(1980-2020)
This year will be the Ruby Jubilee or forty years (1980-2020) of our graduation from high school in the seminary. There were forty-two of us who entered the seminary in 1976 but only twenty-five survived to graduate four years later in high school.
On our fortieth anniversary of graduation from high school maybe it’s nice to ask what is the significance of this milestone? Are we starting a new life, following the oft-repeated expression that says, “life begins at forty?” But some say life now begins not at forty but sixty. Anyhow, in scripture number forty tells us otherwise; it generally symbolizes a period of testing, a time of great challenge. In fact, there are a good number of examples to show it and I will mention a few of them. For example, in Matthew 4:1-3a we hear about Jesus who fasted for forty days and forty nights in which he faced a difficult test as he was tempted by the devil three times. It must have been a very hard and challenging test for Jesus not to give in to the temptation because he was hungry and thirsty by not taking in something for forty nights and forty days. But we know what happened; he passed the test.
In the Old Testament, particularly in the Book of Joshua, Israel “walked forty years in the wilderness” as God’s way to test them, “because they did not obey His voice” (5:6) and, because of it, they were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. Since they tested God, He in return tested them as well. In the Book of Exodus, Moses was up on the mountain in the presence of God for forty days and forty nights where He wrote on the tablets the words of the Ten Commandments. It was a test of Israel’s fidelity to the Lord as many of them were already playing harlot and worshiping idols. And then we have the story of Noah in the Book of Genesis wherein flood water lasted for forty days and forty nights (cf. Gen 7:12) as God’s test and judgement over a sinful people and their failure to repent.
Yes, number forty is a symbol and a time of testing. So, will it be our time of testing as well? If so, what does it mean? It is interesting to note that test is from the old French word which means “small vessel used in assaying or examining the authenticity of precious metals.” It is actually derived from the Latin testum which means “earthen pot”, which is related to testa, “piece of burned clay, earthen pot, shell.” The word test therefore connotes that which will determine the presence, quality, or genuineness of something. Applied in the context of our celebration of the Ruby Jubilee, we can deduce that it’s a time to ascertain the quality of our genuineness and faithfulness as persons formed and honed according to the vision of our Alma Mater, the IHMS, as expressed in the triple values of pietas, scientia et sanctitas. Like clay from the earth we went through meticulous and tedious process of formation for many years through the hands of our seminary formators and teachers. Then, after graduation we parted ways and chose our own different paths; since then many things have happened in our lives, some good while others may not be so good. But in hindsight we survived the hurdles and challenges and become who we are at present because, whether we like it or not, the seminary has imparted values that in one way or the other prepared us for them. Now, after forty years, we have been tested and found to be persons who may not be perfect but are continuously trying to be authentic, genuine and faithful to the ideals of IHMS, our Alma Mater. (Soc)
