Celebrating failure?

by Fr Riyo Mursanto SJ

“We collect stories from the provinces and regions, secretaries, peer groups, then we distribute the interesting ones as news”. That was my I answer when Fr Nicolás, who was then new to his position as JCAP President, asked me about what I usually do to share news about the Conference. He continued by asking another question. “What are the criteria you use to decide which stories are interesting?” I was surprised to hear this question. Honestly, I got only enough stories to fill the quota for a monthly news bulletin that I did not have the luxury to choose the “interesting” ones. “Don’t we notice that the stories we share are usually about something we have successfully accomplished?” Fr Nico pursued. “Certainly, from those stories we can learn something, but how can we minimise failure by learning from others’ mistakes? Is it not possible that we also write news about our failure?”

I have to admit that even after I left the room of the Socius of the Conference office, I had never put out a single story about failure. I learned, however, that what Fr Nico said about celebrating failure had deep roots in his personal experience of Ignatian spiritual life. His knowledge about Ignatian Spirituality was such that he spoke of it not only in reference to St Igantius, but coming from his own personal experience. Hence, I could easily understand when he mentioned in many occasions “depth of spiritual life”. Our spiritual life can’t be superficial. It should be deep enough to reach a source of unceasing living water, from where the inspiring spirit can flow out abundantly to give new life to all.

Only a person with a deep understanding of life as a gift can celebrate failure. Fr Nico knew that his life mission was not his own but a mission from above, the Missio Dei. That conversation we had was a moment of a great revelation for me. We know very well that pride is a synonym for Jesuit. Because of this it is all the more important that we beg for the grace of humility by asking for the courage to celebrate our own failures.