Hajja Salesjana September October 2017

10 Jake Taylor had it all: California good looks, popularity, star athletic skills and the most popular girl on his high school campus. The inspirational novel “To Save a Life,” written by Jim and Rachel Britts, tells the story of Jake Taylor and Roger Dawson who grew up as best friends. But in high school, Jake becomes a star athlete who has it all: popularity and a college scholarship (…) It’s an ideal life that comes at the exclusion of his childhood friend. Meanwhile, Roger grows tired of always being pushed aside, and he makes a tragic move that spins Jake’s world out of control. The novel narrates how Roger publicly commits suicide at school. The tragic death of his childhood friend turned Jake’s life upside down and challenged him to dig deeper. As Jake searches for answers, one question plagues him the most: could he have saved his friend? Jake becomes deeply compelled to reach out to students who are on the fringe of acceptability by the school’s upper crust. But he soon finds that reaching out to the undesirable might cost him everything - his reputation, his friends, his girlfriend and even his dreams. It’s a journey that will change Jake’s life forever. (…) Jake Taylor gave up being somebody in order to make a difference.[Jim Britts and Rachel Britts, To Save a Life (New York: Outreach Publishing, 2009)] On reading this inspiring novel, I recall how I felt challenged to answer the question: “What’s my life all about?” It took just one crazy act from Roger to trigger in Jake’s life an interior spiritual combat which raised all sorts of existential questions. It’s amazing how some moments in life can really change life priorities, perceptions and orientations. The story also offered another insight which left a deep impression on me. While other students who witnessed the shocking suicide dealt with the trauma alone, Jake’s crisis was accompanied by a spiritual mentor. Chris Vaughn, a young Christian spiritual minister, offers Jake his spiritual counsel and wisely assists him in transforming such a disturbing experience into an opportunity for spiritual growth. For me this novel brought to light just how important it is not to go it alone. Perhaps one of the greatest risks in our lives is that we become so busy achieving our life dreams, so preoccupied with meeting our objectives and deadlines, that we have no time to notice what is happening in our What is Spiritual Direction al l about? By Rev. Dr. Louis Grech sdb PhD in Spiritual Companionship with the Young