“The Moments We
Remember”
Graduation Homily by
Father Manny Alvarez
St. Gregory Catholic
Church & School
May 24, 2012
I’ll never forget the first day
of school with all of you back in August.
I have to admit that I was missing my last school because the faces were
familiar and I actually knew the names of all the incoming 8th
graders. But because I trust in God’s
loving design, I knew that these new faces that were politely saying hello to
their new priest were faces that I too would grow to love because as Jesus says
in today’s gospel you were God’s gift to this new priest. So on that first day
of school, as has been my custom for the last 10 years, I went to have lunch
with you even though I didn’t know any of you.
Many of you may disagree with me, but I am a genuinely shy person. I took my tray and I must confess I felt
like the new kid in school that didn’t have anybody to sit with. Immediately, I noticed that the girls were
sitting at the tables very well mannered and proper as is expected of young
ladies at St. Gregory’s. And then I
looked over to the boys’ side and…no comment.
I randomly selected the first of the girls’ tables primarily because it
was closest to the doors and I was hungry.
I immediately made a joke about one of their lunch bags to break the
ice. Since they were laughing at my lame
joke, I sat down with these young ladies much to their astonishment. In time I would migrate from table to table
making friends, learning names (slowly), getting asked repeatedly “what’s my
name?” during my first two months, and gradually starting to realize what a
gift each of you are to this school.
Every day you brought joy to these hallways with your smiles, your crazy
faces, your melodrama, your infectious laughs, and the love that you have for
each other.
There are two distinct memories
that I will remember about this Class of 2012.
One of them happened two weeks ago at your banquet. When the last song was going to be played, all
of you were undecided as to what it should be.
I gambled and asked the D.J. to play “Don’t Stop Believin” by
Journey. You guys starting singing with
one loud voice, hugging each other in a circle and jumping up and down even
though that song came out before some of your parents were even in high
school. And there I was in the middle of
that chaos, the priest version of Peter Pan who refuses to grow up because I
firmly believe in the saying I shared with your teachers a week before you
started school: “in the heart of a child
is the kingdom of God.” That is why all
of us, both parents and children, must never lose our child-like exuberance
because Christ himself told us that we must be like children to enter the
kingdom of God. So we all jumped around,
danced, and sang like if we were little kids, and how fitting since this is
where you lived out your childhood. This
is where you grew up. This is where you
learned your ABCs. And this is where you
met a man named Jesus.
The second memory I will always
hold close to my heart is our shared experience of Spirit Day before Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament. All of you were
very much aware that you were in the presence of the Divine. You cried like little children because isn’t
that what we all are in the eyes of God?
That night you were one with Jesus and with each other just as the Lord
prays in the gospel. You were so very
close to Him. You embraced Him as your
friend. As you transition to the challenges
of high school, stay close to Him. Stay
friends with him. We toss around the
phrase “friends forever” very casually and it may not always be the case, but
stay close to this Friend you met called Jesus for he will never leave your
side. He becomes a gift for you in this
Eucharist and in turn he showers us with abundant gifts and blessings.
A year ago, I didn’t know any of
you. And now I can’t think of what this
priest’s life would be like without any of you.
Like Jesus, I thank the Father for the gift he gave us in each and every
one of you. As your time in this school
comes to an end, remember that you are a gift to your parents, to your
teachers, to this parish, and to this priest whose heart you won over. I always pray that this prayer of Jesus in
today’s gospel be my prayer for it is the prayer of Jesus our High Priest. And my prayer for you is that you stay close
to him for you will face tough choices ahead, but with Him at your side you
will make the right choices. Now we must
let you go so that you can share your joy with the world, but never forget that
true joy, lasting joy can only be found here in this sacred space where each of
you first met our Lord. I love each and
every one of you. I will never forget
you. I will always be right here behind
the altar ready to give you the one necessary thing: the love and presence of Jesus. Remember the good times that you shared here
at St. Gregory’s and remember this friend you met here called Jesus. May God bless you all as you begin your next
great adventure knowing that Christ will always be at your side.
