Quo vadis, Graduati?

Did people who learned Latin at some point in their lives get a shock from the title? I’ll be honest I haven’t had a formal lesson since the eighth grade, yet I knew people who helped polish some knowledge of the beautiful and ancient language.

The quote in the title is translated as “Where are you going, Graduates?”. Graduation day can be when we celebrate the achievements that build up to this great day. I graduated from high school in 2009 (I’m not that old, I’ll admit). I remember after reminding my classmates of how long it has been since we graduated the thoughts of how far I’ve come in my faith journey.

Yet, as the years went on, I think of the times that I have witnessed graduation events that have taken place over the years. For the students, many have worked hard. For others, they persevered to get to the moment. Then, when it is all set and done, everyone has some hint of anxiety and uncertainty.

Every time I look at this question and compare this with the graduates taking part in this rite of passage, I always think of it as a way for us to realize what’s next in our journey.

This week, I stumbled across a video of a valedictorian delivering a farewell speech to his classmates, faculty, administration, and even families who witnessed the rite of passage. Granted, there have been many for the past thirty-some days. However, his speech hit me hard.

In this speech, he set the stage with a passage from Acts when St. Peter goes back to Rome. As he was outside of the walls, Jesus appeared and asked him, “Quo Vadis”? St. Peter, the first pope, would die a martyr’s death after evangelizing to the people of Rome.

Later in his speech, he challenged his classmates to answer that question with God as the focus of what their endeavors are beyond Graduation Day.

The world that we live in now is filled with so much fear. It can be easy for us to abandon God and just cave to the demands of the world. However, as St. Teresa of Calcutta reminds us, “We’re called to be faithful.” She would also remind us to be faithful, not successful.

I write to those who have graduated from junior high, high school, college, or even grad school. I write this to urge you to be sure that where you’re going will be a path that leads you to heaven. Sure, we will go on to the next phase of our lives, but there is a path that is always waiting for us.

 It is one thing to live it to the fullest. It is another when we do things to please one person and that is Jesus.

So graduates, where are you going?

God be with you on your next journey.