In the season of graduation during this Jubilee Year of Hope, I would like to share some thoughts for all graduates and all pilgrims.
Since our life is a journey, it is important to keep in mind the one destiny which should give meaning and purpose to our life on this earth: perfect life with God and all the saints. It is that communion with those who have gone before us that fulfills our deepest human longings and gives us hope. On this pilgrimage, we might experience a foretaste of this definitive happiness through our embrace of truth, goodness, and beauty.
From its beginnings within the Catholic tradition, higher education was distinctive—especially in its commitment to the pursuit of truth. In contrast, many people in today’s culture drift through life without a clear sense of purpose. There is a strong temptation to chase quick success and to seek fulfillment in things that are fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying. But we should ask ourselves: What makes life worth living? What is the meaning of my life? Where do I hope to go? What is the path to living life in abundance? These are the questions at the forefront of Catholic educational institutions today which is far different than the secular educational environment.
Skepticism or doubt about ultimate truth has led to what Pope Benedict called a “dictatorship of relativism.” Contrary to this, our Catholic worldview affirms the existence of an ultimate truth, a truth that enables us to journey through life with hope, to see life as a voyage of discovery, and to orient our lives towards heaven. This is possible because truth is not confined to what is known through reason alone. Truth is boundless and includes the realm of faith as well as reason. That is why our church has professed that we need both faith and reason to know the ultimate truth, and why we reject skepticism and relativism as well as religious fundamentalism.
In our journey through life, I would encourage everyone to continue seeking the truth, through these two wings on which our spirit rises: faith and reason. Only then will we not merely stumble through life. We can indeed discover truth, in the One who called Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Congratulations to all Graduates! Ad Multos Annos!
God Bless,
