Finding God in Gaston Hall

There are certain moments in life when you look around and the presence of God just makes itself so abundantly clear. Jesuit Heritage Week opening mass was most definitely one of those moments. Hearing all the incredible voices sing in unison was profoundly inspiring. Seeing Gaston filled to the brim reminds one of the strong sense of community at the foundation of our university. The mass was a beautiful way to start an amazing week of reflection on our school’s deep cultural heritage.

To be a part of this vast international Jesuit community is something worth celebrating. Personally, attending a Jesuit high school really made me fall in love with this style of education and passion for making the world a better place, and is ultimately what brought me to Georgetown. For me, when I hear the word Jesuit I think about being men and women for others and seeing God in all things. These characteristics go hand in hand, and are just some of the values that I believe deserve celebration not just during Jesuit Heritage Week, but every week after that.

These characteristics have always seemed to me to transcend religious barriers and give insight into some greater, more universal goals in human existence. By seeing God in all things we actively recognize the divine presence within all people and the constant ability to gain witness to the Lord, from a gust of wind to a bite of fresh fruit. Being a man or woman for others goes hand-in-hand with this. By seeing the divinity in all people we recognize that all people deserve our complete attention and dedication. To help change one life even in the smallest way is to change the world. To be a man or woman for others is to actively commit one’s self outwards, and to offer the best we have to the world around us.

To celebrate a Jesuit heritage is to celebrate a rich tradition that has actively worked through the ages to change the world for the better. By attending Georgetown, we have forever been embedded in a long line of Jesuit educated men and woman. Sometimes we don’t notice just how strong our community is, but it becomes so much clearer when you are presented with hundreds of people of multiple faiths, backgrounds, and opinions singing together before you.

Written by Hunter Estes, F’19