Commencement Address at Franciscan University of Steubenville by John F. Kippley, Dec. 13, 2008: Part 2
You can see that I have been around a while, so please bear with me as I offer a few comments based on observation and personal experience.
My first comment is based on observation. Be prepared. Be prepared for when things can go wrong. Hire a good lawyer before you enter into any serious contract or project with others. We know people who spent considerable years building up an apostolate only to lose it when they accepted what they thought would be “help” from others. In one case, they didn’t read the contract very well; they signed in blind trust. In another case, the person lost his business to his new partners. So be practical. Whenever you engage in a serious project with others, get good legal counsel. Investing $500 in legal services at the outset might save you $5,000 or $50,000 or your livelihood some years later. Things can and do go wrong. Be prepared.
Theology graduates may think they will be immune from such problems if they work for the Church or a religiously oriented organization. That would be nice, but working within the Church exposes you more closely to the human element in the Church and often requires a higher degree of faith. On the other hand, Church-related work not infrequently allows you to see great works of conversion and other signs of God’s continuing presence among us.
My second comment is based on personal experience. Be hopeful. When God allows a door to slam in your face, my experience is that He opens another and better one. Let me add that sometimes it takes a while to realize that something good came from the door being closed. It was during a time of unwanted unemployment in 1968 that I wrote a book defending Humanae Vitae. Once that book was published in 1970, I felt obliged to provide the practical help of natural family planning. If it were not for that unhappy experience 40 years ago, we would not be here today. Our advice: If the door slams, still be hopeful.
Our third point is based on observation. Be grateful. In early November, we saw a You-tube segment about a gentleman who doesn’t have any arms or legs, and yet he travels around, witnessing and giving praise to God. Then in mid-November we read about two Cincinnati golfers. One has only one arm, the other has only one leg. Do you have two arms and two legs? Be grateful. My suggestion is to thank God regularly for all his gifts to you. Life itself. Faith. Good health. Parents. Be thankful. Siblings. Children. A home. Be grateful. Education. Especially your Catholic education. Special gifts. Prospects for decent employment. Be grateful.
To be continued next week.