Joining the Fellowship
The following is a reflection written by senior
Jorge Miro-Quesada after receiving his class ring on October 18, 2016.
"Where's Miro-Quesada", Fr. Willie asked. "I'm over here, sir" I said as I stood up amongst the rest of my classmates. To my surprise, he chose me to read the second reading— out of all people, me. As I was walking up there, I nervously tried to button my top coat button, but it wouldn't close for some reason. "I chose him specifically to do the second reading, which is in Spanish by the way, and you will see why in a bit", Fr. Willie complimented.
It's a bittersweet feeling knowing you're a senior. Being the oldest in school, you have the most class activities, the comical senior sections and much anticipated senior "privileges". Everybody wants to be a senior, except for... the actual seniors themselves. Each of us has our epiphany at different times. I remember taking my senior pics in the summer and ordering my ring, but at the time, it didn't hit me.
It hit me last Tuesday night.
What I was expecting to be a flawless evening, wasn't the smoothest of sailings. The first reader never went up, and as a result, Fr. Willie came down and chose a senior at random. It was after this that Fr. Willie called on me to be a lector. As I read and looked into the opaque faces in the crowd, I realized the importance of the event.
Fr. Willie's homily followed my reading. I'm not the biggest fan of “Lord of the Rings”— which is what the homily was about — but Fr. Willie made some compelling comparisons between us and the main characters of the novel. I felt the comparison to Aragorn the King to be the one that was most directed toward me. Aragorn is called to lead a group of men on a quest to save middle earth and battle the dark lord Sauron and we too have been called. Our calling is different. As much as we'd love to save middle earth and battle a dark lord, our calling is one that's less exciting than a rewarding quest or a physical battle. Our calling is to be leaders; not only do we bear the responsibility of being leaders, we must also be conscientious at all times and lead by example. Fr. Willie concluded his homily with words that will be in the back of my mind forever: "Gentlemen, welcome to the fellowship of the ring".
Once the mass ended, the rings were blessed and we were called up one by one to receive them. My name couldn't come fast enough. As I received my ring, I walked back to my seat and my dad and I both shared smiles that went from ear to ear. Looking down on such a symbolic piece of jewelry, I knew how fortunate and blessed we were. It was when I looked down at the ring on my hand that I realized what I feared: I'm a senior and this meant accepting the hard reality that it was my last year at Belen. Fear was replaced with comfort as I realized that I was now part of the fellowship.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.