In the Jesuit tradition the phrase “magis” (mah-gis) means “the more.” It is taken from “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” a Latin phrase meaning “for the greater glory of God.” The term refers to a philosophy of doing more and it is an expression of both aspiration and inspiration.
As an alumnus of a Jesuit university I remember experiencing “magis” as an emphasis on learning not only for one’s own sake but out of a greater responsibility to self, others and community. In the year’s since, as I have pursued deeper professional learning and a multidimensional, more layered understanding of self, “magis” has taken on added meaning and significance. As I consider it today, I am drawn to appreciate “the more” as that part of me that is untapped, undiscovered and perhaps, as yet, unimagined. I believe it is what will result from the knitting together of the many elements of my emotional, spiritual and physical experience. I see it as the realization of God’s plan for my life – “the more” that He sees in me and for which He desperately longs.
“Magis” is not about completion or arrival. Rather, it is about discovering new possibilities, figuring out how to connect them to what exists and appreciating the result, the newly emerged piece of your tapestry.
And then, it’s about doing it again.
