Luceat!

It’s spring, what some have called the season of relationships.  Men and women on university campuses seem to have that sparkle in their eye when they speak to each other during this season.  Yet, there seems to be something wrong, something misguided.  Why is no one really falling in love?  

The University Campus is full of relationships, yet is starving for love.  What’s going on?  Are people not made to live in communion after all?  I don’t think so, but we should take a closer look at the culture of most university campuses.  

As we take our guided tour through the average (or even above average) university campus, we start to find a root of individualism and hedonism.  These two philosophies (I use the word “philosophies” loosely here) are leading our nation’s future leaders to forgetting about who we really are made to be. 

Step away from the mindset of thinking all relationships are romantic.  This shouldn’t be hard.  We have many relationships that aren’t romantic: friends, Uncle Bill, Aunt Sally, Mom, Dad, and the postal worker for instance.  We, as human beings, need and desire to live in community with other people.  Look how we have progress throughout time.  We have towns, cities, nations, clubs, house parties, etc…We have this distinct desire to share our lives with others.  

Being alive is a good thing! When a person has something that is good, he or she desires to share that with other people.  Think about when a person aces an exam.  Do they hide it under the pillow or just throw it in the trash?  Most likely not.  That person probably shared that with some others and if they are anything like me, it ended up the fridge!  Good is diffusive and the fact that we are alive is good. 

Now, the place to start to build solid relationships is not in the realm of romance, but friendships.  And from friendship, a person will discover that they are loved, that they matter, and that they have something to offer.   

In the coming weeks, I hope to dive into realm of relationships.  We will be journeying through such conversations like heroic friendship, commitment, chastity, and more.  These posts will come from my own experience on the frontlines, what I see on a day to day basis on the university campus.  Learning to live as we should in the realm of relationships will help us as we journey towards our ultimate end, which is the greatest of relationships, profound union with God.