I was recently honored to give out the diplomas at the St. Pius X High School commencement ceremony and was invited to offer a few words of encouragement to the graduating seniors. I wondered what a bishop should say that they might remember.  

Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III

In listening to the other excellent speakers who presented that day, they reminded the graduates of the gift that they had received and how they had been given a firm faith and academic foundation to succeed in the future; they were challenged to give gratitude for the investment that their parents had made in their education and life lessons, and to the teachers who had accompanied them. All the speakers highlighted the importance of the students’ journey together and the friendships they had forged.   

In preparing my message for this event and after reflecting upon my own journey following high school, I was drawn toward a question: “What might Jesus say if he were there at the graduation?”  

It is not recorded in the Scriptures that he ever graduated from a program of learning. Of course, Jesus was very familiar with the Scriptures because he attended the synagogue. He was known as the carpenter’s son, so had learned a trade from St. Joseph. The Scriptures say that he was obedient to Mary and Joseph and that he grew in grew in wisdom and stature before God and men. Later, many would refer to him as Rabbi—teacher—as he spoke with authority unlike any other teacher.   

I consulted artificial intelligence with this question about what Jesus might say at a commencement ceremony. My search led me to see that he might say something like, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow” or “In the world you will have problems, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” Jesus might have said, “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”  Most of our journey in life is remembering such core truths. However, the last words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew now ring out more loudly to me, and I hope for them, “Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age.” 

Jesus never journeyed alone while on his earth. He did nothing alone; he did only what he saw his Father was doing. His food was to do the will of his Father. He and the Father were one. His life and mission were rooted in this. He spent himself in service of others, especially accompanying those who will dream of a hope-filled future, but who will face failure and suffering while discovering that they are blessed in their poverty. 

The future for all of us always begins with the presence of the Risen Christ and our personal relationship with him. Either we live a life hidden in Christ or a life lived around him. We never graduate from this challenge for we are reminded at the Eucharist to live through him, with him and in him, lest we live apart from him, separated from the vine that brings life into the branches and produces fruit.  

I don’t know if my words at the commencement will be remembered, however I pray that the grads will never forget that Jesus will get them much farther in life than they can ever imagine.