An Exclusive Interview with Fr Hedwig Lewis, SJ
Published in DNC Times
(Pune)
October
2014
1: Fr Hedwig, on 20 June this year you celebrated the 50th anniversary
of your joining the Society of Jesus. Isn’t this another “red letter day” for
you?
Well, it’s a
golden milestone on which I rest awhile to scan the historical landmarks on my
life-map. There are farther horizons to explore and more boundaries to cross.
2: We gather from your website that you were appointed to St Xavier’s
College, Ahmedabad, after your ordination in 1977. You have been professor,
student counsellor, Vice-Principal and Principal. Also, Rector, Director of the
Xavier Institute
of Languages and Xavier
Centre for Human Resource Development. How do you now perceive that period of your
life?
The word perception
brings up images of the two men who looked out of prison bars: “One saw mud,
the other stars”. I have looked high and low, at my peak moments and my pitfalls,
my lights and shadows. I am left with a feeling of fulfilment, because I gave
100% commitment to my mission, and lived out the Ignatian Magis. What I cherish
most was the opportunity given me by the Society of being in the service of
education in its diversity. And the multi-tasking it involved enabled me to
develop my administrative skills, taught me how to handle crisis situations,
helped me interact effectively with all classes of people.
3. You had to resign from college and public ministry in 1995 because of
a neurological illness. Yet, you have authored over thirty books since then.
What has been the secret of your energy and productivity?
I would say ‘deep trust in Providence’. I felt the need of inner
strength to transcend my physical disabilities. I was still fresh from my research
on the Spiritual Exercises for my book At Home With God, which was published
four years earlier. One basic principle that surfaced in my helplessness was
that I am a “co-labourer” with God. If I do my best, within my limitations, God
will do the rest. This ‘partnership’ worked for me, and for the greater glory
of God. My books became my pulpits, my messengers. When the going got tough, I
gazed at the picture of The Smiling Christ on the Cross posted on my bookshelf
for strength and inspiration.
4: Looking back at your five decades in the Society, can you recall some
of the convictions and motivations you had during formation?
Thanks to this
Jubilee Year, I have done some soul-searching of my life as a religious, guided
by my sharp visual-memory, and several diaries (that survived the dustbin) containing
my emotional responses to events. Let me give you a rough idea of my
orientations as a scholastic.
<> I was convinced that Religious life is only for the
stout-hearted. Jesus says: take up your cross daily and follow me (Lk 9.23). Whenever
I found myself in a comfort zone, I would look around for the “cross” I had
dodged… and start afresh. I also used to routinely check whether I was
compromising between what was convenient and what was challenging, between
striving for perfection and seeking loopholes.
<> AMDG was, and remains, the crucial “compass” and “touchstone”
for my attitudes and actions, my self-development and social commitments.
<> I had
a passion for wholesome living; that
is, developing all-round abilities. I believed it was important to have a craze
for at least one extracurricular activity (not a hobby) that would enhance my
future ministries. Jesuits who are not “crazy” tend to be lazy. One area I
concentrated on was creative writing. Providentially, during Philosophy this talent
was noticed, and I was handed charge of editing the province vocation magazine Apostles
of Gujarat, as well as the diocesan vocation monthly Children’s Page. In
Theology I was given editorship of AVE. Through these opportunities I was able
to lay a solid foundation for what would turn out to be, by a twist of
circumstances, a writing career. I also developed expertise in counselling through
reading and attending seminars/workshops; and skills for youth apostolate.
5: Can you share one significant experience that impacted your life as a
priest?
After the
ceremony of my ordination on 16
April 1977 at the Goregaon Seminary in Mumbai, while boarding the
special bus for the railway station, a teenager approached me and asked whether
he could join us. I said yes but paid no further attention to him. The train
was not crowded, and my family and friends could sit together. As I turned my
head, I noticed the lad a couple of rows away with his eyes fixed on me. I felt
some vibes and an inexplicable urge to meet him. I quickly excused myself from
the group and sat next to him. He said he was hoping to speak to me. He had
been so impressed when he saw me at the altar, he explained, that he felt God
prompting him to confide in me. I was deeply touched. I counselled the boy fervently
till his home-station arrived. We parted as friends with promises to keep in
contact. The story does not end here but for the present I want to share its
impact on me.
It may seem
like a commonplace incident, but to me it was certainly a “moment of
recognition” of my call within the Call. A mysterious transformation was taking
place within me during that short encounter. Even as I was conversing I was experiencing
the movement of the Spirit in my mind and heart. I suddenly began feeling like
a different person. I felt I was no longer in the usual friendly-counsellor
mode, but was transformed into a pastor entrusted with a mission to heal a
broken world.
That night
before going to bed, my thoughts were not on the euphoric ceremony of the day,
or even about the fact that I was a priest at last. I was simply overwhelmed
with God’s ‘ordination gift’ to me in confirming my heart’s deepest desire of
being recognized as a spiritual director and counsellor.
I had taken for
granted that it would be years before I established myself as a counsellor, but
the incident in the train revealed that I was already on track. And as if to
reassure me, there were more divine surprises in store. A month later when I arrived
at the college where I was appointed to teach, I was told I would have to also double-up
as Student Counsellor since the former one had unexpectedly left the college. Oh,
how my heart bounced on receiving this bonus from Providence! The next thing I know, I was in my
predecessor’s trendy office ready to launch my campus ministry. Down the decades,
I have held numerous administrative positions, and have been involved in varied
activities, but counselling and spiritual direction have remained my forte.
6: Thanks for sharing at such personal depth. One final question: what
qualities do you feel Jesuits in training need to develop?
I have been
out of touch with scholastics. However, years ago I had given a ‘Recollection’ where
my talks provided five pointers for living out the Jesuit charism, under the
acronym IGNIS. I trust they are still relevant. I’ll give you an outline from
my old notes.
> Impelled by the Spirit. You must be constantly
attuned to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, through the daily Examen and
prayerful discernment, so as to become more and more spiritual (personal level),
more and more compassionate (social outreach).
> Geared for excellence. The emphasis
is on “gearing”. This means ‘equipping’ yourselves with professional skills as
you strive to become better than your best – in every field, human/spiritual. Gearing
prepares you to become life-long learners and to manage yourself. There are
superiors and directors of work who tend to be unprofessional in their attitudes
and aptitudes. Many either remain non-functional or get burnt out easily for
lack of basic managerial know-how.
> Non-Negotiables: do not
compromise with anything that obstructs you from living out zealously the
Society’s motto of AMDG-Magis.
> Ignatian: Your words and deeds must be
branded “Ignatian”, and must clearly reflect Ignatian values and spirituality.
> Servant-leadership: Ever to love
and to serve, unconditionally and universally, especially the marginalized at
all strata of human society.
