Dear community,
Under these historic circumstances, I have found that time, and how we spend it, is even more valuable. There is something to be learned from having to go without the same routines and practices, which we once considered simple pleasures. It reminds us that each day is significant. Indeed, when we return to the next normal, I hope to redouble my efforts to connect and engage the community.
During convocation, I like to share a similar message with our students. I encourage students to use every minute of their time at the university to learn as much as they can and not let it slip away with regrets. To illustrate this point, I started a new tradition where I assign each graduating class a wristwatch. I hold up the watch at the convocation ceremony and tell our students to make the most of the opportunity before them. I tell them, “your time at Saint Leo University starts today.”
Just like the passing minutes on the clock, I think that so much of life can easily tick by if we are not careful. If we do not purposefully make the most of the time we have, then before we know it, we will be left with only the ideas of things we had hoped to do.
Jesus told a parable to illustrate this very point recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. It is a story about a master who gave away bags of talent (or gold) to three men. Two of the three men were able to double their gifts, but the third man, who only received one bag, hid his gift for safekeeping. In the end, the master was not pleased by his actions.
Life is meant for living. We need to use our talents, time, and treasures to our fullest abilities to create and to make the world better than we found it. To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau, the price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
This newly designed issue of Spirit Magazine, which was carefully developed with you in mind, is dedicated to the theme of making investments in what matters most to you—from ideas, to passions, people, and careers. As you click through the stories, I hope you are able to reflect on where you want to make investments in your life. And maybe you will gain insights on how to achieve them, too. Our goal with the magazine is to continue to provide inspiration and encouragement for living a life with purpose, guided by Saint Leo University’s core values.
Wishing you much strength and courage to pursue the worthy investments in your life and the time to bring them to fruition.
Peace and may God bless,
Jeffrey D. Senese, Ph.D.
President
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