What Catholic Grads should know about the word, 'Baccalaureate'

Our very difficult to spell word, baccalauraete, was borrowed from the even more difficult, medieval Latin word, baccalaureatus, which means "bachelor's degree". For college-bound high school graduates this word is about their future. The diploma is the ticket to the next stage of education which culminates in a bachelor’s degree. The overall message is that ‘this is just the beginning of being a life-long learner. Do not be satisfied with your self'.

The re-spelling from 'baccalaureatus' to 'baccalaureate' was a play on words. According to Webster's Dictionary, it was influenced by "bacca lauri" which in English is "laurel berry". Since ancient times the laurel berry or laurel wreath has been associated with a victory crown awarded for past accomplishments. 

At Catholic schools in late May or early June, the annual Baccalaureate Mass precedes the commencement ceremony. It is an opportunity to thank God for the crowning of past achievements and to ask for his blessing on a beginning of something new. We ask for the grace to remember all the people who got us to this moment and to resist the danger of narcissistic complacency after achieving success. "Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep." -Ludwig Wittgenstein.

The Laurel Crown or Wreath

The laurel berry is a shrub that is native to the Mediterranean, particularly Greece and Turkey. You have seen statues of the Greek gods like Nike holding one high in the air or victorious olympic athletes wearing a laurel wreath crown. The laurel wreath is still a symbol in the Olympic Games. They remind us that before gold medals were hung around the neck of the winner, the simple laurel crown was the reward for victory. It symbolized the sacrifice, the discipline and the virtue of the athlete. The Greeks even have a word for this full realization of one’s potential, ‘arete’.

The Crown of Immortality

For Christians, the 'crown of arete' represents the victory of Christ over sin and death. The arete or fullest potential we can reach as baptized disciples is to participate in both the suffering of the cross and the triumph of the resurrection. The wreath's circular shape also symbolizes the unending hope for sharing eternity with an infinite God.

Saint Paul spoke of this crown when he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” -2 Timothy 4:7-8.

Worldly Crowns

The Catholic student at the Baccalaureate Mass ought to think about the difference between the crown of immortality and worldly crowns. The crowns and honors we receive on earth come with prestigious accolades and generous applause, whereas the crown of immortality comes with anonymity in quiet acts of love and service. It comes with the thorns and thistles of that sting the truth teller in a fallen world and the splinters of the effects of sin which we patiently bear from our own cross.  

They might do well to echo Saint Elizabeth of Hungary when she said, “How could I bear a crown of gold when the Lord bears a crown of thorns? And bears it for me!”. As both a queen and a saint, she understood the difference between the worldly crowns, bejewelled with power, pleasure, prestige and possessions and those Christ-like crowns whose barrenness speaks of a spirtual detachment. The worldly crowns promise an ephemeral high, a short-lived burst of happiness followed by the emptiness of the soul and the danger of spiritual ruin. 

The crown of immortality, purchased by the blood of Christ, promises freedom and happiness at a high cost for his followers too.

“You cannot be Christ’s servant if you are not willing to follow him, cross and all. What do you crave? A crown? Then it must be a crown of thorns if you are to be like him. Do you want to be lifted up? So you shall, but it will be upon a cross.” -Charles Spurgeon

Catholic graduates be ready to receive your well deserved acknowledgement. You have achieved something worthy of applause. Remember though, that you were promised a greater crown. It was first worn by Jesus on the cross and it was first worn by you when it was traced over your forehead at your Baptism.

As the holy oil dryed in the shape of a cross, it cemented your dignity as priest, prohet and king. In Confirmation the same Chrism was re-traced over your forehead as a sign that you have truly been adopted by God and empowered to never be ashamed of the cross. You have been strengthened to be a bold witness as one who spreads and defends the Faith. You must never wear a crown from this world which asks that you first take off, in shame, that sacramental laurel wreath which guarantees your identity as a son or daughter of God. Any crown of mortality, however it gleams, is no match for the crown of immortality.

No honors, no accolades, no acknowledgement of anything you have achieved or any fruit you have borne means anything without the certitude that apart from Christ you can do nothing. As you receive your laurels, instead of resting on them, remember that you are not done. There is a greater victory that awaits those who are faithful. Yes, Christ has earned it, but we must do our part as well.

As you seize the moment of every tomorrow, recall the words of scripture, 'You can do all things and bear much fruit only through him who strengthens you'.