The Mass was live-streamed for most students and the broader SEP community to watch remotely with a small group of the members of the Class of 2024 gathered in the gym while maintaining social distance.
In his homily, Fr. Mark Amatrucola, co reflected on the words of the Blessed Mother upon receiving the news that she would be the Mother of God, "How can this be?".
"Look at the roller-coaster of emotions that Mary must have felt all throughout her life... Excitement, fear, heartbrokenness, laughter – and perhaps even anger and confusion. Those vacillating between extreme elation, and deep deep sorrow. So now, today, I ask you, let’s look at ourselves in these recent unprecedented months in our own world (separation and distancing, holidays, sickness, finally a summer, in-school, out-of-school, quarantined-birthdays, suffering and death), which of us haven’t felt some of those same emotions?! This roller coaster – isn’t that the emotional story of human life?
And what do we learn from Mary? That all throughout, her pure, immaculate faith never wavered. Yes, she certainly must have wondered and even asked that question of her God over, and over: “How can this be” – just like many of us probably did during the last few months and perhaps even still do today! But what we must also see in these scenes of Mary, is that her lived experience of continually pressing onward in faith, always led her to trust one of the later verses we heard in the gospel as well: “For nothing is impossible for God."
You can watch a full recording of the mass and Fr. Mark's homily below: