“Choose what is good and what builds up”

Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated a Graduation Mass for the class of 2025 of Incarnate Word Academy High School on Friday, May 23, at 2 pm at Corpus Christi Cathedral.
 
With great excitement, each student walked into the Cathedral, where friends and family awaited them. Bishop Mulvey congratulated them and said in his homily, “It’s a beautiful day for you.” However, in addition to wishing them well, he also sought to challenge them: “We only grow when we are challenged.” Jesus himself would remind us in the Gospel, “Take up your cross.” It means that “we need to take responsibility, take possession of our actions. Keep to what is good and leave behind what does not help you.”
 
He added a quote that stated we have to be mystics to be true disciples. “A mystic is someone who has the eyes of God, to see what is not evident on the outside.” The bishop recommended that they listen with their hearts, not only focusing on external things but also judging and seeing what lies behind them. He quoted a letter he received from a man, seven years after he made a difficult decision that negatively impacted some people. “My mother taught me not to judge, but I didn’t follow that advice. Now I want to apologize.” "This is the way,” the bishop said, “We need to own what we do wrong and apologize.”
 
He recounted that the new pope spoke of two things: unity and love, and remembered one confirmand who shared before the confirmation, “I learned that I can live God’s lifestyle – to love.” “God is love,” said Bishop Mulvey, who offered this advice: “Do not live for yourself – it’s a dead-end street, you will be very lonely.” Jesus’ command to love one another leads to peace, unity, and harmony. Quoting St. John of the Cross, he said, “Where there is no love, put love, and you’ll find love.” He told the students, “You have been given a treasure with your Catholic education. It’s on you now to develop that: Choose what is good and what builds up.”
 
The students delivered letters to their families, expressing gratitude for all the support they had received over the years.
 
Salutatorian Hannah Rock expressed the gratitude of the entire class to Bishop Mulvey, Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Henry, their principal, the sisters, their teachers, and parents for their support and encouragement. “Failure is inevitable, and every single one of us here today will fail because we are not perfect. The important thing that we must remember is that it is perfectly OK to fail – we must learn to grow from defeat and apply the lessons taught from failure.” The setbacks they will encounter will mold them into the resilient individuals that God had in mind.
 
Valedictorian Ben Pettus continued, “We’ve accomplished so much as a class.” He recounted heartfelt moments from their senior trips and the bond and connection they formed, “something that I would never take for granted.” He told his classmates, “Stay confident in who you are.” In this moment, as they move on from something that has been a constant in their lives, he encouraged them to make the most of every experience they will encounter: “It’s not about the destination but about the journey that will continue.”
 
Then, the moment came – they moved their tassels to the left, a sign that one phase of their education had come to an end, and new adventures were to come.