magis

Why this word is great

MAGIS — [Noun] The philosophy of striving to do more for Jesus Christ, associated with Ignatian spirituality and the Society of Jesus. From Latin magis ("more, to a greater extent"), from Proto-Italic *māgis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s ("great, big"). Unlike "magister" (which denotes mastery as a position) or "magnus" (which describes static greatness), "magis" is the restless pursuit of the unquantifiable more—not for its own sake, but for the divine. It is the Jesuit in the Amazon translating scripture by lamplight, the student choosing the harder problem set, the quiet decision to walk the longer path home just to feel the weight of the world a little longer. A life lived in magis is a life spent leaning into the wind.