Everything is grace, nothing is left but gratitude.

by Peter Paul Colina

Love is believed to be the strongest force a person can ever hold, and I think that is true. But if I may add, it is not just love that makes it strong. It is a love that is pure, patient, and profound. A love that comes from God.

For the past few months, nine of us—Jesuit Volunteers Batch 46— walked the road of volunteerism with hearts full of hope and idealism. Some of us have done this before, but for most, it is our first time to serve as Jesuit Volunteers. Yet all of us set out as pilgrims, full of hope, believing in a hope that does not disappoint.

In November,  we gathered again after being sent to our mission areas. We brought with us stories that have changed us. There were moments of doubt, days of questioning our own capabilities, times we asked God if we were really doing the right thing. The excitement slowly gave way to reality. Once, we were full of confidence and energy, now we find ourselves wrestling with our limitations and weaknesses.

In those moments, we may have focused too much on ourselves, on what we could do, on what we could contribute, and we may have forgotten the deeper truth. This is not our work, this is God’s work. We are merely His lowly servants, fragile, limited, yet chosen.

And when the noise of our anxieties quiets down, God’s question echoes once more in the heart: “Do you love Me?”, not “Are you successful?” Not “Are you capable?” But simply, “Do you love Me?”

Perhaps this is what has sustained us while in mission, not strength, not skill, not certainty, but love. A love that continues to say yes even when the work feels heavy. A love that believes even when results are unseen. A love that stays even when it hurts.

Because in the end, when all efforts are spent, when plans fall short, when our hopes are tested, nothing remains but grace. And before that grace, there is nothing left but gratitude.

Everything is grace, nothing is left but gratitude.

This reflection was originally penned in November 3, 2025.

Am I worthy of this vocation?

by Jay Acosta (B46)

Before becoming a JVP in 2025, I was a fresh graduate seminarian from St. Joseph Seminary College. Like many seminarians who wrestle with the question, “Am I worthy of this vocation?” I, too, carried a deep sense of unworthiness. Throughout my formation, this question lingered in my heart: “Am I truly worthy of the mission God is calling me to?” Even after graduation, it never left me.

During my regency year, I chose to take a step forward and join JVP. In June, I was sent as a volunteer teacher to Kalahan Academy, an IP school in Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, where I was immersed in an indigenous community. It was a journey into the unknown “filled with uncertainty” but one I embraced with faith, believing I was placed there for a reason.

Throughout this journey, I realized that vocation is not about becoming extraordinary. Rather, it is about allowing God to work through our ordinary lives so that, in our own simple ways we may bring hope, learning, and inspiration to others.

Yet, in that unfamiliar place, my sense of unworthiness deepened. I questioned how someone like me—young, still growing, and full of doubts— could be able to guide and teach others. Standing before my students for the first time, I felt overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility entrusted to me.

But as days turned into weeks, my students began to teach me lessons no classroom ever could. I witnessed their resilience and their determination to learn despite hardships. I saw how deeply they valued their indigenous culture, their community, and their dreams. Many of them would walk long distances each day just to attend school, yet they arrived with joy, hope, and unwavering spirit.

In them, I encountered a quiet but powerful truth about vocation.

Vocation is not about being the most capable, the most prepared, or the most confident. It is about saying “yes” with humility and trust—even when we feel inadequate.

“God does not always call those who feel ready. More often, He calls those who are willing; willing to grow, willing to serve, and willing to walk alongside others.”

My experience as a JVP teacher taught me that my mission goes beyond teaching lessons from books. It is about accompanying my students in their journey, encouraging them to believe in their dreams, and affirming that their culture, identity, and stories are gifts to be cherished.

Even now, I still encounter moments of doubt. But I have come to understand that feeling unworthy does not mean I am not called. Sometimes, it is precisely in that feeling where I am reminded to stay humble, to rely on God, and to serve with sincerity.

Throughout this journey, I realized that vocation is not about becoming extraordinary. Rather, it is about allowing God to work through our ordinary lives so that, in our own simple ways we may bring hope, learning, and inspiration to others.

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesuit Volunteers of the Philippines. Thank you for trusting me, even when I struggled to trust myself. Thank you for giving me a space where I could grow, serve, and discover my true purpose.

JVP not only sent me in mission, it immersed me in a life that formed and challenged me. It walked with me through growth and uncertainty, teaching me that vocation is not measured by perfection, but by love, service, and steadfast faithfulness.

And for that, I am truly grateful.

Answering the call to serve and defend the Motherland

Reflections of a Jesuit Volunteer on the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution

by Blas S. Descallar

Jesuit Volunteers Philippines (JVP) was born in 1980 at a crucial moment in our nation’s history. During the difficult years of Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., many young people were searching for ways to love and serve the country. Some were drawn to revolutionary movements as an expression of their desire for change.

