By Rev. Jim Lies, C.S.C.
This missive, though quite obviously directed to our seniors, welcomes the interest of all who have read thus far. It is intended to appeal primarily, however, to those whose days among us are numbered, but, please God, has something to say to us all.
During each mid-semester break, we tend to take stock and marvel at how quickly the semester has gone. I have little doubt that most of you seniors are gasping in horror at the speed with which these days, not only this semester but throughout your years here, have passed. My intention is to assure you that it's not over yet.
There is more time than you think, as long as you choose to use it well. The danger in these days is that you might think that it's too late to try something new, or too late to get involved in something on campus that you haven't up to now. The great danger for all of you is that you might deny yourself an opportunity to enter into some of the experiences that make this place unique in all the world.
Oh, I know, you've heard it all before, but the fact of the matter is there's a difference between hearing and listening, between knowing and experiencing.
Some of the most important experiences with which UP graduates walk away from this place happen in the waning days of their senior year.
Some of them happen in the classroom, in moments of discovery and of genuine enlightenment.
Some happen among friends as you begin to realize the significance of the relationships you've formed here and the fleeting opportunities that you may have with them.
Some happen because we dare to step on out of the ordinary course of our established routine and take on more than we thought we could handle or more than we thought was out there.
As to what that is, I suspect you would get a different answer depending on whom you ask, and since this is my opinion column, you're getting my answer!
The area of life at this university that deeply engages a good portion of our campus, though not nearly all, are those opportunities we have to pray, retreat and serve together. The time has come for many of you to decide who you are and who you want to become. The end of one's college career engenders a deep reflection on just what matters most. We are who we are, however, in large part, because of the choices we make: for classes, for friends, for service, for worship and prayer, for employment, and, ultimately, for vocation.
It's not too late to begin asking questions and considering options. It's not too late to engage your faculty mentors and others in this place that you've come to trust and respect, in conversations about what you plan to do next. It's not too late to get involved in experiences through Campus Ministry and the Moreau Center, which could ultimately affect the direction of your life, and certainly your character.
It would be a great shame if we walked away from this place without getting at the most important questions of life. The opportunities are all around us; the choice is ours. Please do it not only because such a choice would most assuredly enhance your days here, but because of its potential to greatly transform the life that you will live beyond this place.
Please God, that which you have the opportunity to engage in here, will inform the deepest questions of meaning and purpose, and faith and justice. Please God, the opportunities that you have and will yet experience here will enlighten your discernment over some of the most important decisions of your young lives.
I want to encourage you to take advantage of the counsel of Career Services, to consider mixing it up with the efforts of Campus Ministry and of the Moreau Center. There are ample opportunities to get involved even now, whether it be in areas of local service, or the civil rights, Nicaragua, or other plunges; or through Campus Ministry and the areas of faith and community through hall Masses, bible studies, or retreats such as the upcoming Senior Retreat. It's not over yet.
The other thing that I would encourage you to do is to throw wide the possibilities for your future. As you discern the next year or two of your life, you have the luxury of considering opportunities that will, later, probably not be available to you. The opportunities for a year or two of service are many. You will find many valuable resources on this campus: the Moreau Center, the PACE program, Campus Ministry and the counsel and care of any number of faculty and staff members here at UP.
Even beyond a year of service, this is the time for those of you who have long considered, if only casually, religious life or priesthood to consider a year to try it out and to enter into structured discernment about one of the most important decisions of your life.
For all of you, whether you choose to step outside of the normal course or not, it is the time to engage in conversation with trusted friends and mentors, to pray, and to revel in the opportunities that this place and these days afford you. So that when you are long beyond these days you can be confident that you took full advantage of all the opportunities that the University of Portland had to offer.
The Rev. Jim Lies, C.S.C., is a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the pastoral resident in Shipstad Hall.
