ConGRATulate the GRADuates
Originally published in the Clarence Bee, June 23, 2021
This is it! The time of year we live for in Buffalo. Outstanding weather, picnics, and graduations!! Pools are open, gardens are growing. But even though it’s summertime, don’t forget we are all lifelong learners. So, please join me on this little reflection.
Let’s think about these two words flying around right now: congratulate and graduate. They almost sound the same, and they can tell us a lot about ourselves and about our Creator. “Congratulate” comes from the Latin gratus. And “graduate” comes from the Latin graduatus. Similar, but so different.
The first word, gratus, we know so well. It’s the word grace, as in, “Cut me some grace,” or, in a nice Italian accent, “The meal is on the house, grazi.” Grace is a gift, it’s on the house. When we say, “Con-gratulations,” we are saying “Grace to you – and the happiness of grace, to you. So many gifts have brought you to this day.”
“Graduate,” on the other hand, comes from the Latin graduatus, related to our word “grade.” The graduates have “made the grade.” They’ve earned their way through, and this isn’t so much “on the house” as it is “on them.” There’s blood, sweat, and tears in that there piece of paper. That’s why we say, “Good job, you graduated.” And so it is in all of our lives, even if we aren’t a recent graduate. On one hand, we’re given grace. On the other hand, we’ve earned the grade.
On the first date with the beautiful woman I ended up marrying, we sat down at a restaurant and enjoyed some great burritos. Then the bill came. And just for fun (not recommended) I acted like I didn’t have any money. After a little worry from my companion and a dramatic pause, I paid the bill and left a tip.
I tell you this story because in our spiritual lives, we’ve all sat down at a table we where we ought not to have sat down. Go along with me here. We’ve ordered up an appetizer of adultery, a plate of pride, a side salad of sophistication, a dessert of debauchery, a fortune cookie of Cain. And since there’s a buffet, pile up some hiding and lying, a mound of gossip, some salty selfishness. We’ve ordered more than we can eat, we’ve stayed longer than we planned, and we owe more than we have. Infinitely more. And we find ourselves unable to pay, unable to work off our debt by washing dishes and pulling the weeds out back. There is no amount of making the grade that will make up for what we owe. That’s when God says to us, “Grazi! On the house. I’ve paid it! Congratulations, your debts are forgiven.” We rightly think, “How could I get out of here, free?” The answer is, it wasn’t free. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that there pardon. Jesus, crucified for you; Jesus, risen for you! Believe it or not, in Jesus, it’s free, on the house.
Free, really? Yes, before God, your sins, your shame, your debts are paid. It’s on him, literally. Congratulations! Believe it. And believing it makes all the difference. You can be set free of guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, panic, addiction, efforts. Grazi!
But, in your roles in this life: Giddy up, get to work, make the grade. Work at being a good student, a good father, friend, wife, mother, son, uncle, employer, citizen, neighbor. . . put your learning to work. Show some fervent love for others, already! Figure out how to be the best you can be for the people around you.
Congratulations! Before God, as you trust in the risen Jesus, grazi! On the house! On the other hand, before others, make the grade. Wash their dishes, pull their weeds, and do it with joy. After all, you are free, and you’ve graduated for this!