Commencement Address by US Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)

Commencement addresses are typically the occasion for someone my age to communicate to a group of folks your age some profound wisdom about how to find meaning and purpose in your lives after college.

Well, with this crowd of graduates, I have to say that I'm both humbled and relieved to recognize that I don't have to pretend to do that. You were all fortunate enough to have gone to a school that has provided you with all the foundation you need in the eternal verities. You've been given a first-class education in philosophy and theology and in the social teaching of the Catholic Church. As far as moral formation goes, you have the very best there is.

You know that the clichés one normally hears in commencement speeches about "going out and changing the world" and "making a difference" ring hollow outside of the context of transforming our society by living lives of virtue. You understand that "changing the world" and "making a difference" are just empty modern catch-phrases unless they mean the "new evangelization" of the culture that is so close to the heart of our Holy Father Benedict XVI and his predecessor, the great John Paul II, a man who was and continues to be such an inspiration to me as I'm sure he is to all of you.
It is a noble ideal that you are called to-transforming the world-and I am sure you leave Christendom to embark on this important mission with a great deal of enthusiasm and idealism. And that is wonderful; as John Paul II reminded us all frequently, the idealism of young people is the hope of the world. But that idealism, that desire to change the world, has to take form in a practical way, or it runs the danger of remaining just a noble ideal, a fond wish without any practical effect.

In carrying out this mandate we have all been given to re-evangelize our society, it's important to recognize that this "new evangelization" we are called to engage in is not going to be accomplished through political movements or social activism. Given my line of work, you may find that statement a bit surprising. But the fact is, although it's extremely important to be engaged in the political process and stand up for Christian principles in the public realm, it isn't through political debate or activism, primarily, that we are going to win people over to those principles.

Our influence on others, and on the culture, is going to take place primarily through friendship and through the personal example we give to those we come into contact with each day-the testimony of our quiet self-giving as spouses, as parents, and as friends.

That might not sound as heroic or dramatic as a big political victory in the culture wars or a mass revival of religious faith, but it is. It is the heroism and the drama of living for others in your daily life, inspired by your Faith, made possible by Grace, in which you transform your environment and the culture by living a life of service to your friends, your family, and your colleagues.

I deal with a lot of important political issues on a daily basis, from the protection of marriage and innocent human life to the battle against terror to the future of the world's largest economy. These are, objectively, extremely important political questions, and they deserve our full attention and serious consideration as legislators.

But more important than the "big issues" I deal with each day as a Senator are the individual souls I touch every day. The temptation that many of us in public life face is to treat public policy issues as if they were of transcendent importance. In fact, that can become a handy excuse for treating people as means to an all-important end, as well as all sorts of other omissions of responsibility. We can begin to regard the end-the cause for which we are fighting-as so important that it justifies any means, even if that requires running roughshod over people or not living up to our obligations in charity to others. We can easily delude ourselves into thinking that these small matters are of little importance as long as we are on the side of righteousness. The cause, and not the individuals we deal with, becomes the important thing: as long as we are fighting the good fight for truth and justice, it doesn't matter that much if we cut corners in the little responsibilities of our daily life towards our family, friends, and colleagues. It's something of an occupational hazard for those involved in politics, and it is necessary for all of us to remind ourselves that fighting for a good cause doesn't dispense us from fighting the daily battle against our own selfishness.

St. Paul tells us "out of love, place yourselves at one another's service." I have to remind myself when my day is filled with meetings with ambassadors and executives and lawmakers-people who have status, power, and importance in the world's eyes-that more important than any of that is the way I deal with each soul I encounter, no matter what their status. We believe that each and every life is beautiful, unique, and has great meaning, and this motivates many of the political stands we take. But we have to put that belief into action every day in the way that we serve others. We are a people who do not measure the value of life by physical prowess, birthright, or achievement. We respect the inherent dignity and equality of every person, because every life is sacred. And that is not just a theoretical belief; it has to be embodied in the way we treat others and serve others, "especially the least of these."

Our understanding of human dignity is rooted in the Judeo-Christian concepts of Righteousness and Justice. Righteousness, is the knowledge of right from wrong, of good from evil, of light from darkness. Justice is walking in this knowledge; the practical prudence to distinguish what to do when confronted by situations requiring moral decisions. It is the God-given grace to know how to apply the knowledge that comes with Righteousness.

