“First to Love” and not “Love to be First”

All visitors while they waited for the doors of the Jesuit College in Majorca, Spain to open would hear the porter’s special greeting, “I’m coming, Lord” St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, a Jesuit brother, was the porter at the College with his greeting he gave the visitors a little taste of his love. St. Alphonsus was ready to love all those that rang the doorbell, he loved without limitations, without presuppositions, he genuinely was First to Love.

This past July, Boston College hosted the 18^th Annual National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference, a gathering of student leaders of all 28 Jesuit Universities in the United States. Since its inauguration in 1997 at Regis University in Denver, Colorado it has been an incubator for leaders to explore student issues and build stronger leadership skills in the Jesuit tradition. The theme inspired by Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s poem Fall in Love explored servant leadership.

Georgetown’s Campus Ministry mission is to build a faith community through worship, reflection, and services, while seeking an inter-religious understanding. A mission ignited by a leadership style who is ready to serve, and genuinely love all those that come to its doors. NJSLC inspired me to embrace servant leadership, it might be easier to love to be first, but as a Georgetown student I am ready to take on the Ignatian challenge. In order to strive for the Magis and to witness growth and discovery I need to genuinely act with the same “I’m coming, Lord” perspective of St. Alphonsus. In a world where all love to be first, it takes courage, grace, and humility to be the first to love.

Ghipsel Cibrian , COL ’16