Back when I was working in the print industry, we always used to joke that whenever we'd see the light at the end of the tunnel, it would turn out to be the headlights of an oncoming train. That was a little cynical, of course, but a sense of humor is extremely important in the print industry!
Lately, I've seen a bit of the light at the end of the tunnel as far as my formation goes. I graduated last Saturday with my Master of Divinity. I didn't think it would be any big deal to me (Ordination, of course, is the big deal, right?), and I didn't plan on going to graduation at first. But back on Family Day this year, I chose not to be on campus, because I needed some time away to grieve the loss of tragic events at our seminary. So I promised my parents I would do graduation.
And, of course, as these things usually go, I am glad I did. It gave me the chance to meet the parents of some of my friends, as well as to spend some time with my friends one last time. It helped me also to put some closure on the end of the seminary journey and this part of my formation. It was a light at the end of a five-year tunnel.
There's just a few weeks left until Ordination. Then I get to live the life for which I've been preparing these last five years. As one of our formators said in our class's end-of-the-year Mass, "It's time for you to go." I'm excited to live the life of a priest, and all of the events of these next few weeks are lights at the end of the tunnel for me. Yes, the tunnel does seem to go on and on, because we're never really done with our formation in life, but as you progress through it, there's more and more light.
And, thankfully, that light isn't the headlight of an oncoming train.