WEBVTT 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:13.380 Among the many distinguishing factors, mister Martin is the founder and chief executive officer of FOCUS, the fell the fellowship of Catholic University students. 00:00:14.555 --> 00:00:22.255 An award winning and dynamic speaker, Curtis has the ability to help his audience discover a vision for life. 00:00:23.915 --> 00:00:37.750 Whether he is on college campuses, on television, speaking at conferences, or working with core corporate America, Curtis engages people through humor, stories, and his own captivating experiences. 00:00:39.410 --> 00:00:49.485 Please join me in honoring mister Curtis Martin for his contributions to the field of psychology and public witness to faith and reason in action. 00:01:08.915 --> 00:01:10.135 Thank you, doctor Biss. 00:01:11.315 --> 00:01:24.100 Your excellencies, father Sikorsky, reverend fathers, religious women and men, family and friends and loved ones of the graduates, and graduates, it's a tremendous honor to be with you. 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:34.100 It's a delight to have fallen into a friendship with this wonderful university and the institute that preceded it in our work and focus. 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:42.875 Over the last twenty years, we've worked with tens of thousands of college students, and we have a similar vision to help people flourish. 00:01:43.575 --> 00:01:52.650 And that flourishing is an amazing work, and I'd like to speak briefly about that and, about the great synergy that I pray for as we move forward. 00:01:53.430 --> 00:01:59.350 When I look at the flourishing of a person coming alive in Christ, we see a pattern that comes out. 00:01:59.350 --> 00:02:04.730 Somebody who has already encountered Christ moves forward and steps into the life of somebody else. 00:02:05.030 --> 00:02:06.730 But they have to address their poverty. 00:02:07.405 --> 00:02:08.525 It might be physical. 00:02:08.525 --> 00:02:09.565 It might be spiritual. 00:02:09.565 --> 00:02:10.625 It might be emotional. 00:02:10.845 --> 00:02:15.265 But if they don't address the poverty, they won't be able to hear the great richness of the gospel. 00:02:15.485 --> 00:02:19.505 And so you begin to walk with them, and they begin to come alive. 00:02:19.805 --> 00:02:22.785 And at a moment, they also encounter Christ. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:28.940 And you recognize that the flourishing is not just a flourishing in this life, but a a flourishing that will last into eternity. 00:02:29.880 --> 00:02:36.380 And then they begin to go out and do the same, to be able to love others because now they've been enriched. 00:02:36.765 --> 00:02:40.065 So they love them in their poverty, meeting them where they are. 00:02:40.525 --> 00:02:42.525 And an amazing thing takes place. 00:02:42.525 --> 00:02:44.765 The process is repeated over and over again. 00:02:44.765 --> 00:02:48.705 But what we've seen is that focused missionaries can offer friendship. 00:02:49.890 --> 00:02:53.110 They can offer, a pathway back to the sacrifice of the church. 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:59.910 But we encounter people who themselves, in the process of becoming enriched, live in deep wounding. 00:03:00.610 --> 00:03:04.070 And that is where your important work comes in so powerfully. 00:03:04.455 --> 00:03:06.775 And I wanna I wanna congratulate you on that. 00:03:06.775 --> 00:03:20.330 I also want to encourage you that, we're here to celebrate your effort, your gifts, your skills, which are still in process but are well on their way, And to celebrate this great milestone. 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:28.010 But it struck me as I was trying to prepare, to share something with you that I you're kind of in a similar place where I am. 00:03:28.150 --> 00:03:29.830 I'm reading a book on the rosary. 00:03:29.830 --> 00:03:32.250 It's the hundredth anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima. 00:03:32.805 --> 00:03:37.625 And, in the history, came across something that, took place in Saint Dominic's life. 00:03:38.245 --> 00:03:45.225 Dominic was the most gifted orator of his generation, but he was having only a little bit of fruitfulness in his work. 00:03:45.950 --> 00:03:49.010 And our lady appeared to him and said, Dominic, you're gifted. 00:03:49.870 --> 00:03:53.010 The problem is not in your gifting or your skills. 00:03:53.390 --> 00:03:56.450 It's in the hearts and minds of the people you're speaking to. 00:03:56.830 --> 00:03:58.290 You need grace. 