September 18, 2012
This blog is an edited version of my address to the student body at the Opening Mass of the 2012-2013 school year on August 31, 2012
I want to talk with you this morning about "being here." Not just turning up for school, but making the choice to be truly present to the remarkable opportunity of being a student at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School.
A couple of weeks ago at our opening faculty meeting I shared a PowerPoint presentation with pictures from my European vacation. I know, I know, unbelievably exciting stuff. We don't have a projection system in here yet (though it's coming) so you are going to have just imagine how cool my pictures were.
You all know how an iPhone makes it easy to take pictures of yourself, right? You've probably done that. You see, I figured that if all I wanted was a beautiful picture of the Eiffel Tower I might as well buy a postcard. But, if what I really wanted was the memory of me being there, to capture the evidence, well, I just had to be in the picture. So, to the amusement of your teachers and my administrative team, what I've got is a record of my trip to France, Belgium and Ireland and in every picture there is my enormous head close to the camera, looking as big as a watermelon, and some famous piece of European culture, like the Mona Lisa, looking tiny in the background.
I don't usually share pictures from vacation but this summer I had gone to the beautiful city of Bruges, Belgium at the invitation of the Xaverian Brothers, the religious congregation that founded our school in 1958 and that continues to sponsor our school to this day. I joined 21 Brothers from the US, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgium, and Haiti, as well as a dozen men and women from here in the US who work with them.
I didn't take many pictures of myself in Bruges. Instead, being alongside the Brothers helped me understand in a deeper way what it means to "be here," to be truly present. And this morning, at the beginning of another school year, I urge to you that you think seriously and honestly about how much you are going to choose to be present to all that goes on around you. We took your pictures last week so we will always know that you were physically present, yeah, you were here. Today, I ask you to consider in a deeper way, how dedicated are you to what our school stands for. Are you committed to "being here?"
What I learned from being with the Brothers for a week matters for all of us. Their core values already influence the type of school we want to be. Reminders of those five values are all around us – simplicity, humility, compassion, zeal and trust. But, to my surprise, when we were in Bruges we did not talk much about the values.
Instead, we talked about what it means to be Xaverian. In 2012, how does a person live in a way that is faithful to the vision of Theodore James Ryken who started the Brothers in 1839?
I hope you get to meet some of the Brothers during your time here. They are holy men, truly devoted to the love and service of God. Their encouragement of one another in a life of community, their commitment to serving the poor and marginalized – help define what it means to be Xaverian. It's a beautiful way of life. I know it's not fashionable to consider a vowed religious life these days but part of me wonders whether there are young men and women present in this gym right now who might be drawn to the simplicity and humility of religious life. You all have big hearts and big souls. Don't discount the possibility that you might be being called to a life of service to the poor and marginalized and a prayerful and supportive community life.
Personally, I left Bruges challenged in my own life to be a better person, to be more present, to be Xaverian. What might being Xaverian mean for you? Here are four questions that go to the heart.
1. The Brothers are approachable and available. How about you? Do you exclude others, push them away or are you welcoming, hospitable, respectful?
2. The Brothers stand in solidarity with those who get pushed to the margins. How about you? Do your actions isolate and put others down or do they encourage and lift others up?
3. The Brothers seek the harmony of a life that balances service and prayer. How about you? Do you do good things for others but zone out spiritually? Do you pray and worship but become invisible for those in need?
4. The Brothers emphasize paying attention to what goes on in the common, the ordinary, and the everyday. How about you? What do you pay attention to? Do you even notice – in class, at practice, at home – do you even notice how others are doing, how they are feeling?
We had a fantastic school year last year – a record AP pass rate of 80%. A four-year merit scholarship total of more than $22 million. More than 100 of you applying to go on the El Salvador trip. Championships in speech and debate, football, musical performance, cheerleading, volleyball, cross country, wrestling, basketball and more. We even sang loudly at Mass near the end of the year. We can do anything! This year, we will strive to exceed those accomplishments.
We may not all be academic, athletic, artistic superstars but it is in each of us to be better, do better and in the way we are present in this community, to be Xaverian. How about you really commit to "being here"– being a Falcon in your heart as well as your head, in your soul as well as your body? My advice for the year ahead is to "Bring it!" Every day. Think on the Xaverian value of zeal – single minded devotion, ardent enthusiasm, intense drive. Be present to whatever you do. Be present to one another. Really be here.
And just to make sure I don't forget that I was here this morning, if you could just smile...
[I took this picture with my iPhone – pretty good, don't you think?].