Senior Induction Mass at Mullen High School
Let us Remember…
Dear Friends in Christ and fellow Mustangs,
Today we gather for an important purpose. We recognize and confer on our Junior class the title and role of Seniors. This is an important event for our community, this is a rite of passage, and this is a call to greatness. As LaSallian seniors, your community expects something from you. I remember at the beginning of the year – this very strange and challenging year – when we spoke with the different grade levels during orientation about how we could live out our core principles. The freshmen were fairly quiet as most hadn’t even heard about the core principles before. The sophomores were able to name the core principles with a little prompting, and the juniors – you – had them clearly in mind. When we split into groups to get creative feedback and ideas about how we could continue to have: a concern for the poor, an inclusive community, quality education, respect for all persons, and faith in the presence of God, I was moved by the response and attitude of our graduating seniors. They didn’t just have good ideas. You could tell by the sound of their voices and the look in their eyes that they wanted the year to go well and they were willing to work to make that happen. They were not passive observers, they were not victims of circumstance, they were ready to take the bull by the horns and fulfill the leadership role that we needed from seniors.
Now it’s your turn, now you are being called to take on that role. Today’s first reading is such a powerful example of how this happened in the early Church. The number of the Apostles is twelve, when Judas left his place, St. Peter understood that it was necessary for that place to be filled again. The lot has fallen to you as it fell to Matthias, your community needs you, and God is calling you to take our LaSallian mission to heart. I believe St. Matthias is interceding for you in a special way today, because it can certainly seem intimidating to be called into leadership. Here’s an interesting thing about names, and we know how important names are in the Scriptures. There were two who were nominated for Apostleship, Joseph surnamed Barsabbas, and Matthias. Barsabbas means, “the just.” Matthias means, “God’s small one.” The lot has fallen to the humble – whoever would be great among you must become your servant. You know how to lead, because you know how to serve. It is a humble task.
The greatest service you can provide is also an act of selfless love. And there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. May your senior year be a joyful year because you give back in humble service to your Mullen community who loves you and is counting on you.
ARATOR:
They choose two: Joseph, surnamed the Just, and Matthias—a name, as they say, that means “God’s small one” in the Hebrew language, and by calling [him, God] confirms him as humble. Oh, how different are human from heavenly judgments! He who was just according to the praise of humankind is surpassed by the merit of a small one.1