The confirmation and graduation seasons have been in full swing across South Dakota. I would like to congratulate all of the men and women who are graduating and wish them God’s blessing always.
I was fortunate this year to be part of the Mount Marty College, O’Gorman High School and St. Joseph Cathedral Grade School graduations. I also attended the graduation ceremonies at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion where Monsignor James Michael Doyle received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address.
Social scientists tell us this is the best-educated generation in history. They have grown up with computers and have a multitude of opportunities for advanced education. There are more Catholics with advanced degrees than at any other time in the history of the church in this country. Women, in particular, have never had more opportunities to develop their full potential.
Hopefully, our high school graduates have not only amassed huge amounts of information about the world, but thanks to the witness of those who teach and families who love them, they have been exposed to a moral sense that values such qualities as honesty, generosity, sexual responsibility and purity of heart.
Father Tony Anatrella, a priest psychoanalyst, speaking to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome, said, “Parents want their children to be happy, but many fail to teach their children the basic rules of social life, the customs that are the treasures of a people, and the Christian life that has been the matrix of diverse civilizations.”
I hope today’s graduates understand that God blessed them with great talent and ability. I hope they shun the principle of our neo-pagan culture which suggests that: money buys products and products fulfill us and satisfy our deepest human needs.
Jesus, who is truth, calls us to Christian discipleship, which implies that in setting your priorities, God’s will and the Gospel values will play an important part. Thus, in deciding what to do with your life, how to make your money and what to spend it on, you prayerfully try to find out what God wants and how Jesus would want you to act. Religion lived this way can become a major distraction.
There are some powerful witnesses out there “on the way” like the young man who said, “I look forward to marriage and the birth of each one of my sons and daughters, and I hope to find the kind of job that will enable me to better society.”
Anna Halpine, founder of the World Youth Alliance, is quoted in an article by Mary Ann Glendon entitled, “Generation Y Bears Unusual Burdens” as saying, “Our experience is that all young people are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. Once this has been established, once they recognize the profound dignity they possess, they are in a position to extend this to others. Before this cornerstone has been laid, they are unable to give any proposal to the world and any rationale to their own existence.”
More and more young people are witnessing a society of broken families and convenience at all costs. But if they embrace the “life” Jesus talks about, they may actually begin to wonder how faithful they are in their relationships. It might even damage their self-image, making them feel guilty about such things as infidelity, greed and superficiality. It could even make them question the whole world view of rugged individualism and instead help them develop a strong social conscience based on the teaching of Jesus who is “the way, the truth and the life.”
“Christ expects great things from young people...Young people, in every situation, in every region of the world do not cease to put questions to Christ - they meet him and they keep searching for him to question him further. If they succeed in following the road which he points out to them, they will have the joy of making their own contribution to his presence... until the end of time.” - Pope John Paul II.
I offer my prayers and best wishes to all the graduates who desire to lead a holy life. I pledge the support of the church for those searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. I invite them to ask questions as they discover the profound dignity they possess created in the image of God. I challenge them to reject the selfishness they find in a society which is self-seeking: killing our own children when they are still unborn and killing our older relatives because we don’t want to give them the care, the time and the friendship they need.