OF ONE AND MANY THINGS
Of many…
Service is what prayer looks like when it gets up off its knees and walks around in the world.
Orchestra is an astounding art. What strikes one are the myriads of instruments, thousands of musical notes, millions of beats, the musicians, the conductor with the baton, auditorium filled with people nodding heads and sometimes shedding tears, lights, and twists. The ensemble is for music – the fabled food of soul.
Jesuit education is like an orchestra; which has been playing for a long time. It started off about 462 years ago. Over the years, different countries and peoples have come to join the ensemble with their own musical instruments; with different rhythms and styles. A good conductor integrates all. The music of Jesuit education is food for the mind, heart, and soul. It is thus with joy that I join the part of the Jesuit educational orchestra playing in Nigeria, in Abuja, in Loyola Jesuit College. I welcome all music lovers, those who have instruments, those who want to learn one, and those who just enjoy the dance of life, the dance of learning. This college is the place to head to; this is where you will enjoy the music of life and learning. It is a community of learners.
Of one…
Yet, the myriads of instruments of life and learning, the changing and infinite persons seem to draw us to One. The human desire for the Ultimate, that unifying factor or force of life, a sense of sameness is a lifelong yearning for learning. Years of human thinking, explorations and inspirations hunger for unity and intimacy. Here in Loyola, we believe that One is God. We believe it is manifested in Service, of the same God and Others. We believe that all those who encounter LJC should be shown the Way to Him. We believe that those who are at the margins, of whatever kind or place, should be accompanied. We believe that young persons are the NOW and the FUTURE. We believe that the universe is our Common Home. We believe that the Common Good makes us all happier and healthier. We believe that we could do all these things in a community of peoples, tongues and nations.
This is why we are many and we are One. This is why LJC is an orchestra. Come and be part of it….so that in “all things, we may love and serve.”
Fr. Chikere Ugwuanyi, SJ
Principal
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