Righteousness and Justice require each other. Righteousness without Justice is the judgment and knowledge of what is right without acting on it. God gives us the light to distinguish what morally upright action entails, and yet we are satisfied with moral judgment without action.

Justice without Righteousness is impossible. It's like trying to set a level without a plumb line-you do not know right from wrong, and yet you try, in your actions, to set right what is wrong in society. It is a blueprint for failure.

Too often in America we have attempted to do Justice without regard for Righteousness or we have regarded Righteousness as an end in itself, without enough regard for those who suffer injustice as a result. And those on the receiving end of injustice often become deeply cynical, wounded, and begin to lose hope. They eventually lash out in anger at a system they have come to regard as cruelly set against them without regard for the welfare of their bodies or souls. Their despair and alienation from society, and the social unrest that results, is our punishment.
The new evangelization of society requires that we get these things right in the realm of public policy. But, even more importantly, it obliges us to understand the requirements of Righteousness and Justice in our personal behavior, and in our obligations of service toward others. It means not just doing the right thing, but doing it for the right reasons.

It is not just those of us who work in public policy who have to grapple with priorities and keeping the right intention in our everyday behavior. Each and every one of you, no matter what your profession or place in society, will have to fight that daily battle as well. In professional work, whatever it may be, this trap is constantly present. Motives such as seeking our own advancement at the expense of others, seeking credit for accomplishments, the will to dominate and manipulate others for our own ends-or even the spiritual pride of self-righteousness that can creep in when we do the right thing-always have to be guarded against. But it is this constant interior struggle to do our work well and to fulfill our obligations with the right intention that will have the most profound effect on society. This is the re-evangelization in action: the positive influence we can have on the souls we touch each day.

And sometimes there will be pressure, subtle or not so subtle, to do the wrong thing, either out of a desire to advance our own agenda through improper means or because of a lax ethical or moral atmosphere that begins to dominate in our environment. It may require real courage and genuine heroism to stand up to these pressures, but if service of God and others is what we always have in mind, and if we seek God's grace to keep that upright intention through prayer, we will be able to stand up when it is necessary, even at the cost of our own self-interest.

The other, even more important aspect of re-evangelizing the culture is living up to our family obligations. Most of the important social issues I deal with as a senator, and even many of the economic and fiscal issues, have to do with the breakdown of the family. But the most effective thing we can all do to protect the sanctity of marriage and the family is to do that in our own families by being good children, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. This, too, requires a silent, steady heroism, a constantly renewed self-giving and spirit of service. It requires us to be there for our families and to make real sacrifices in concrete things for them. Small, hidden sacrifices, like carving out the time each day to talk over family matters, big and small, to pray together, to have meals together, despite our busy schedules. Being with the kids on Sunday morning so your spouse can sleep in that day; emptying the dishwasher when you didn't put the dishes in there; cleaning up your messes; being considerate enough not to insist on our own way all the time; remembering little details of affection; being there for our kids; I can testify that all these small things are what makes for happy, healthy family life, no matter what the popular culture or the self-help books are telling us this week. The battle to change the culture and to strengthen the family starts at home, and it is a battle each one of us has to fight personally.
In the end, nothing is more important in the battle to change our culture than family involvement. Ultimately, we will change the culture one household, one family, one child at a time. And that can only happen when dedicated parents are immersed in the lives of their children and in each others' lives, not out of fear but out of loving concern for their well-being.

We can change the culture, but that change will not come through government involvement or mandates. It will come through our involvement, our dedication, our commitment, and our example, each and every one of us. At the center of any true cultural change is the individual family culture of each home, and that is a reason for hope in this great country of ours.

Thank you, and God bless.

Salutatory Speech by Kenneth Furlong

Senator Brownback, Dr. Bethell, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Reverend Fathers, Doctors and Masters, Dear Family and Friends, Fellow Graduates:

It is my honor and privilege to welcome you all to the Commencement Exercises of the Christendom Class of the Year of Our Lord 2005.

When Christ came to restore all things to Himself in mercy rather than justice, He preached that forgiveness and charity were to be preferred to resentment and vengeance. Thus was abolished the Old Covenant maxim "an eye for an eye." Yet Our Lord saw fit that the positive side of justice should remain. And so, two thousand years later, it is still true that "one good turn deserves another." In anticipation therefore of the President's upcoming remarks, I would like to mention briefly some of those things that the Class of 2005 will miss about Christendom College:

One of the first things that springs to mind is the speculation: what is really in Dr. Marshner's cup?

