When I was a
child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I
became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we
see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know
partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
In the
end, these three remain—faith, hope and love-- but the greatest of these is
love.
Seniors, these words from First Corinthians 13 will be read
at your graduation by the salutatorian of your class, as is our graduation
tradition here at JPII. And they seemed
appropriate for this morning, the last time I’ll ever get a chance to address
you formally, your last Monday morning headmaster talk.
Because when you strip it all down to its core, when you put
high school behind you and walk the halls for the last time next Friday in
senior walk, when you put aside your AP classes, your friendships, your
teachers, your grades, your athletic achievements, your art or your singing or
your playing, this time you’ve spent here at JPII--for most of you, these last
four years--either stands or falls on whether you’ve become people of faith,
people of hope, and people of love.
And by “faith” we don't mean someone who passes out
holy cards and goes around quoting scripture all the time. The faith that
I hope has grown in your life here at JPII is based first and foremost on a
belief in God’s goodness –that he wants the best for you, that he loves you,
and that he desires you to seek his will for his life. It’s a faith that
believes if we keep the Lord’s commandments, he will keep us, and the key to a
happy, full life is one in which we find God’s plan for our life and follow
it. St. Augustine is right—Dr. Peper
will tell you Augustine is always
right—That God made us for his purpose, and that “our hearts are restless until
they rest in him.” It is our school’s deepest desire that whatever spark of faith has been ignited here, that you stoke that spark into a flaming fire, to allow God’s grace in you to flourish and grow in whatever you
end up doing with your life. Therein lies your future happiness. Therein
lies happiness for all of us.
C.S. Lewis has a particularly powerful description of hope.
Most people, if they
had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want,
and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all
sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never
quite keep their promise.
"We do not want
to merely "see" beauty--though, God knows, even that is bounty
enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words--to be united
with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe
in it, to become part of it.
"At present we
are on the outside... the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and
purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle
with the pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling
with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall
get "in"... We will put on glory... that greater glory of which
Nature is only the first sketch.(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory)
People of hope know that there’s more to this life than what we see. I hope that JPII has helped you develop hope for yourself, and hope in others. This
life is not all there is, and I think when we live by that conviction, we’re
able to appreciate the subtle signs that suggest there is a better world ahead.
May you always be convicted of that, even during times of hardship.
“But the greatest of these is love. “
The foundation of everything this school stands for boils down to
this simple truth: we are not made to live for ourselves,
but for others. The message of the cross, the message of this Easter season, is
that when we die to ourselves, when we put others first, when we can get to the
point that we can say, as those bill boards around Nashville say, “I am second,” then our lives undergo a true transformation,
a true resurrection, and out of that comes great joy. My deepest prayer
for you, seniors, is that you can truly love others, and that you build
friendships with those who truly love you, so that as Jesus prays for his
apostles, your "joy will be complete.”
Seniors, most of you came to JPII as children. Then, you saw
indistinctly, as in a mirror. All of you, one day, will see God face to face.
In the end, three things remain.
“Seek. Find.” That's been our slogan this year for recruiting purposes. Seniors, keep seeking God and his will for you. If you do, you won’t find God. He’ll find you.
We'll keep you fondly in our prayers.
We'll keep you fondly in our prayers.
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