Graduation Address

"Convocation Address" (October 1986). (UA Case 69, Box 2)

I am indeed gratified and overwhelmed to be so honored this evening. I accept the honor humbly—humbly because I now join the ranks with two dozen former honorary recipients—recipients who I feel, are men and women of very high caliber—I feel honored to take my place beside them. Then too, I accept the honor with a feeling of pride. My pride stems from the realization that U.N.B. Saint John has the confidence to bestow such a degree on me. Graduates, you are to be congratulated on receiving a degree of which you should be very proud. You have spent many, many hours in attaining the standards required by this university, you can be justly proud of your accomplishments. Your parents and families, too, are to be commended for supporting you and for showing an interest in your endeavors. It is, indeed, a time to rejoice and celebrate.

Many of you, who are graduating this evening were born in the sixties—a time when Canada was besieged with protests and turbulence, and a spirit of militancy. Then you entered the seventies—a decade of contrasts. In the early seventies, Canada led the industrialized world in creating jobs, but before the seventies faded, high inflation loomed on the horizon, when the eighties arrived Canada became engulfed in the worst depression since World War Two. This recession brought with it economic uncertainty, increasing unemployment and growing hardships—an inheritance for all of us.

We might ask ourselves if we have risked enough over the years? In any event, the challenge is ever before us—to read the signs of the times; to discern continually the various ways and means of making the gospel message ever new; to be available to respond to needs; to be open to creativity and change, and to live integrated authentic lives—in trust and freedom—with no dichotomy in what we say, how we live and what we do. It is undoubtedly this absence of dichotomy—the integration of our lives, our words and our actions, that will be the prophetic and effective means for our world today. One must remember there is no despair so great, no corner of the mind and soul so dark, that cannot be enlivened by the power of love, which comes from God.

Yes, you will work and compete to acquire monetary rewards, but we hope you will share willingly with the have nots, rather than become grasping possessors of material gain. Many times there is a misplaced emphasis on competition in acquiring wealth—work is much more than that—probably Jean Vanier, the founder of a world-wide federation of communities for the mentally handicapped, summed up the real value of work when he said—and I quote— "Isn’t the work of each of us to give life to others." If we analyze this sentence, we would fully realize the value of work and the legacy of truth which is contained in this one sentence. We may also cite the sterling example of Cardinal Legere, who relinquished his position of honor to serve the more needy and poor. Be we teachers, nurses, lawyers, scientists, engineers, et cetera—all that we work and strive for must be to improve living conditions and thus give life to others. One of the most important qualifications for getting ahead in life is the ability to get along with others. The late John D. Rockefeller once said— "The ability to deal with people is as available a commodity as sugar and coffee, and I pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun."

As Pierre Elliot Trudeau stated, when addressing a meeting in Toronto in 1984, "A country is not strong because of the size of its armies and it is not powerful because of its great balance sheet—a country can be influential in the world by the size of its heart and the breadth of its mind."

You have a grave responsibility to enhance the quality of life in our country. This being the International Year of Peace, I urge you to be forerunners of peace, communicate peace, encourage steps to peace and swell the chorus of demand for disarmament.

Regardless of how hard you work to increase the quality of the work force for the poor and oppressed—regardless of how hard you attempt to prevent pollution from destroying our environment, or how you combat the threat of nuclear war, no one can guarantee you either riches, or rewards, or worldly honor—however, you will achieve a peace that comes to those who strive to make the world a better place for all.

We cannot think of building a new world without being strong and courageous in overcoming the false ideas of fashion, the world’s standards of violence, and the enticements of evil. The virtue of strength, proceeds hand in hand with the capacity for self-sacrifice. As well, we all need a goal in order to be committed to a cause. Perhaps the greatest need facing us today is the care of the poor. We all know what the statistics show: An aging population, a recession that left many unemployed, diminishing dollars for community based programs, more acutely ill patients, soup kitchens in our towns and cities, more child and adult abuse, more drugs on the street and in our schools, more suicides.

Yes, there are individuals, organizations and agencies working together but never before has it become more important that all citizens enlist in the battle to build a better society.

The degree you will receive tonight is a symbol of the knowledge you have obtained at this university, it is now your responsibility to use this knowledge wisely, to improve your life and the lives of those around you. You graduates are privileged, indeed, to be graduating from a university so young in years—a university so much like yourselves—full of promise and hope. This university is continually striving to provide a wide range of educational programs, so that men and women who enter these portals will be successful in leading lives that are more meaningful and beneficial to humankind. I am personally aware of the individual attention that this faculty provides to the students and I applaud them for this very worthwhile effort. I relate, again, you should, indeed, be proud to be a part of such a university—which has not yet attained a quarter century of life, yet has sent for men and women who have distinguished themselves in so many fields. As you go forth this evening, I ask you to remember this message—Jesus Christ teaches us by the example of his life what is really important in life. By his actions, he shows us that we all are equal and that we do not have to take a stand against others, looking for differences in social class, in order to be safe—on the contrary, he shows us that we will find our greatest security when we give ourselves freely to each other. He chose to spend his entire life doing this. He showed us the way to approach the source of all that exists. Christ loved unconditionally—he loved all with a love that heals and transforms. Each of us shares in that healing and transforming power of love. Will we release that power to heal and to transform?

This a challenge I offer to all!