Dr. Rooney Addressed 2022 graduates of Loyola University Chicago in Commencement ceremonies May 10-14, 2022
Members of the class of 2022…it has been a very long road, best described as riding a roller coaster through a dark tunnel unable to see the steep drops and hairpin turns not certain when you will emerge into the light. Yet, you did it, you have graduated. Will everyone join me in giving these graduates one more round of applause?
Each of us, at various times throughout our lives, both sit upon the shoulders and follows in the footsteps of others who came before us.
Just over five hundred years ago, St. Ignatius of Loyola and a small group of colleagues made a pledge to each other. They vowed to study, work and pray together. They pledged to propagate a faith that melded spirituality with deep inquiry—Fostering that dynamic tension between formation of the mind, academically, with formation of deep spirituality and trust in God. When they founded the Society of Jesus and its educational mission and method, they did so in a spirit of intellectual and cultural openness that fundamentally shifted Christianity and Western culture.
The Jesuits did not promote a blind, unquestioning faith. Their revolutionary approach blended spiritual and educational methods that opened hearts and minds to art and to science, to reason and to rhetoric. Through deep inquiry, observation, debate, and discourse, they looked for God--God in all things. They did all of this in service to others.
Ignatius and the Jesuits created a system of education that integrated study and research, rigor and compassion, contemplation and conversation, with active engagement among the people, societies, and cultures around them. In short, the Jesuits moved beyond the secure walls of the monastery to fearlessly engage with the world around them, to advance change and to lift up those who suffer.
Today, that same mission is entrusted to you and embodied in you. Graduates, you are challenged to act - going to the margins of our society in service to the poor and underserved and expanding the frontiers of knowledge to support that same service. You have embraced your Jesuit education not simply as a way to distinguish yourselves in a career but as a way to learn, to lead, and to serve in your place and time in the world.
On its face, this idea of service may seem straightforward and uncomplicated. It is not. I was reminded of this, recently, in a western civilization class that I attended, taught by our own Professor Bob Bucholz. Civilization, civilized society is, at its core, about community, about greetings and sympathy. As members of a community, we must be willing to reach deep within ourselves to engage with each other – not just via a video or a text, but face to face, human connection to human connection. It is receiving each other and interacting on a personal level…the smile, the nod, the acknowledgement, the embrace.
Along with greeting, we must also show sympathy – or a better description, true empathy. Committing ourselves to seeing each other, appreciating each other, understanding each other and showing compassion and care. It is only then, that we can be of real service, walking alongside and accompanying those in need.
Recently, Pope Francis was much more direct, dare I say blunt, in his assessment, calling on each of us to put aside consumerism and self-centered desires to serve others. In a recent homily celebrating Mass for the World Day of the Poor, he stated “Let us not waste our lives thinking only of ourselves, indifferent to others or deluding ourselves into thinking, ‘peace and security!'” Instead, he said, we must “look reality in the face and avoid the infection of indifference.” … The infection of Indifference…
As we emerge from the relative isolation of the pandemic, we are often struck and even consumed by all the sorrows and lessons we have endured over the past few years, even though we cannot undo the past. We also can become anxious and even overwhelmed when we focus on the future and all that we need to do to address the urgent issues in our neighborhoods, communities and across the world. But, we cannot dictate the details of tomorrow.
Learn from the past, yes. Contemplate the future, of course. However equally important, what we must also do, is be present in this moment. I urge you to regularly pause and engage with the present. Offer greetings and express empathy. Appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, the warmth of the sun, the uplifting sound of laughter, the vibrant colors of new spring growth, the melodies of joyous music, the smile of a child, the poignant stories of an elder.
My sincere prayer for each of you is that your Jesuit education affords you protection against the infection of indifference. That you continue to explore, grow, and learn, moving toward a hope filled future, serving where the need is greatest. That you stay connected to the present, nourishing the good in your lives with love and optimism, sharing greetings and expressing sympathy. In these ways, you will be the difference and make the difference in all that you do.
BLESSING
Graduates, please remain seated. Everyone else, please stand if you are able, and extend your hand over our graduates for a final blessing. The blessing is located on the last page of the program book and displayed on the screens.
(All recite blessing)
May God Bless you and sustain you
on this your graduation day.
May the Creator of this vast universe
keep you safe as you go forth
from this place that has nourished
your mind and soul.
May the Almighty look down upon you and
give you
Success in all your endeavors;
Courage in all your struggles and
challenges;
Understanding in all that is new to you;
Wisdom to choose what is right and do
what is good;
Perseverance in all you undertake;
Serenity and peace in the knowledge that
You are not alone, that you are loved.
May the Lord of All look kindly upon you
this day and forever.
Amen