For the Greater Glory of Love

When I sang for LMU's Baccalaureate Mass with Church Choir, the priest, Father Robert T. Walsh, S.J., talked a lot about love in his homily. He built his message around a song written for the LMU community by Tony Alonso and arranged by our current choir director Chris de Silva called "The Greater Glory of God." The refrain goes:

That all may have life

That all may be one

That all we believe

and all we become 

May be for the glory

the greater glory of God. 

This refrain combines the cornerstone values of various Catholic orders, finishing with the resounding motto of the Jesuits: Ad majorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God. The founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius of Loyola, always emphasized doing the magis, the more, for God. 

At LMU, the Jesuit mission permeates all aspects of campus. Students are involved on and off campus trying to accomplish the Jesuit ideal of meeting our greatest passions with the world's greatest needs. There is a large volunteering presence, grounded in Greek life, service organizations, campus clubs, and even graduation requirements. One service org is titled Magis, in honor of the call to do more for the betterment of the world.

We often joke across campus that overinvolvement at LMU is the norm, and I think we sometimes misconstrue the message of St. Ignatius. In our efforts to achieve the magis, we double major with minors, join honor societies, volunteer, work multiple jobs, and try to enjoy Los Angeles on top of this schedule. Sometimes, it seems overinvolvement is built into the Jesuit message.

The magis can be exhausting. As a dance major, I could always spend one more hour in rehearsal or at the gym, and as an English major, I could always be writing and editing more than I am. Since I am pretty good at self-motivation, there is often significant internal pressure to try to do more. I forget that the magis can be stopping to smell the flowers or feel the summer sunset on my face. 

During the Baccalaureate Mass homily, the priest called to mind all the people who have loved us into being. Here, the magis is those who have given us the time of day when we needed love the most. I had never heard the phrase "loved into being" before, and I was struck by the way it opened the door to gratitude for the influential people in life.

As I reflect on my sophomore year, I am so blessed to have been loved into being the woman I am today. At the end of my first year of college, I felt I was a different person because I had to be - so much of the first year of college is about pure survival. This year, I look back and I realize I am a new person because I chose to be who I am, to shape myself and my life as I wanted. This is the magis.

In part, these personal choices were influenced by the people who loved me into being when I felt as if I could not continue alone. In particular, I am so thankful for my RA staff and boss; they made my residence hall feel like home, and I already miss them barely a week into summer. My boss at the costume shop, my professors, and my classmates also supported me throughout the year, and I cannot believe how thankful I am for my closest friends. And of course, I am constantly loved into being by my family, who support me no matter how far I roam.

So many other people have loved me into being, if only with a smile and a hello on campus. This love is the magis I strive for, the inviting all-consuming love that reminds me of the greatest Love.