Reflection – Mr. Oroszlany Mass of the Holy Spirit September 7, 2012
Thank you Fr. Sehler for leading our celebration today. I also offer an extra special welcome to our Class of 2016, to our transfer students and to our parents, in attendance. Special thanks to the Church of St. Ignatius; Ms. Baber; Mr. Tiozzo; our liturgical singers; altar servers; readers; Eucharistic ministers; and gift bearers.
Jesuit schools around the world begin their academic years with a celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit. I, personally, see the Mass of the Holy Spirit as an opportunity to celebrate new beginnings and God’s unconditional love for us.
This summer, my wife and I attended a Sunday mass in a little beach community in Virginia, named Chincoteague Island. The pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle offered an unexpected homily based upon a song by The Rolling Stones and that song was – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” I plan to look at the lyrics a little differently than he did as I do not want to concentrate on the “can’t” part of the messaging here, but do want to focus on the next line of the chorus from this famous ballad…. and that is “If you TRY some time, you might just find that you get what you need.”
It’s that “TRY” part that I what to highlight in looking out to this Academic Year. In Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller Outliers, he chronicled
that effort was even more important than talent in reaching the pinnacle of one’s field. And so, with Gladwell’s theory and The Stones’ lyrics in mind, I encourage all of our students to work hard to achieve your goals….and not just this academic year. This past summer we all watched as Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Allyson Felix, Gabby Douglas, and David Boudia – TRIED and worked so hard to achieve Olympic Gold. Our Academic Convocation, which will follow, will indeed commemorate the fruits of your hard work.
St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” This is a thought that fits comfortably with working hard and also a Grad at Grad characteristic that I hope typifies all that we do at Loyola – that is being “Open to Growth.” Our upper classmen have been exposed to Grad at Grad characteristics a few thousand times or so ….and that is a very good thing. Freshmen and transfer students have been hearing about being Open to Growth, Academically Excellent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Doing Justice, but I want to underline, at our Mass of the Holy Spirit, the importance of being Open to Growth. When you are “Open to Growth” the impossible can happen and when you are not….Nothing happens.
This summer Mr. Lyness and I were at an international conference for Jesuit secondary schools and a presenter showed a video clip of the conductor, Eric Whitacre from the famed 2011 TED Conference. In the clip Mr. Whitacre talks about his own career path and how he created a Virtual Choir of singers from around the world – with over 2000 singers from 58 different countries. It is a fantastic example of a young performer leaving behind a dream he once had and how his being “Open to Growth” AND new experiences helped bring together singers from around the world for a performance that was even bigger than his original dream.
There is another connection I would like to make ….and that is between “Open to Growth” and the concept of Magis. St. Ignatius would often ask, "What have I done for God? What am I doing for God? and What more can I do for God?" Many believe that the concept of Magis finds it roots from Ignatius’s inquiry of what “more” he could do for God. Magis means “the more,” and helps promote vision and dreams within schools. Because of Magis and being “Open to Growth,” Loyola students are driven to perform better, our faculty strive to educate better, and administrators and trustees look to service the needs of our Loyola School to the best extents possible.
In celebrating our new beginnings, it is important to know that hard work will be rewarded within our caring community. Last year I asked our most veteran faculty members to complete the sentence, “ Loyola is…” and they responded with statements like, “Loyola is…”
A place where students are able to reach their fullest potential; A nurturing environment for students; A place where everyone is cared for; Not defined by the walls which contain us, but by the ideals which send us out into the world; A place where people can be themselves. Something like a sacrament: it leaves an indelible mark!
And so, in this environment, and in understanding God’s infinite love for all of us, let’s TRY hard enough, as the Rolling Stones would encourage, to make the 2012‐13 Academic Year a great one for Loyola School. God Bless.
͠ Now for some logistics. After the celebrants and mass participants have left the altar, we will have a few minutes of transition before we begin the Academic Convocation. Everyone is invited to please maintain a reflective attitude during this pause. Thank you.