“But Jesus answered,
"You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I
am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." St. Matthew 20:22
In the
Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
You know, this really isn’t all
about you. This grand succession of
banquets, awards ceremonies, sunshiny photo-ops, and sentimental speeches, all
the parties, everything festooned in orange and black—it’s not really all about
you. It is of course, largely about
you. You have worked very hard, and
achieved a great deal, and there is much to celebrate as you are commenced,
launched out into the big world beyond these quiet hills.
But this is about the rest of us as
well, your parents and teachers, your friends who have watched you grow up into
such intelligent, strong, and capable men and women. If you haven’t recognized this yet, you will
after that tenth awkward photo with your strange aunt Sue, and seventh time
your rather formidable social studies teacher gets teary-eyed. And let’s not even think about your mother’s
emotional state next Sunday afternoon.
