THE
GRADUATE
Seven The Quest for Perfection
In our Judeo-Christian biblical tradition the number seven represents perfection in the eyes of God. The Marcellin boy, indeed any of us, will never be perfect, but a graduate of MCR seeks excellence and righteousness in all of his endeavours. Excellence and righteousness not in purely human terms, but in the eyes of God. To be perfect in God is his quest in life. The path to perfection for the Marcellin boy might be found in the following seven dimensions.
1. His Calling They arrive as young boys dependent very much on their parents and their teachers; they depart as adults in the eyes of the law. Young men - citizens of the world. There is an impression that the Marcellin boy is cocooned on the eastern side of Anzac Parade. The challenge for him is that he sees beyond that into the broader world. He is a global citizen. He is called to reach out to others, to let go of any preoccupation with self. His destiny is, as St Marcellin Champagnat foretold, to be a good Christian and good citizen.
Marcellin taught the first Brothers: To make Jesus known and loved is the aim of our vocation and the whole purpose of the Institute. If we were to fail in this purpose, our congregation would be useless. In saying this, Marcellin clearly expressed his conviction, and a growing conviction for Marists today - the WATER FROM THE ROCK #19
centrality of Jesus in our life and mission.
2. A Respectful Man At the heart of the Marcellin Graduate is a love for God and a deep sense of respect for others, self, family, friends and all those in the College community. He nurtures positive relationships with others and values the little things like grooming and good manners. He stands up for what he knows to be right; he empathises with those on the margins and even champions their cause. He is always willing to forgive. There is an air of gentleness about him. He is unpretentious. His strength comes from an understanding of what it means to be a good man with a love, respect and appreciation for all God’s people regardless of gender, race, creed, sexual preference or social status.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your LUKE 10: 27
mind and love your neighbour as yourself.
3. A Sense of Community He is an active member of the local community. He pursues the common good, not just his own. He participates in sporting and community clubs and cultural groups; he is a generous contributor to worthy causes. He seeks out ways to make lasting and significant contributions to the service of society, including politics, the Church, the judiciary and education. His personal integrity is of utmost importance to him and he values, with humility, the opportunities and privileges offered to him. He is proud to be a Marcellin Graduate and is acutely aware and appreciative of being a part of the College tradition; a tradition from which he benefits and to which he contributes.
As we build communities and set up structures that support their vitality, we must share and live a spirituality. Marist spirituality understands community as an excellent place WATER FROM THE ROCK #96
where both the self and God are revealed to us through others.
4. An Achiever He is never beaten until the final whistle; he participates with vigour in all his endeavours. He has a winning attitude, one that is not arrogant but instead, humble. An approach to life that has a sense of self assuredness in knowing that if the work has been done his possibilities are endless. He does not accept mediocrity as an option. He knows he doesn’t necessarily have to be the best, but he always tries his best. He values discipline and by adhering to good habits he develops into a man of selfdiscipline. He looks to the future with optimism and a belief that his dreams are well within his reach. He is a life-long learner seeking to attain skills and knowledge in order to live a fulfilled and meaningful life.
Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that 1 CORINTHIANS 9: 24-25
will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.
5. A Loyal Friend Life-long friendships with his peers is a well known character trait of the Marcellin Graduate. He is loyal to his mates and they keep one another honest and grounded. They grow up together, learn together, share experiences and develop strong bonds that in many ways epitomise the College motto ‘Aeterna non Caduca’ - strive for the everlasting not the transitory. For him the relationships formed at MCR are eternal and they nourish him throughout life. He learns from his mates how to celebrate one another’s successes and how to rise above life’s disappointments. He holds to the great Australian attribute of egalitarianism - he is not better than anyone else and no-one is better than him.
Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, ECCLESIASTES 4: 9-10
it’s just too bad, because there is no-one to help him.
6. Spirited There is a wonderfully energetic spirit within him and he readily shares this spirit with others. He is confident in his abilities and is genuinely enthused about life. He enjoys being a part of the MCR community and he knows the value of a sense of humour. He is able to bear with himself and his companions lightly and to face the ups and downs of life with a joyful spirit. He is a man of resilience and hope. He enjoys seeking out further experiences and will not let disappointments curb his preparedness to ‘have a go’. He is an independent thinker and resourceful; he does not bow to peer pressure. He sets high expectations for himself. He carries within him St Marcellin’s steely determination to make each day, each moment, matter.
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you...for nothing is impossible to God. And Mary said, ‘Here I am, the LUKE 1: 35, 37-38
servant of the Lord’.
7. A Man of Faith He knows in the depths of his heart that he is made in the image and likeness of God. He seeks to commune with his God particularly through prayer, meditation and the sacraments. He develops a reflective capacity. The intimacy of his communion with God compels him to engage in the world as a friend and disciple of Jesus Christ. He contributes to Church and society cognisant that God’s love is a love to be shared with all of humanity, and indeed all of creation.
The story of our spirituality is indeed a simple one. It is a story of women and men who find within a thirst that only God can quench. Having drunk deeply, they find themselves filled with Jesus’ own desire - to give flesh to WATER FROM THE ROCK #43
God’s Good News.
The Eternal not the Transitory
The 90th Jubilee sculpture dominates the College courtyard and it represents the quest and destiny of the Marcellin boy. His image is reflected in its spherical ball as he gazes to the heavens. He has aspirations for a bright and shiny future. He knows that the path of his life’s journey will not always be clearly defined or straight and predictable. He has within him a strength of spirit in knowing that where he has come from empowers him to rise above the fleeting things. He strives for what really matters - the everlasting, and with Mary as his guide, he plays his part in bringing about the reign of God in the world.