THE ATENEO community recognized 40 years of rising to the challenge of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ to be men and women for others in a talk held last July 29 at the Ricardo and Dr. Rosita Leong Hall auditorium.
Entitled “Our Commitment Lives On: Celebrating 40 Years of Arrupe’s Challenge,” the talk honored the memory of former Jesuit Superior General Arrupe.
On July 21, 1973, he challenged Jesuit alumni to be “men [and women] for others” in his speech during the Tenth International Congress of Jesuit Alumni in Valencia, Spain.
Arrupe’s challenge was deemed a radical one at the time. It was also the first time the phrase was addressed to the Jesuit community.
Three speakers, all of whom have exemplified being persons for others in their respective fields, administered the commemorative talk.
The speakers were the following: University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, John Gokongwei School of Management Acting Dean Darwin Yu, PhD and 2001 Ateneo Class Valedictorian Roselle Ambubuyog.
Men and women for others
Drawing from Arrupe’s 1973 speech, Villarin called on Ateneans to live out Arrupe’s principle of “justice through love” by cultivating three attitudes.
“There are three attitudes we must live by: Live more simply, no unjust profit and reform unjust structures,” Villarin said.
“We live in a broken world. As students, we ask ourselves: Where are the poor? Who are the poor? Where and how does justice and injustice happen?” he said.
He added that despite “how difficult it is to be good in a broken world,” it is imperative that the state of our fellow countrymen be examined.
“Let us learn to listen and lead to change ourselves and the world for the better,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yu talked about how business can be used for the good of others and not just for self-profit.
“We need to realize [that] we have a role to play. If we can inject purposefulness [in the field of business], we can change the lives of millions,” Yu said.
Ambubuyog, on the other hand, talked about her experiences in the Ateneo and how she was able to excel and be a person for others despite being visually impaired.
She also talked about the social work for the handicapped that she has been engaged in since her college years.
“It’s not about choosing who to serve. It’s choosing to serve,” Ambubuyog said.
