our Father, for His greater honor and glory.” That
goal was to be pursued constantly throughout the day so that all their thoughts, words
and actions were directed to God’s service in great fidelity and total dedication of
their lives, day by day until death.

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant

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 2. Mother Ignacia: The Missionary and
Humble Servant
• Activity: what is in the word?
• What Feeling, inspiration, why?
• Is there something we need to address the present

Video clips –the young Ignacia

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 Video clips –the young Ignacia

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 When Mother Ignacia responded to God’s inspiration to a life of religious
commitment, the only form of religious life for women recognized in the Church
was contemplative or monastic. Thus, the lifestyle of Mother Ignacia and the
beatas was a routine of prayer, sacrifice, and work. The Jesuit priests must have
influenced them to enter the mainstream of the Church’s social service in
Manila, and thus, contributed to the social, cultural and religious formation of
women in the Philippines. The first of this involvement was in retreat for
women. The 1726 Constitutions provided a provision for the admission of
women who wished to make an eight-day retreat. Murillo Velarde accounted for
annual retreats given in various groups. The beatas followed up the conferences
given by the priest with explanations in the indigenous tongue, and helped
prepare the retreatants for a fruitful confession.

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 Mother Ignacia did not limit her apostolic involvement to the spiritual, but
expanded to the education of young girls. The Constitutions provided that
children of not more than eleven years of age may be admitted for education in
the ‘holy fear of God, Christian doctrine, in the proper upbringing and training in
the feminine skills of sewing and embroidery, as well as in reading and writing.
Murillo Velarde’s account stated that there were twenty Spanish and thirty native
pupils, and that there were various teachers among the beatas. Their missionary
activities gained the interest of the Church authorities and of Ferdinand VI, king
of Spain, and obtained a decree of royal protection in favor of the Beaterio of
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 Mother Ignacia lived what Jesus exhorted in the Gospel of Matthew 25:40 when he
said, “Whatever you did to the little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it
to me.” Her service toward others especially women who were considered second
class citizens of the society and the poor of her time was very extraordinary. The
society she lived was characterized by domination, discrimination and division. She
must have become aware of the differences of cultures as well as the influence and
tendency to one group to dominate over another. Mother Ignacia witnessed a society
that favored the ruling class, the wealthy and the powerful. She did not wish to
belong to this class. Her response was based on Christ’s example of humility and
service. She dreamt of harmony, equality, and respect for one another. She made
her dream come true in her own community. She formed a community that
witnessed to Christian values and did not conform to the conventions of the time.

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 Mother Ignacia: Humble Servant

“Anyone among you who aspire to greatness must serve the rest,
and whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs
of all” (Mt. 20: 26 – 27). Humble service is the mark of the true
disciple of Christ. While greatness for many means power and
domination over others, Jesus’ way of greatness is to be the
servant of all. This what Mother Ignacia faithfully followed.

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 Fr. Murrilo Velarde described her as truly valiant,
mortified, patient, devout, spiritual, zealous for the good
of souls and very humble. The great proof of this was
when she abdicated the governance of her community
without allowing herself to be overcome by the desire to
command, “which as an insidious woodborer, can corrupt
the cedar and the hyssop.” The root of her heroism was her
personal virtues: the leadership she employed to pursue
the service of her Lord, and above all, her deep humility
that transcended human inclination to dominate. After she
had set in place the affairs of her religious family she
spontaneously turned over her position as superior of the
community, to give way to the leadership of a younger
member, Dominga del Rosario, while remaining an
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 The following are some missionary characteristics of Mother Ignacia and the
beatas that sustained them in their mission.

Self-sacrifice during difficulties – Mother Ignacia endured many difficult times

but her faithfulness to the crucified Jesus made her overcome her hardships
and made them as blessings
Courage and hope – Mother Ignacia took the risk to do her missions together
with the beatas even though she was not certain about it
Humble service – Mother Ignacia served with humility. She did not hold on to
her position as rectora but allowed other beatas to lead
Simple lifestyle – Mother Ignacia observed a frugal life. When she left home to
serve the Lord Jesus she only brought a pair of scissors and needle to start a
living.

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 Areas of focus

F
C. INTEGRATION – done in group
1. If Mother Ignacia is present with you now, what
could have she told you about the way to share in
Jesus’ mission as prophet, king and priest?

2. Keeping in mind the missionary characteristics of

Mother Ignacia, how will you respond to the
“disposable” or “throw away” attitudes of the people
at present?

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 Closing prayer
Father in heaven, Your name is glorified over all the earth in Your saints, men and women, distinguished
by their wholehearted service and love for You. Through them You have established religious
congregation in Your Church. In Your goodness and mercy, You have looked with favor on Your people
in the Philippines and have chosen from among them Your lowly handmaid, IGNACIA DEL ESPIRITU
SANTO to be the foundress of a religious family under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. We humbly ask You to then to glorify Your name in her by performing the miracles needed for
her beatification, through Your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (mention your petition)

May her prayers and intercession obtain for us the favor we ask for, particularly that of remaining ever
faithful to your love and service. Amen.

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Thank you