00:03:59.025 --> 00:04:09.365 And when God chose to enter into history in the most definitive way with the coming of Jesus Christ, it began with two words, hail Mary. 00:04:10.145 --> 00:04:23.610 And he she then gave him the the rosary and said, if you will share the rosary and meditate and preach the mysteries, God will open the hearts and minds of the people you're trying to reach. 00:04:24.470 --> 00:04:31.235 And so I would like to invite us to take just about three or four minutes right now to just pray one decade of the rosary together. 00:04:31.235 --> 00:04:35.015 I'd like to invite us to pray about the Annunciation. 00:04:35.555 --> 00:04:39.735 Because the Annunciation is very appropriate to where you are in your life today. 00:04:40.450 --> 00:04:45.110 God intervened in humanity's life in a very powerful way, not a teaching. 00:04:45.490 --> 00:04:49.510 The teachings are great, and there were teachings included, but in a presence. 00:04:50.290 --> 00:04:51.570 I love to go to Nazareth. 00:04:51.570 --> 00:04:53.010 It's one of my favorite places on earth. 00:04:53.010 --> 00:04:54.050 I love to go to the church. 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:55.090 It's a two level church. 00:04:55.090 --> 00:05:06.175 There's a big church up top, and there literally is a giant hole in the floor in the to look down into the crypt so that you can look at the front porch of the childhood home of the blessed Virgin Mary. 00:05:06.395 --> 00:05:09.035 And there on the altar is an inscription. 00:05:09.035 --> 00:05:11.295 It's quote scripture, but it adds one word. 00:05:12.050 --> 00:05:15.430 It says the word was made flesh here. 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:23.030 And it's so powerful to recognize that Jesus did not teach us things only, but he came and he shared life with us. 00:05:23.250 --> 00:05:24.290 It's amazing to see. 00:05:24.290 --> 00:05:27.105 People say, well, did Jesus have to die for us? 00:05:27.345 --> 00:05:31.745 And given the way that he revealed himself, it became necessary that the Christ would suffer and die. 00:05:31.745 --> 00:05:32.945 Jesus says that himself. 00:05:32.945 --> 00:05:34.065 But God's all powerful. 00:05:34.065 --> 00:05:36.225 He didn't have to reveal things this way. 00:05:36.225 --> 00:05:38.085 He could have just said, you're forgiven. 00:05:39.025 --> 00:05:41.730 But But he didn't wanna forgive us in a cosmetic way. 00:05:42.190 --> 00:05:50.130 In fact, the one person that he did that to, the blessed Virgin Mary, by the merits that would be won later, but when he but he gave those gifts to her first. 00:05:50.590 --> 00:05:53.295 But it didn't free her from sin and suffering. 00:05:53.435 --> 00:05:58.975 It invited her more deeply than anyone else into the suffering that her son would endure for our sake. 00:05:59.195 --> 00:06:11.180 And you are walking the same path, not to step back and write prescriptions and throw them in a hole, but to walk with people, to hurt with them, and to walk them out. 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:12.280 And I think that's powerful. 00:06:12.280 --> 00:06:25.155 So I'd like to invite you to pray this deck of the rosary, not just for yourselves, but for every single person that you are going to walk with during the rest of your time in the pursuits of psychology and your counseling. 00:06:25.295 --> 00:06:27.535 In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 00:06:27.535 --> 00:06:28.035 Amen. 00:06:29.295 --> 00:06:30.035 The Annunciation. 00:06:30.335 --> 00:06:33.535 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 00:06:33.535 --> 00:06:34.495 Thy kingdom come. 00:06:34.495 --> 00:06:36.915 Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:06:49.520 --> 00:06:51.940 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:06:52.145 --> 00:06:55.685 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:06:55.985 --> 00:07:03.665 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:07:03.665 --> 00:07:07.205 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:15.100 Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:18.720 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:07:23.915 --> 00:07:26.235 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:07:26.235 --> 00:07:30.015 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:37.920 Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:41.620 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:49.215 Hail Mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. 00:07:49.215 --> 00:07:52.755 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:07:53.055 --> 00:08:00.575 Holy Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:08:00.575 --> 00:08:03.955 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:08:04.180 --> 00:08:11.780 Holy Mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. 