JVP offered another path — a courageous, faith-filled, and transformative direction. It invited young college graduates to become agents of change not through armed struggle, but through service, solidarity, and nation-building. It was, and continues to be, a movement rooted in Ignatian spirituality: forming men and women for others, committed to justice, integrity, and love of country.

By its sixth year, in 1986, JVP volunteers — together with former volunteers from Batches 1 to 5 — were already deeply grounded in advocacy and social transformation. Many actively participated in the historic People Power Revolution, standing peacefully with millions of Filipinos along EDSA to reclaim democracy. Their presence was not born of anger, but of hope; not of violence, but of moral conviction. They believed that loving the country meant standing for what is right.

Forty years after that peaceful revolution, JVP remains anchored in the same core values — though expressed today in the language of social justice, good governance, and responsible citizenship. The call is the same: to form servant-leaders who work for integrity in public life, who reject corruption and political dynasties, and who uphold the dignity of every Filipino.

Today, as we commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the People Power Revolution at the People Power Monument, JVPs once again stood in solidarity with fellow citizens — not to shout in anger, but to affirm with conviction our shared hope for ethical leadership, transparent governance, and genuine service to the Filipino people. Our presence was a quiet yet firm witness that the spirit of EDSA lives on whenever people choose truth over convenience and service over self-interest.

We are grateful to Ces Bulos B14, Bob Guerrero B15, Blas B16, Love Dorero B21/22, Neil Delos Reyes B42/43, Renz Nikolai Cornelia Flores B43/44, Carmelo Garcia B43/44, Oman Deramas B44, Atty. Jomar Revilla B45, and other JVPs who joined this meaningful gathering. Your presence reflects the enduring mission of JVP: to form citizens who do not remain indifferent, who engage responsibly in democratic processes, and who continue to work for a more just and compassionate Philippines.

Indeed, JVP was born to give young people a better direction — not merely to respond to the times, but to help shape the nation’s future. Forty-six years later, that mission continues. And as long as there is injustice to address, communities to serve, and hope to protect, JVP will remain steadfast — faithful to its calling, committed to what is right, and devoted to the Filipino people.

Blas Ofelie S. Descallar is a JVP (B16) and now serves as the Executive Director of Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc.

JVP Batch 47 recruitment

Here’s how to become a Jesuit Volunteer!

Count It All Joy

by Samantha Marie L. Abas, JVP Batch 46

This journey has taught me that service is not about achieving perfection, but about embracing presence. To be with people, not to be above them. To learn as much as you give, and to love even when it’s hard.

I’ve realized that volunteering is not just about the work you do– it’s about the person you become in the process.

Serving here in Puerto Galera with the Stairway Foundation has been both humbling and transformative. As a livelihood and social protection officer, my days are filled with different kinds of encounters—listening to community stories, facilitating activities, walking through the community, and learning from people whose strength and simplicity remind me of God’s quiet presence in my daily life.

A profound part of this journey has also been the work among the Mangyan communities of Oriental Mindoro, especially the women and children whose daily realities reflect both resilience and exclusion. Accompanying them, even in small ways, has opened my eyes to the deeper meaning of service. Their courage in facing systemic challenges and their quiet hope amidst limitations have taught me what it truly means to stand with those on the margins. This ministry aligns so deeply with the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preference “to walk with the poor and the excluded”, and it echoes the JVP mission of faith-driven, compassionate engagement with communities in need.

There were days of exhaustion, moments of doubt, and times I questioned whether my small efforts truly made a difference. Yet in those moments, I discovered what it means to count it all joy. I found joy in the laughter of the children, in the patience required to understand the community’s rhythm, and in the deep conversations that revealed not just their stories, but mine as well.

Joy, I’ve learned, is not always loud or obvious. Sometimes it comes in silence, when plans don’t go as expected, but somehow things still unfold with grace. Sometimes, it comes through struggles, when the work stretches you beyond comfort, but also grows your faith. Often, it comes in the most ordinary moments—sharing meals, swimming at the beach, walking under the sun, or simply being present.

This journey has taught me that service is not about achieving perfection, but about embracing presence. To be with people, not to be above them. To learn as much as you give, and to love even when it’s hard.

In the Mangyan communities, and in every corner of this mission, I’ve seen how accompaniment can be both a challenge and a blessing—a quiet way of living out JVP’s core values of service, simplicity, solidarity, social justice and spirituality.

“Count It All Joy,” as it says in James 1:2, because in every trial, there is a lesson; in every delay, there is grace; and in every act of service, there is a loving God at work.

As I look back on these five months, I see how God has been molding me—teaching me to find purpose not in grand successes, but in quiet faithfulness. I have learned that joy is a choice: to trust, to serve, to hope, and to love, even when it’s not easy.

And so, I continue this JVP journey with gratitude—knowing that every challenge, every laughter shared, and every tear shed is part of the joy that God is unfolding in me, and part of our shared mission to walk with, accompany, and honor those who are often unseen.