Dear graduates, you graduated a very special time as the universal church continues to celebrate our jubilee year, focused on a theological virtue of hope, as Divine Mercy University celebrates its twenty fifth anniversary And only a few days after we have been introduced to our new Holy Father, Pope Leo fourteenth, for whom we pray for in a special way at this mass as he begins his ministry among us.
Dear graduates, you are here today as a result of God's grace, for sure.
But also because of the way you have cooperated with that grace through hard work and dedication, sacrifices, and perseverance through a very rigorous program.
And all of us here today are very proud of you and extend our sincere congratulations.
This is truly a mass of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving for the gift of Divine Mercy University, a jewel, a treasure in our diocese, and a gift to the entire church.
Thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for all of you.
And thanksgiving, I'm sure, dear graduates, for all the special people who have helped you along the way, the administrators and faculty, your spouses and parents, family members and friends.
I know you give thanks to God for all of them.
And as you go forth today, I am very confident that the Lord will send you as instruments of his healing love and know that you go with our prayers.
I suspect that, if not all, many of us at certain times have encountered people in desperate situations like in today's reading.
Aeneas who was paralyzed and confined to bed for eight years.
And Tabitha, who had died after an illness.
At moments like these, it is very easy for us to fall into the temptation to lose hope, to give up, to think that nothing can change or be done, Or maybe even begin to think that no one cares.
Yet, we just heard how God, through the action and intercession of Saint Peter, healed Aeneas and restored Tabitha to life.
And because of these miracles, we are told, many turned to the Lord and came to believe in him.
Not only were the people who witnessed these events amaze, but they also discovered hope.
The hope united to faith that with God, all things are possible.
At the same time, the healing that the Lord accomplishes is also a sign of his mercy.
Or we could say his merciful love towards those in need.
Without a doubt, Divine Mercy University has and continues to exemplify the qualities, the virtues of hope and mercy.
It is providential that today's baccalaureate mass is being celebrated during the jubilee year in which our beloved holy father, Pope Francis, dedicated to the theme of hope.
In the bowl of eviction for the beginning of the jubilee, Pope Francis wrote, with Jesus, joy flourishes.
With him, life changes for the better And hope does not disappoint.
He went on to say that by our words and example, we can be messengers of hope.
The hope that is ours in the Lord and his power to transform and and heal us.
Think of all the times.
The Lord has done that for you.
Pope Francis reminded us that in Christ Jesus, physical, spiritual, and emotional healing are always possible.
As graduates of Divine Mercy University, you will surely meet and work with individuals who feel themselves paralyzed.
Paralyzed by the grip of addictions, mental health challenges, emotions and behaviors that impede persons from reaching the full human flourishing that God wants for them.
You will surely encounter people who might consider themselves dead spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically.
Dear graduates, I encourage you, please be witnesses.
Be signs of hope for them.
In offering psychological and spiritual counsel and guidance, you seek to promote emotional and relational health and well-being, as well as diagnosing and treating a wide range of psychological and spiritual issues.
In this work, which can be difficult at times, not seeing immediate results we desire, I invite you not to be discouraged or ever to lose hope.
The Lord is always working through you in ways you may not see or cannot even imagine.
Just as Jesus' words were ones of spirit and life for his disciples, as the gospel tells us, so your words, together with your example of patience and perseverance, compassion and love can be instruments through which the Holy Spirit will transform the marked minds and hearts, souls, and very lives of those to whom he will send you.
Your time at Divine Mercy University has given you great insights into the Catholic vision of the human person, which is lacking.
Lacking in our world and society.
And where there is that void, there are so many obstacles to people truly healing.
Integrating this Christian anthropology with the best practices in psychological theory, research, and intervention allows you, dear graduates, to be professionally competent in the study of modern scientific psychology.
It helps you also to understand the human mind and human behavior and to recognize those obstacles in our midst that keep us from living a healthy and balanced life.
Likewise, your studies and training have introduced you to the importance of fostering a spiritual life.
For those you serve, but also for yourself.
How could you ever imagine carrying out this work without a deep spiritual life?
Relying on the Lord's divine insistence so that you can serve him and be instruments of supernatural graces.
As you pursue your calling to alleviate suffering, know that you are not only restoring hope, but also practicing a work of mercy.
To heal the sick and to provide counsel belong among the corporal spiritual works of mercy the church's tradition presents to us.
Practicing these works of mercy forms the heart the heart of the mission of Divine Mercy University, which clearly states, in uniting the best of psychological and spiritual theory and practice, the university seeks to remind everyone that no one, no one is beyond God's mercy and love.
Receiving this divine gift is a source of hope for which we are always renewed by the Lord when we return to him realizing as Saint Peter said in the gospel, he has the words of eternal life.
Dear graduates, although there will be challenges you will have to face, be convinced.
Convinced that Jesus accompanies you and strengthens you in his mercy so that you can serve as beacons of hope for others, especially those of our brothers and sisters who may experience doubts, fears, anxieties, distress and hopelessness.
As you and all of us try daily to reflect the compassion of Christ, I encourage you to pray.
Pray fervently.
Pray daily to do what Peter did in the acts of the apostles.
To raise up those who feel paralyzed, to lift up those who are suffering and give them hope despite any obstacles.
Help them to know God will never give up on them.
And his love is infinite and his mercy is divine.
Strengthen then graduates by the precious gift of the Holy Eucharist we are about to receive.
And through the prayers of Mary, Queen of Hope, may you go forth today as messengers of hope and witnesses of hope.
The hope that is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
The hope that does not disappoint.
For in him, joy flourishes and life changes for the better.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Dear graduates, with everyone present today, I extend to you our sincere congratulations for all that you have accomplished.
And pray that you will be counted among the blessed on this joyful day and always.
Amen.