00:08:11.780 --> 00:08:15.400 Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:08:20.725 --> 00:08:23.445 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:08:23.445 --> 00:08:27.065 Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:08:32.370 --> 00:08:34.850 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. 00:08:34.850 --> 00:08:38.230 Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 00:08:38.530 --> 00:08:39.510 Holy Mary, hasty. 00:08:43.410 --> 00:08:46.470 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 00:08:51.215 --> 00:08:53.615 Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins. 00:08:53.615 --> 00:08:55.555 Save us from the fires of hell. 00:08:55.855 --> 00:09:00.035 Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy. 00:09:04.140 --> 00:09:10.720 An exciting time, and I believe that this university is perfectly positioned in an anointed sort of way. 00:09:11.660 --> 00:09:18.965 You stand at a moment when piercing insights from the secular sciences are being shown into the very things you're studying. 00:09:20.065 --> 00:09:26.165 There's been such wonderful advancements in in the secular studies, and that makes it a perfect time to be a Catholic. 00:09:26.790 --> 00:09:38.970 Because what Catholics are best at is looking into the beauty, the truth, and the goodness in the rest of the world, and with the insight of the Holy Spirit, mining those truths, bringing them home so that they can find their true place. 00:09:39.190 --> 00:09:44.265 To be able to recognize that context is everything, narrative is everything. 00:09:44.725 --> 00:09:50.505 If you think about it, the world with all of these piercing insights has the narrative exactly backwards. 00:09:51.285 --> 00:09:58.730 Let's look at the human person for just a moment, just in three aspects, our origin, our condition, and our destiny. 00:09:59.350 --> 00:10:05.050 The world says that you and those that you'll be working with are glorified pond scum. 00:10:05.910 --> 00:10:11.265 Your great great great great great grandparents were tadpoles or something like that. 00:10:11.325 --> 00:10:13.265 You have no significant dignity. 00:10:13.325 --> 00:10:17.405 In fact, in reality, when you look at the big bang, you have no significant dignity. 00:10:17.405 --> 00:10:18.205 None at all. 00:10:18.205 --> 00:10:19.585 You are really nothing. 00:10:20.685 --> 00:10:25.745 The church on the other hand looks and says, you are a son or a daughter of God. 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:30.220 You are so infinitely valuable that you were conceived twice. 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:38.940 You were conceived once in the mind of God, and he loved the idea of you so much that you were conceived a second time in your mother's womb. 00:10:40.025 --> 00:10:46.685 You're infinitely valuable, priceless beyond measure, of greater value than all of the rest of creation put together. 00:10:47.065 --> 00:10:47.565 Amazing. 00:10:47.705 --> 00:10:53.405 In origin, the world and the church could not think more differently about you and the people you'll be serving. 00:10:53.800 --> 00:10:59.420 When you think about our condition, the world says you're basically good, and so give in to your impulses. 00:10:59.800 --> 00:11:02.440 If you feel like you should do something, go for it. 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:05.020 The church says you're amazing, but you're broken. 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:14.995 You have these things called temptations, and you need to allow your intel impulses to be, measured by reason so that you can choose wisely to navigate life. 00:11:14.995 --> 00:11:21.415 Again, the world and the church couldn't be a more different place, and we can see this played out over and over and over again. 00:11:21.570 --> 00:11:25.170 And finally, in Destiny, the world says that when it's over, it's over. 00:11:25.170 --> 00:11:26.550 End of end of the game. 00:11:26.930 --> 00:11:35.350 And the church says, quoting or at least paraphrasing cardinal Newman, everyone who ever lived still does somewhere. 00:11:36.235 --> 00:11:39.455 And we need to use this life to obtain that life. 00:11:39.675 --> 00:11:43.435 Again, the world and the church could not be in more different places here. 00:11:43.435 --> 00:11:51.250 And this is what's so important about your work because having piercing insights isn't enough to really bring about flourishing. 