1. What part of Ignatius’ life were you able to relate to the most? Why?
I think that when I read about Ignatius’ determination to go on his pilgrimage, to learn, and to experience, I really saw myself identifying with this desire. I felt this way, especially after the difficulties that he had experienced after trying to battle the French in Pamplona, there was a certain verve as well as motivation to pick himself up again and make his life the best that it could be. I say that I relate to this, because after each problem and difficulty I face, I find myself all the more motivated to learn in a new direction, work harder, and improve myself. At this point in time, I felt that Ignatius faced two paths to either walk on — to give up on his dreams because of all the dilemmas that he had already faced in trying to achieve them, or to pursue even bigger dreams, harder, but all the more worth it. It is, and always has been the easy path to just give up and accept the circumstances, but I feel that just like Ignatius, I want to model my life after trying hard, and making each attempt worth it. I would say this personally sometimes I don’t get the grades I want, or that I am not able to achieve personal goals in terms of work achievements, or that I am unable to hone a certain skill. It is then when I feel the most desperate to just let go of my dream, yet lie Ignatius, I want to be able to pick myself up despite the difficulty, to push away the pessimism of thinking that I won’t be able to do it, and try and try again until it succeeds for me. Despite all the problems and difficulties that I have encountered in order to fulfill my dreams, especially in crucial steps where I feel there is no more hope left, I hope to look to other avenues, to other ways, to enrich and improve myself, and access my achievements with my hard work. For me, like Ignatius, if he had just given up after his fighting with the French in Pamplona, and decided not to go the pilgrimage and study at the most prestigious universities, then he would have lived a life directed by what God promises us, and I hope to emulate this in my own experience.
2. What was your significant learning from the film?
I therefore think that I learned the importance of that thirst and perseverance to learn and improve. In times of adversity. St. Ignatius was able to persevere and from there, only worked upwards to achieve what he wanted to. A lot of the time he was persecuted for acts that were not necessarily his fault, such as getting deported from the Holy Land, as well as being persecuted by authorities and lacking money to pursue his studies. However, in the midst of this, he did not fail to keep trying and even more so went out of his way to achieve more than he had originally planned. I also do think that it is important to note that his achievements, his drive, were aligned with change. At the very end of the day, he did so to inspire countless others and to incite change. I learned that this was such a great motivating factor, and it inspires me as well to contribute to the world in my own way. The change that we make in the world can drive us to do impossible, influential things, and with faith, it can be unrelenting and hopefully bring us towards a more positive future afterwards.