Limits, beginnings and generosity
Dear University of Dallas Community,
It is a bittersweet gift to write to all of you one last time. But in the words of George Eliot, “Every limit is a beginning as well as an ending.” The limits of our time in college are much stricter than other periods in our lives; whether or not we senior editors are ready, our time at UD is at an end, and we have to begin somewhere else.
As commentary editor, double major, leader of multiple clubs on campus and RA, it’s not much of a bold confession to admit that setting limits has never been my strong suit. But by being pushed beyond my limits, Christ’s limitless love has radiated into my life in unimaginable ways.
Through my involvement with nearly all sides of campus, I have had the gift of seeing this precious university from a vantage point that few students have. What a gift we have in this quirky little home built on literal sand! I don’t know when again I will be so surrounded by this abundance of holy, intelligent and self-giving persons, many of whom I have been blessed to know through The Cor Chronicle.
But the more we come to love another person, the more we are aware of his or her weaknesses and brokenness. The same is true of a place.
UD is far from perfect, but the imperfection should be an invitation not to bitterness, but to perseverance and loving determination to make this school even better for the next class of freshmen.
By editing our commentary section for the last two years, I have had a front-row seat to see the many charitable and determined students who want to build up UD, our country and our Church.
Especially in an election year and in light of the death of a Pope, this past academic year has been an eventful time to receive and share the diversity of opinions that our student body possesses. Sharing your ideas, some of which are diametrically opposed, is part of what has made this job so enjoyable and intellectually stimulating.
It requires courage to share your opinions on politics, university administration and the most effective ways to combat sin. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to my section, whether by writing, participating in interviews or contacting me about the issues that matter to you.
UD is not an echo chamber, and I pray that it never will be. By sharing your thoughts and words through The Cor Chronicle, you help UD remain committed to the liberal arts, which set us free to discuss sin without being scandalized and to find the light of Truth in the most unexpected texts and persons.
Our education at UD requires that we respond soberly to Christ’s words in Luke 12:48: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.” Our Catholic liberal arts education requires us to strive for a limitless generosity in our thoughts, words and interactions with others, especially those with whom we disagree.
St. Edith Stein writes, “The love of Christ knows no limits. It never ends; it does not shrink from ugliness and filth.” As I graduate, my prayer for this university is that we will all ask for the grace to love with Christ’s limitless charity, with a love that makes itself present to every sinful soul and broken situation.
I pray that we will all be pushed beyond our limits, learning humility by taking on more than we can handle and consequently realizing that God alone accomplishes every good thing.
And despite all the ways that I limited myself both too much and too little, the Lord has shown me His limitless providence in ways that I never could have fathomed four years ago.
The most painful, most joyful and most idiosyncratic moments of my life have all taken place as a UD student. They have all been received as a gift from the tabernacle, in that bizarrely designed chapel that I somehow am going to miss so much.
That limitless Love lives in the chapel day and night for you! Do not be afraid to respond to Him by listening generously to others and by giving yourself to your community through prayer, study and words.
No matter how difficult it is to share the Truth, we can always practice courage and kindness through our spoken and written words. As St. Julian of Norwich and my favorite plagiarist T.S. Eliot teach us, “All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well” thanks to the limitless providence of the Incarnate Word.
With Peace and Gratitude,
Larisa Tuttle