And the men among us will certainly miss Mr. Brown's example of the proper care and maintenance of neckties.

And what will we do without Dr. O'Donnell to exhort us to "drink it in?"
Or Dr. Fahey to exhort us to drop his class?

What will we do without Dr. Andres' laugh;
Or Dr. Flippen's garlic juice?

Or Dr. Blum to warn us that Wagner is evil;
And Dr. Lloyd to tell us that Wagner is God?

Or Dr. Cuddebach to remind us that the ordered life is the good life;
And Mr. Duffy to remind us that life at the beach is the good life?

But most of all, what will we do without the privilege of being witnesses to the epic struggle between Thesis and Antithesis that is the basis of all Hegelian history and that is daily played out before our eyes . . . in Padre Pio Hall. That most strange of all paradoxes - - the Irish and the Italian - - O'Kielty and Mastroeni.

How will we survive without Fr. O'Kielty dousing us with Holy Water?
Or Fr. Mastroeni freezing us to death with open windows?

I don't know.

But, by God's aid, we have made it through these four years and with that same assistance we shall succeed in the years to come - - those years for which this preparation has been.

This ceremony marks the end of our preparation. But the end of the preparation is the beginning of the main event. The end of training is the beginning of combat. Today marks the end of our peace and tranquility.

Today we leave Christendom; we leave this place so dear to us; we leave the peace and security of constant proximity to the sacraments; we leave the support and defense of 400 of our brethren in Christ whenever tribulation strikes; we leave the ability to go to practically any person on campus - - acquaintance or not - - and receive their assistance.

We leave all of this that makes up Christendom. But we do not leave our home. . . Christendom is not our home. The life, the community, the training, the mission of Christendom is not that of a home . . . it is that of a motherhouse. The motherhouse is where those who have taken on the challenge of conquering the world are formed, where they enjoy the calm before the storm, and where their spiritual center remains even after they go forth.

For century upon century, the great motherhouses of the Church sent forth their soldiers. And so ours does again today. Ours does so in the hope that one day, perhaps not in our lifetimes, but eventually, Christendom will retake what is rightfully hers - - the Western World.

This is the mission of Christendom. It is not simply to train Catholics how to live a Christian life - - that is what home is for. Christendom is to train Catholics how to do great things for the Church and the world. As Scripture itself tells us, "[no credit is due to those who do simply what is required of them.]" Rather, credit is due to those who, for Christ's sake, do great things that are not required of them.

This shall be very difficult for us, for "from those to whom much has been given much is expected."

This task will only be possible through the Divine Assistance, which we have already enjoyed for four years. But we are part of Christendom and shall therefore always have this place as a spiritual refuge. Just as countless thousands of priests and religious benefited from the prayers of the brethren they had left behind, never to see again, so too may we always draw on the spiritual treasury of our motherhouse.

Every day from this place the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered up three times, every day from this place the prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, is offered three times, every day at this place Our Lord is adored and every First Friday vigil is kept throughout the night before the Blessed Sacrament, every day the rosary is prayed publicly and privately, every day the Infant's foot is kissed countless times, every day prayers go up for whatever intentions are requested, and every day all of Christendom strives after perfection in Christ through penance and charity.

There is one common theme in all of Christendom's prayer. It is wholly contained in the acclamation that we have made our own: "Praised be Jesus Christ, Now and Forever." This one sentence is our prayer of adoration and our prayer of thanksgiving. But there is one thing lacking . . . our prayer of supplication.

We so often pray for those individual intentions that are recommended to us by students or faculty or alumni that we forget to pray just for Christendom; not for the school itself, but for all of those faculty, staff, students, alumni, family and friends, who are counted as Christendom. Too often, we forget to pray for these our brethren and their intentions, unless they are specifically recommended to us. But for centuries untold even till today, in every motherhouse whose religious were forever bound to their order by spiritual communion was said the common final prayer of their Office: "May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and with our absent brethren."

In this one ancient prayer is contained all of Christendom's supplication, just as our acclamation contains all of our adoration and thanksgiving. Thus, just as that acclamation goes with every member of Christendom and remains here perpetually, so too may this one supplication go with us and remain here forever with our younger brethren for both our sakes, for the sake of Christendom, and for the sake of the Church.

