JUNE 2001
ORTHODOX OBSERVER
Commencement Address of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology May 19, 2001, Brookline, Massachusetts
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s we gather on this day we offer praise and thanksgiv ing to God our Creator and Redeemer who has brought us out of darkness and guides us into the radiant light of His eternal glory. This first commencement of the new millennium is a momentous occasion for several reasons: we are here to recognize the achievements of these men and women who are soon to be graduates of Hellenic College and Holy Cross; we are here to honor and remember those who have contributed to the life and work of this vital institution of our Holy Archdiocese; and we are here to acknowledge the continuous service and provision to the Church that has come from a school and a community that is now embracing a renewed vision for the future of ministry and mission in our parishes, in the broader society, and throughout the world. Today, our hope and prayer is that such a vision has been established and will be perpetuated in the hearts and minds of you, our graduates. May the knowledge, the wisdom, the deep insights, and the spiritual and intellectual resources that you have acquired here be both an invaluable guide and a firm foundation for the tasks that God will give to you. In affirmation of your future role in our parishes and communities and of your witness to the transformative power and presence of our Risen Lord, it is not enough to say that you represent the struggle for ideals, the love of learning, the endeavor for truth, and the cultivation of faith that we seek to manifest in this place; for you are the embodiment of these labors, the fruit of the true vine, who have been nurtured and strengthened by being members of this sacred community. Such an image of our graduates and of all those who have preceeded them directs each one of us to consider our Godgiven task and responsibility to remain constantly in a mode of progress, advancement, and achievement. The lives of these men and women and of the generations to come, their ministry that will bring honor and glory to God, the challenges and turmoil of our contemporary world, the needs of our parishes, all of these require us to examine carefully our goals for this school and the means by which they are accomplished. We must affirm that our rich cultural and spiritual heritage does not lead us to accept the status quo or be satisfied and limited by the parameters of excellence determined by the society around us. We must progress further; we must advance beyond; we must strive for the highest level of achievement that can be conceived.
The validity and necessity of this task is magnified by our cherished understanding of paideiva and by the biblical conception of wisdom. First, paideiva education, learning, the shaping of character, of mind and body is not focused on a fixed or final standard, not a stagnant mark that can be easily determined or influenced by the world around us. To the contrary, true paideiva has as its focus ever-expanding goals, ideals, and concepts that challenge our intellectual abilities, transform our perceptions, and lead us in directions we never knew existed. Second, passages from the books of Proverbs and The Wisdom of Solomon portray divine wisdom with incomprehensible limits and inexhaustible knowledge, truly a gift from God for our perfection and salvation. From The Wisdom of Solomon the following: For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom. She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well. (The Wisdom of Solomon 7:24-8:1) These brief references to paideiva and to divine wisdom are further exemplified by Christ and the labors of the martyrs, saints, and great theologians of the Church, collectively presenting to us a mind-set, a method, a mode of shaping our work so that we are constantly progressing and offering ourselves to God, to the Church, and to others at the highest levels of achievement. Thus, we are presented with a challenge a challenge that, as stated, speaks directly to our work here at Hellenic College and Holy Cross. How do we progress? What are the practical steps that will move us toward the goals and levels of achievement we so desire? Certainly, these are issues that are being discussed by the leadership of this institution. However, let me
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