The Catholic University of America Graduation

Today I had the pleasure of attending the 123rd commencement at The Catholic University of America. The graduation speaker for the University was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York. He had some interesting and inspiring reflections he shared with the graduates and their families. Here is an excerpt:

That we are at our best when we give ourselves away in love to another — the Law of the Gift — is I'm afraid, "counter-cultural" today, in an era that prefers getting to giving, and entitlement to responsibility;

in a society that considers every drive, desire, or urge as a right, and where convenience and privacy can trump even the right to life itself;

and in a mindset where freedom is reduced to the liberty to do whatever we want, wherever we want, whenever, however, with whomever we want, rather than the duty to do what we ought . . .well, the Law of the Gift can be as ignored as a yellow traffic light in New York City.

It reminded me of the unique role of Catholic education to prepare our students not only professionally and academically, but also to be counter-cultural in a pursuit of what is just. Here is the address in full:

http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/releases/2012/dolan-commencement-speech.cfm

Or, one could just reflect upon a poster I saw on campus last week aimed at the graduating seniors. It reminded the students to remember the reasons they selected Catholic University …and to not forget to take those values with them as they enter the world.