At the beginning of the Divine Comedy, Dante embarks on a journey, having recognized that somewhere along “thus way of life” he had lost his way in a world that was experiencing material success in the midst of spiritual poverty. Dante’s journey through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso is driven by a restlessness that is ultimately satisfied in Paradiso when Dante comes into the presence of God, “the love that moves the sun and the other stars” (Paradiso 33, L. 145).
At this year’s Commencement, Bishop Robert Barron began his Commencement Address by highlighting humanity’s restlessness, reminding the graduates of St. Augustine’s words, “Lord you have made us for yourself and therefor our heart is restless until it rests in you.” This restlessness has always been part of the human condition. As I looked out upon more than 600 graduates who would soon transition from students to alumni and embark upon a number of unique journeys, I pondered how these individuals equipped and formed with an Assumptionist education, would seek to satisfy their restless hearts as they search for personal and professional fulfillment.
Would it be meeting lofty financial goals? Or perhaps ascending the ladder of success to become the best in their chosen fields? Success is coupled with responsibility. Bishop Barron warned graduates that the “accumulation of riches” – money, power, and pleasure – is all too often accompanied by a habit of self-destruction, a byproduct of a restless heart and lack of spiritual fulfillment, whereby we lose our way as Dante came to recognize.
Like Dante, Augustine, and all of humanity, we can be tempted by the vices of power and ambition. While the pursuit of success is natural of anyone, especially for those who have endured four challenging years of personal and academic discovery, how we integrate success into the way we live out our lives with either fulfill us or impoverish us. If we become self-centered in our success, our restlessness will never be satiated, nit of it is centered on the other, we will experience an inner happiness that will enrich us and our world.
Inspired by the vision of the Venerable Fr. d’Alzon, our mission seeks to form graduates who will use their intellect and knowledge to live our their lives with compassion and thoughtfulness so as to make a difference in the lives of those around them – family, neighbor, stranger, and the marginalized.
Pondering the words of St. Augustine or contemplating the lessons learned from Dante’s journey should inspire us to reflect upon who we are and where we are in our journey of life. In doing so, it is important to keep love at the forefront as the motivation that compels us to live a life marked by kindness and generosity.
As I watched those 617 graduates move their tassels from right to left, I was confident that their Assumption education had indeed prepared them not only to be successful in the world, but to find satisfaction for their restless hearts in “the love that moves the sun and other stars.” It is only in a life grounded in that love that we will not lose our way on this journey of live, but find genuine happiness and fulfillment.
Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D.
President
