Father Cyprian Carlo presided at the Friday evening 8th Grade Graduation Mass. He selected Luke, Chapter 2, verses 41-52 as the Gospel for this special Mass, the account of the young boy, Jesus, separated from Joseph and Mary as He stays behind in Jerusalem to spend time in His Father’s House. Father Cyprian sees valuable messages for our graduates in this Gospel; his homily follows.
“The word ‘graduation’ comes from ‘gradus’ meaning steps on a staircase or a ladder. Our entire life is a ‘graduation’ stepping onto the next step. We don’t have to be old to know that in life we do not always climb higher. Sometimes we climb down and try again, sometimes we find ourselves where we began and start all over again. As a wise person said, “Arriving is not as important as journeying”. Today you are celebrating an important step or grade in your life’s journey.
When you look back or down the ladder, and see the many steps you have climbed, you have every reason to be joyful and thankful. As you look ahead, and anticipate more of those steps, unseen and uncertain, you are hopeful and confident. On this day your thankfulness and joyfulness meet your hopefulness and confidence. At this ‘intersection’ we your parents, families, well wishers, teachers and friends join you in the celebration you will treasure for years to come, not only in photographs and autographs, but on your life’s canvas.
As pastor, I am happy and proud of you; as a parish, we are grateful to you for adding to our onward journey with your dedication, efforts, hard work and presence while on the Sacred Heart School campus. Though invisibly, your names are forever etched in the history of the parish. Dear graduates, I want you to know that you are leaving Sacred Heart campus a better place because you were here, whether it was for a short time or for all nine years.
As we send you forth on your onward journey, we do not want you to walk alone. Like all of us here, in your life’s ladder you will look for stout hearts and strong hands to inspire, encourage, and accompany you. Of course, you will count on and rely upon your parents, new school companions, teachers, and coaches, but we want to send you forth in the company of someone whom you can easily relate to, someone not much younger or older than you. He is just 12 years old and his name is Jesus, our Lord, Master and Shepherd who has been there for you and with you always, and is only eager to walk with you in your future journey. As we proclaimed the Gospel, He already took His place beside you, laid His hand on your shoulder and is whispering into your ear.
The Gospel said He was ‘lost’ for three days. I do not mean that you imitate Him in being lost for three days! If being lost means being where you are not supposed to be then Jesus was not lost at all. “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” It is a Jesus who was exactly where He was supposed to be, doing exactly what He was supposed to be doing. Welcome Jesus, then, as The One who teaches you to answer the call to duty, ready always to do what you will need to do and not what you will want to do.
Secondly, Jesus is seen asking questions and answering questions. The Son of God, all-knowing, yet willing to grow; never saying, “I have it all, I know it all”, a Jesus preparing Himself not to come first, to compete with or defeat others, but to equip Himself to serve others, help others to grow in dignity and beauty. That is all that He accomplished throughout His life. Our beauty and greatness shines the brightest in the faces of those we love and serve.
Thirdly and finally, may you take with you this Jesus, twelve years old, likeable, lovable, and vulnerable who, as the Gospel says, “Was obedient to His parents and advanced in age, wisdom, and favor before God and others”. Here is the model, the key, and the secret to success in life. Growing in wisdom, not just knowledge, wisdom not to do whatever He liked but to do what was good and right. In age, something we cannot delay or advance by a minute, but growing in years, being submissive to God’s time, place, and manner; and favor before God and others. Life knows no greater fulfillment than being found pleasing to God and making others praise God for what we are and what we become. For “what we are is God’s gift to us, what we become, our gift to God”. May you then advance to the next step of life’s ladder and into a continual ‘graduation.’ May your life be marked by innumerable steps of age, wisdom and favor before God and others.”