|
By
Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. The
following is an excerpt from Fr.
McFarland's inaugural address:
 Yesterday,
on the Feast of the Holy Cross, I spoke about our mission
to live with the contradiction of the cross, holding in tension
conviction and openness, unity and diversity, the sacred
and the secular, in a way that is creative, lifegiving and
enriching for both sides. Today, I want to look at it from
another perspective and examine how we are drawn into that
mission and how we experience it. To do that, I will use
another passage from Scripture, the story of the Transfiguration.
Many of you are familiar with that story; but let me review
it for everyone. Jesus has just told his disciples that he
is destined to suffer, be rejected and be killed, and then
to come back to life. The disciples cannot accept this; they
go into deep denial. So Jesus takes his three closest followers
and leads them up a high mountain. There he is transformed
before their eyes, and they see him in transcendent glory.
In this way he gives them a glimpse of the deeper meaning
of what he is about to do and of its immeasurable value,
strengthening them for the challenges that lie ahead.
Here at the top of Mt. St. James, I would assert that we also have a glimpse
of transcendence; and that is what equips us to embrace the cross. There are
a number of ways in which this happens, when we are taken out of the ordinary
plane of our daily existence, to have our minds and hearts expanded, to grasp
in some way the beauty and power of truth.
To study under a great teacher who can open
a whole new world of ideas to us, who can inspire us to explore,
to question, to search, and to create, and who challenges
us to do and to give more than we thought possible;
To learn to think deeply about difficult and vexing
problems and find the skill,
dedication and intensity to do original research;
To discover that there is real joy and satisfaction in the life of the mind,
and that there are rewards that do not show up in your paycheck-all of that has
an element of transcendence.
We find transcendence also in the moral realm. To understand
that a truly good and satisfying life is rooted in a firm set of convictions
and principles and
pursuing them with integrity and courage, not just chasing after the immediate
little pleasures and honors that life tempts us with;
To broaden one's awareness and expand one's heart so as to know and identify
with the experience of the poor, the forgotten and the dispossessed;
To learn to analyze, critique and question one's own culture, practices and institutions
and to care enough to get angry and challenge injustice; these too lift us up
to find transcendence.
And of course we encounter transcendence in
the spiritual realm as well.
To open one's mind and heart to eternal realities and to have a safe and supportive
environment to explore and appropriate one's own beliefs and traditions while
coming to know and appreciate those of others;
To lift one's mind and heart to God in worship and prayer;
To enter into the hidden mystery of God's presence through prayer, retreats,
and other spiritual programs; these touch the very source of transcendence.
These are some of the ways we encounter transcendence
here, and they are truly transforming experiences. People come out of Holy Cross
very different because
of these experiences, with a deeper and more reverent grasp of their own humanity,
better able to appreciate and relate to others, especially those who are different,
and more attuned to the spiritual realities that give life its direction and
meaning.
But there is more to the story. The disciples, once they got over their terror
and shock at the vision, wanted simply to stay and enjoy that glorious presence.
But Jesus would not allow it. They were still missing the point. They had to
come down off the mountain, because he still had his mission to fulfill. The
first person they met as they came down was the father of a boy who suffered
from severe seizures. In response to the father's pleading, Jesus healed the
boy. Those disciples who had been left behind and had not had the experience
on the mountain had tried to help; but they
were powerless.
We, too, have to come down from the mountain. The experience
of transcendence is not given just for our own enjoyment. It is meant to be shared,
in particular
by giving us the power to be a healing presence in the world, as Jesus
was.
We do not have to go far to find opportunities to do that. In our own community
here on campus, we have our share of brokenness. That includes illness and depression,
confusion and lack of purpose, as well as irresponsibility, prejudice and harassment.
We can't expect to heal others if we cannot heal
ourselves.
But we also need to reach out to the wider community.
There are so many in our neighborhood and our city who do not have the good fortune,
the talent or the
support to enjoy the privileged time that we have. We need to bring the grace
of healing to them, treating them always with reverence and respect, being good
neighbors and doing community service.
Finally, because we live in a society that, at least in its public discourse,
both popular and intellectual, is indifferent to, and even contemptuous of, transcendence,
we have a very important calling to bring to that society the depth of our humanism,
our moral principles and values, and our religious convictions. We need to be
there where people's attitudes and values are formed. We need to be a strong
voice in the political, social and moral debate on the critical issues of our
time, in health care, technology, economic justice, international relations,
and a host of other areas. We need to have a strong and visible presence in professional
life, in law and medicine, education, engineering, information technology, and
so on, bringing a witness of integrity, service, and compassion, and a commitment
to the common good.
Our purpose here at Holy Cross, as it always has been, is to produce people who
believe in something, in something worthwhile, and who believe strongly enough
that they will hold to it and live it out, even in the face of distraction, temptation
and opposition. That belief requires an experience of transcendence, the apprehension
of something great that is worth believing in, a love
and appreciation of one's own humanity, a strong sense of moral principles, a
more personal encounter with the divine mystery.
It is up to us to create the conditions that make that
possible. For us that means, first, a rigorous, challenging, student-centered
academic environment,
marked by personal care and active learning, and focused on the core of learning,
the liberal arts and the sciences. Second, we must maintain our commitment to
the personal growth and development of our students, with a humane and supportive
residential environment, high standards of behavior and responsibility, and a
strong and caring community. Finally we must continue to emphasize the specifically
religious dimensions of our mission, exploring and developing our Catholic intellectual
heritage, fostering interreligious dialogue and supporting moral and spiritual
development.
Many people today look to education for credentials,
for technical training, for the guarantee of a good job. They want to learn e-commerce,
biotechnology,
sports management, or video production. Those are all legitimate aspirations,
but they are not what we are about. We are committed to producing strong and
purposeful leaders, leaders committed to the common good, leaders who, transformed
themselves, become a transforming presence in the world. In a society that is
increasingly shallow, compartmentalized, divided and self-absorbed, that is a
very important contribution indeed. It is a great project, and I look forward
to joining you in it.
"Our Tradition: Common
Good, Common Ground" by Rev. John W. O’Malley,
S.J., Inauguration Speaker >
“The Glow of All that yet might be” by
Helen Whall, Speaker of the Faculty >
“The Gifts of Holy Cross” by Tarah
Auguste ’01 >
Back to "Rev.
Michael C. McFarland, S.J., inaugurated
as 31st president" Feature >
|
