17�Թ���

In our Gospel today, we listen to Jesus praying for his disciples at the end of the Last Supper.  He knows his death is near and these are the final words he will say to his closest friends.  Our first reading comes from the first letter of Peter, and addresses early Christian communities in a time of conflict and persecution.  In different ways, both offer us words of wisdom this afternoon.

We have gathered to celebrate the final Eucharist of our seniors as students of 17�Թ���.  It is a moment of transition and good-byes at the end of a very difficult year.  For the past three semesters, life at the College has been anything but typical.  The pandemic, heightened racial violence, economic disruption, more threatening news about climate change and serious political upheaval have touched us all.  The excitement of the senior year has been muted as the pandemic cancelled traditional events, and life back on campus this semester has been anything but normal.  Masks and social distancing; virtual classes, musical and theatrical events; truncated or cancelled athletic seasons, and limited social interaction are not what any of us hoped for or wanted.

On the other hand, compared to many campuses and countries around the world, our efficient testing protocols, isolation and quarantine resources, our extraordinarily compassionate and caring staff who have prepared meals, cleaned buildings, and watched out for our safety, our hard-working COVID team, and supportive campus community have limited spread and creatively tried to keep us safely engaged.  The hard work and ingenious approaches of our faculty, staff, chaplains, coaches, counselors and administration have kept our campus going and the educational process moving forward.  It has been different, certainly; and it necessarily has not been able to include many of the activities we cherish, but all of us have become more resilient, creative and sensitive to the needs of others. 

As the class of 2021 leaves Mount Saint James, there will be many challenges ahead for you as you prepare for graduate school, begin work, start service commitments, or search for meaningful employment.  Pandemic restrictions, while loosening, will continue until the pandemic recedes.  Racial tensions will persist until there are major changes in society. Economic disparities will not disappear as the economy will strengthen resources for some while bypassing those on the edges.  And the work of restoring trust, building a more inclusive and respectful culture, and assisting the vulnerable will always need our attention. 

As followers of Jesus, how we engage the realities of our time, the needs of the human family and our common home, will ask more of us than simply good will.  While prophetic movements within our Christian tradition, move us to confront injustice and oppression, in order to create lasting change, we will also need, as the First Letter of Peter suggests, “unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”  We will need to listen openly and carefully to the realities and suffering of others. Through differences of perspective which inevitably will ensue, we must not as our first reading says: “repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse….we must repay with blessing, and seek peace and pursue it.”  These gospel phrases are easy to repeat, but they are not easy to perform, and we will need the support and companionship of fellow believers and others to respond to conflict with justice, nonviolence and hope.

On the night before he died, Jesus was well aware of the violent forces building around him.  And in his final words to his disciples, Jesus knows that it is his deep union with his Father which will strengthen and sustain him in all that lies ahead.  Consequently, Jesus wants his disciples, and all those who will eventually follow them because of their witness, to know that the love they share and the integrity with which they face the challenges that will come, will help others to recognize that Jesus the source of their strength and hope.

Seniors, as you face life beyond this campus community, the biggest challenge you now face amazingly is not what you are going to do next, as important as that is, but more deeply, how you are going to live your life?  How will your discipleship affect the way you live, and listen, and actively support others?  How will you serve others honestly and selflessly?  How will you stand up for justice, human rights, and care for our common home, the earth?  How will you reflect peace and reconciliation in society and become a blessing for others through your presence and compassion?

Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, former superior general of the Society of Jesus, in an address at Santa Clara University in 2000 remarked: “the measure of Jesuit Universities is not what our students do, but who they become and the adult Christian responsibility they will exercise in the future toward their neighbor and world.”  United with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit, may your future actions to serve our world demonstrate the measure of a 17�Թ��� education. May Jesus walk with you in all that is to come, and may the Holy Spirit bless you with wisdom and generosity.