Reunion Mass 2018

We gather together as we bring a special weekend to a close—in the act that has served to hold together our community for more than two centuries.

There are touchstones in our lives—moments that provide some of the architecture for our lives. We each are always in the process of constructing our stories—the narratives that gives each of our lives the framework through which to establish meaning. Our days are filled with all the chaos and confusion of everyday life. Yet there are moments that stand out—weddings, baptisms, the first day on a new job, the passing of loved ones.

In a university community, there are moments like the opening convocation for our new students, Midnight Madness, midterms and finals, commencements, which give structure and form to our lives together. We begin each academic season with a Mass of the Holy Spirit—asking the Spirit to guide us in all of our work and in all of our days.

We gather again for the University Christmas Mass.

We conclude Commencement Weekend with the Baccalaureate Mass.

And we conclude Reunion Weekend—the last formal weekend of our Georgetown year—coming together, in this final act, the act that gives meaning to everything that takes place here.

We begin every Fall, the first gathering we have as a university community is the Mass of the Holy Spirit—a gathering that signals the deepest conviction we share as a community: the Spirit is here, present among us, the Spirit that was promised to us.

The history of Georgetown—all of our own personal histories can be understood in relationship to the presence of the Spirit. Deep within ourselves, we can recall those moments when we transcended our limits, felt love, grasped a truth, perceived beauty, accepted, the demands of justice.

This place is built upon the belief that at a very special time in our lives, at a moment in our youth, filled with idealism and passion, innocence and energy—that in such moments, together, here on this hilltop, we experience such moments.

Just two weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday, we are assured that we are not alone.

From the Gospel of John:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth…” (John 14: 16) 

The gift of the Spirit—a Spirit that “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14: 26)

…a Spirit that animates us—a Spirit that is always present within us.

In the tradition that animates our university, we hope that during your years here you had moments when you had a sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Moments when you knew the Spirit was with you, moments when you knew what it feels like to “walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

It is our hope that the affect—the feeling of these moments is always with you—that you know deep within your selves—that feeling of knowing you are in the presence of the Spirit, and that as you have continued on your journeys, in moments of great joy or terrible sadness, of triumph and victory or disappointment and defeat, you can find consolation by connecting back to one of those moments, when you felt that sense of alignment, that sense of connectedness, that sense of resonance, that sense of consolation.

In these moments—that you feel the “peace” Jesus offers to us—that you remember that you are loved.

This is what I think we are capturing whenever we talk about Georgetown as “home.”

And if there are moments in your lives when you feel something that connects you back to this place, remember, that the deepest conviction that holds us together as a community is the belief that the Spirit is with us, a Spirit that was present throughout your years here, a Spirit that has been with you every day since you first walked this campus—present in those moments when you may have been at your very best—a Spirit that may have been present when you needed it most.

It is in these moments—wherever you may find yourselves—in these moments—you are “home.”

When we come together in moments like this, we remind ourselves of the faith we share and the gift we have received—the gift of the Spirit.

And we can acknowledge the significance that this place has for us—this place where, together, we learned to share in this gift; a place where at a time when we were all very young, we were together, here, learning what it means to be “home.”