May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and with our absent brethren.

Tomorrow we celebrate Pentecost, the greatest example of Divine Assistance. There could not be a more perfect time to take leave of friends, perhaps forever, and return to the world to restore all things in Christ, remembering that He and our brethren in Him shall always be with us, even to the end of the age.

May the Divine Assistance remain always with us, and with our absent brethren.

Praised Be Jesus Christ!

Valedictory Speech by Ida Friemoth

Reverend Fathers, Dr. Bethel, Senator Brownback, Dr. O'Donnell, Dr. Snyder, all the Faculty, Parents, Friends and Family here present, and my Fellow Graduates:
In the modern world it is a challenge to live a truly human life. The intrinsic nature and dignity of man is continuously denied by the world's emphasis on happiness in this life. Wealth, pleasure, and success promise to fulfill man's deepest desires, yet instead of satisfying him, they lead him further and further away from his true end. By pursuing his own temporal pleasure he becomes isolated from his fellow man; even within his own life, the things he desires are fragmentary and unfulfilling. Even a glimpse of the true end of man is lost to him, overwhelmed by the secular culture's mill of distractions, products, and entertainments.

This denial of human nature and its intrinsic end in God is bad enough in the world. Even many Christians live in conformity with secular culture, never doubting or calling into question the assumptions underlying their every act. Yet those assumptions which dominate a culture of materialism and relativism are intrinsically incompatible with an authentically Catholic view of human nature and fulfillment.

Our education here at Christendom reveals to us what it means to be human: to be able to act freely in pursuit of our final end. Studying the liberal arts themselves shows an understanding of human nature beyond temporal success: by definition, the liberal arts are worth studying for their own sake, not simply as means to a further end. Our understanding of human nature should never stop there, however, for man's end lies not in knowledge alone, but in knowledge of God for HIS own sake. In knowing man's end in God, we not only see a universal end far removed from the temporal ends sought by the world, but also that these temporal goods receive their goodness only in relation to Him. Every other good, then, is subordinate to God-not that they must be unnaturally forced to serve an arbitrary rule, but that all goods only become their true selves when allowed to flourish in God's service. In the same way, man is most free when he serves God.

We cannot live the fragmented life of the modern man, because to live as a Catholic is to direct all actions towards God, to live an integral life of virtue. While man can seek material goods by himself and for himself, spiritual goods are mediated only through community. The community here at Christendom allows us to experience life within a Catholic culture focused on man's true end. Daily Mass, Adoration, beauty and intellectual study unite with virtuous friendships to spur us on to our heavenly goal. I have made the closest and most lasting friendships of my life here at Christendom, friendships I pray God will be a lasting encouragement and source of joy until we reach heaven. Studies, virtues, and even friendships, however, are incomplete without Charity to catch them up in its burning love for God. Unless we spend time in prayer, frequent the sacraments, and are devoted to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and to His Blessed Mother, we cannot grow in the Christian life of virtue: and ultimately without virtue, we will be unable to understand or live the Truth concerning man and God.

As we leave here to pursue our paths in the world, this challenge faces us: not to remember our heavenly end, but to remember to act on it. No longer will our studies daily remind us of intellectual goods higher than money or pleasure. No longer will a life of virtue be so easy to maintain, as we leave behind the easy access to the sacraments, the reminders to prayer, and the community and friends who gave us support. In the world we will face the temptations of a secular culture that may not deny God, but will always exclude Him from a way of life centered on earthly goods, on having over being. In face of the world's persistent assertion that temporal goods are the ultimate end of human life, remember that all goods must be subject to God, in whom alone they find fulfillment. Do not be deceived when the world tells you to live for pleasure, because you have tasted eternal goods and found them sweet.

Our Lord tells us in the Gospel: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart: I have overcome the world." Remember the lesson of our education at Christendom: man's end is in God and must be lived out in culture. Hold fast to prayer, remain steadfast in love. Continue to study the truth. Maintain and seek out virtuous friendships wherever you find them. As we graduate here on the vigil of Pentecost, let us take heart at beginning our life in the world under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Christ will not leave us orphans, but send us forth with His Spirit to renew the face of the earth.

Viva Cristo Re!