00:11:51.630 --> 00:11:55.710 The meta narrative that you have is what's so important there. 00:11:55.710 --> 00:12:00.290 I've watched one of your classmates, Sarah Acres, who I've worked with for more than ten years. 00:12:00.350 --> 00:12:08.555 I've just watched her through this process, and she was amazing when she started, but she's just deepened in her humanity and her ability to care for others. 00:12:09.015 --> 00:12:18.395 One of the beautiful statements about Cardinal that Cardinal Ratzinger said about being Catholic, he said, evangelization has as its end to address poverty in all of its forms. 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:23.280 But in order to address poverty, you have to allow God to enrich you. 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:34.125 So while there are wonderful, sincere people in your field, if they're working with a bad blueprint, a bad metanarrative, they'll never be able to help people flourish the way that you will. 00:12:34.125 --> 00:12:40.305 Even the most sincere build sincere builder in the world can't build well with a bad blueprint. 00:12:41.245 --> 00:12:45.905 You've been given this beautiful blueprint, and you'll be able to execute on it for years to come. 00:12:46.810 --> 00:12:48.590 We live in a world that is broken. 00:12:49.530 --> 00:12:57.230 Not too long ago, my my dear friend and mentor, Archbishop Shaphew, was speaking at, Notre Dame. 00:12:57.770 --> 00:13:10.475 And he says this, listening to people's sexual sins in the sacrament of penance is hardly new news, but the scope, the novelty, the violence, and the compulsiveness of these sins are. 00:13:10.775 --> 00:13:16.090 And remember that people who come to confession are already are coming with a sense of right and wrong. 00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:21.610 They already understand, at least dimly, that they need to change and seek God in their lives. 00:13:22.550 --> 00:13:29.225 The world is desperately broken, and I'd I'd like to leave you with just two thoughts of hope about this brokenness. 00:13:30.005 --> 00:13:32.265 The first one is job security. 00:13:33.365 --> 00:13:34.185 You're good. 00:13:34.565 --> 00:13:35.385 You're good. 00:13:36.085 --> 00:13:42.745 The second one is that we should take note of what's going on in the world from the perspective of Christ. 00:13:43.170 --> 00:13:57.510 It would it would be apparent as we listen to Saint John Paul, Pope Benedict, Pope Francis, and others who have deep insight into the signs of the times, that the devil himself is terrified and has never worked harder than he has working in this last century. 00:13:57.895 --> 00:14:07.595 He's terrified that his kingdom is about to come to an end, and so he's pulled out all the stops, which means that you and I have been invited into a battle at one of its most epic moments. 00:14:08.615 --> 00:14:13.910 I believe that your life right now will be the type of life that stands out amongst the generations. 00:14:13.910 --> 00:14:16.630 There are a few of them that have walked before us. 00:14:16.630 --> 00:14:21.450 That when you get to heaven, people will want to have dinner with you because they want to know what it was like. 00:14:21.510 --> 00:14:24.570 One of those generations might have been the the generation with Moses. 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:26.115 What was it like? 00:14:26.275 --> 00:14:27.635 What did manna taste like? 00:14:27.635 --> 00:14:29.655 How high did the pillar of fire go up? 00:14:29.955 --> 00:14:32.855 All these questions we wanna ask were those that were with Jesus. 00:14:33.875 --> 00:14:36.595 And to be able to sit back and say, what was it like? 00:14:36.595 --> 00:14:38.135 Were you at the Sermon on the Mount? 00:14:38.515 --> 00:14:41.815 How much bread did you eat when he made the when he made all that bread? 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:44.860 How much wine did you drink when he made all that wine? 00:14:45.080 --> 00:15:00.785 And to be able to sit and talk to people, and I believe that you have an opportunity, I have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to flourish at a moment of pivotal importance that'll be so dramatic as to bring about or to be brought about by the triumph of the Immaculate Heart. 00:15:01.165 --> 00:15:16.780 And so I encourage you, sharpen your skills, be lifelong learners, never stop in that, but recognize that our work is primarily work of grace, so never stop begging heaven for the grace to bring about the healing that the people we work with so desperately need. 00:15:16.920 --> 00:15:18.920 I'm so thrilled to be with you. 00:15:18.920 --> 00:15:19.420 Congratulations.