Part 1: The Importance of Reflection and the Person of the Moderator

Why Reflection Matters

Moderator-led reflections have always been a core part of Jesuit formation, and especially here in the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School. We value forming our students holistically, not just academically. This means we help them grow in awareness of themselves, of others, and of God.

In Jesuit schools, reflection is at the heart of formation. We believe wholeheartedly that the classroom is not only a place for learning; it is also a place where students can encounter God. Moderators are companions who help young people notice God’s presence in the ordinary flow of their lives. A short, guided reflection invites students to pause, listen, and notice God at work in their daily lives. It’s a shared moment of stillness, where moderator and student recognize: God has been here with us.

Ignatian Spirituality Underpinnings

1. God Speaks Personally and Individually

Ignatian spirituality begins with the conviction that God relates uniquely to each person. No two lives are the same, and God honors this uniqueness and blessedness.

• That means when we lead reflections, we invite students to notice how God is working within their own experience: whether in their joys, struggles, or questions about life.
  
  

• Speaking about God in a reflection should not become abstract theology; it is naming how God moves within my day, my friendships, my efforts, my uniqueness, and blessedness.
  
  

• As moderators, our role is not to give “the right answer” but to create the conditions where students can recognize: “This is how God is speaking to me.”
  
  

2. The First Principle and Foundation

Ignatius teaches us in the First Principle and Foundation that we are created to praise, reverence, and serve God and that everything in life can help us reach this purpose, so long as it draws us closer to Him.

For moderators, this becomes a spiritual lens:

• Invite students to notice and discern what draws them closer to God (life-giving, peace-bringing, deepening of love) and what pulls them away (selfishness, indifference, emptiness).
  
  

• The First Principle and Foundation also reminds us of the value of Tantum Quantum using things in life only insofar as they lead us to God, and setting them aside when they do not.
  
  

• For our students, this means not dismissing sports, games, music, play, or creativity as “less serious” than prayer or “distractions”. In reflection, we hope to help our students to ask, “How might God be present here? How might this lead me toward gratitude, friendship, growth, or generosity?”
  
  

• Reflection helps students discern the parts of their lives that are life-giving and God-leading: either God directly leading them, or an activity or experience leading to greater knowledge and understanding of God.
  
  

• A good reflection should encourage students to practice discernment that goes beyond appearances. In Ignatian spirituality, we recognize that even an objectively good thing (a success, a relationship, an opportunity) may lead us away from God if it fosters self-absorption or spiritual complacency. Conversely, a difficult experience (a failure, a loss, a challenge) can draw us closer to God if it deepens our trust, humility, or compassion. Consolation and desolation are not defined by comfort or discomfort, but by whether they move us toward or away from God.

Part 2: Practical Skills for Leading Reflection

Remember, as a moderator, leading a reflection does not mean giving a mini-lecture. It is about helping students pause, notice, and recognize God’s presence in their ordinary lives. Here are points you may consider to use for your reflections:

1. Begin with Stillness

Skill: Start by settling the group: invite students to close their eyes, take a few breaths, or
hold a moment of silence.
Ignatian Grounding: Ignatius teaches us to be attentive and reflective, so we can discern
God’s movements within us. Stillness creates the interior space to notice.

Example prompt: “Let’s take a deep breath. Leave behind the noise for a moment. Imagine
opening your heart to God’s presence here and now.”

2. Use Simple Language

Skill: Speak plainly, not formally or academically. A reflection is not a homily or lecture.
Ignatian Grounding: The Spiritual Exercises show us that God meets us in our concrete,
human reality. Reflection should feel close to life, not distant.

3. Offer a Simple Focus Point

Skill: Present something concrete—an event, a classroom moment, a piece of news, or even
a simple daily experience. Keep it ordinary and relatable.

Ignatian Grounding: Ignatius teaches us to “find God in all things.” Everyday life is the
raw material where God speaks.

Example prompt:

A value: “Who showed you cura personalis today? Did you care for someone else?”

Scripture line: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thess 5:18) → link to
gratitude.
A lived moment or current event: “We heard about [insert event in the
country/community/school]. How might magis or kindness guide our response?”

Today, we heard about the flooding in parts of the country. What feelings come up as
you think about it: sadness, worry, compassion?”

A Valuable Tip: Draw from the Scriptures. God speaks to us through His Word. Let it be your guide. For example, you can use the daily or Sunday Gospel as your starting point of reflection.

4. Invite Personal Response

Skill: After presenting the event, guide students to notice and name their feelings. Then
invite them to consider what God may be communicating through those emotions, and
how God may be calling them to respond.
Ignatian Grounding: This is the core Ignatian practice of discernment: to pay attention
to movements of consolation and desolation, and to ask, “Where is God leading me through
this?”
Example prompt:

“What emotion did that moment stir in you?”
“If God were speaking through that feeling, what might He be saying?”
“What might God be inviting you to do with your friends, in class, or at home?”

5. Close with Gratitude and Sending

Skill: Always end with thanksgiving and a short prayer or blessing, helping students carry
the reflection into their lives.
Ignatian Grounding: Gratitude is the foundation of the First Principle and
Foundation—everything is gift. Reflection always returns us to thankfulness.
Example prompt:

“God, thank you for the people and moments that gave me life today. Help me
recognize Your presence in the hours ahead.”
“Let us go forward seeking to find God in all things.”

Final Tips

Be real. Students sense authenticity. Share briefly from your own life sometimes.
Be simple. Depth comes from honesty, not from complicated words.
Be consistent. Even short, regular reflections form habits of prayer and noticing. Trust God. Your role is to create the space; God does the rest.

The Characteristics of Jesuit Education (1986), International Commission on the Apostolate of Jesuit Education.
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, esp. the Principle and Foundation.
David L. Fleming, SJ, What is Ignatian Spirituality? (2008).
Ratio Studiorum principles and the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP)
Ignatian Pedagogy: A Practical Approach (Jesuit Secondary Education Association, 1993).
Characteristics of Jesuit Education (1986), section on cura personalis.
James Martin, SJ, A  Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything