"As long as there is a compassionate human being, nothing is lost"

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The graduation day of the faculties of Theology, Canon Law and part of Humanities and Social Sciences began with emotion, nerves and, above all, pride. Julio Zarco, President of the Humans Foundation, mentioned that he was proud to be the sponsor of this second day of graduations, which began the day before with the graduation of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (Comillas ICADE).

During his speech, the sponsor acknowledged that he has a very special and affectionate relationship with the Bachelor's Degree in Social Work at Comillas, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year. "Forty years training social workers with a clear commitment to excellence and quality. This anniversary culminates with the launch of the Official Master's Degree in Social Work in the Healthcare Environment, which reaffirms the importance of responding to the complexity of the society in which we live," he said.

Finally, he reminded them: "We live in a rapidly changing world, we are in the puberty of a new world, where the old one has not yet disappeared and the new one has not yet finished hatching. We are in a critical interphase that produces discomfort, pain, ambient noise, confused thinking, relativism and gives us the false sensation that nothing is possible, that everything is apocalyptically doomed to destruction. But none of this is real because, as long as a compassionate human being exists, nothing is lost". He concluded: "You have the great privilege, honour and responsibility to mature and make this world, this life and this existence that has been sacredly entrusted to us, grow".

During her speech, Elena Dionisio Ruiz, a student of the Licentiatus in Theologia (Degree in Theology), recalled the words of Pope Francis in Christus vivit: "Forming our conscience is the work of a lifetime, in which we learn to cultivate the very sentiments of Jesus Christ, adopting the criteria behind his choices and the intentions behind his actions". "We need to ask ourselves what we want to change in this world and what kind of professionals we want to be," she said.

Discernment

The Rector took the floor to congratulate the new graduates and their families. During his speech, Enrique Sanz, SJ, listed the most valued aspects at Comillas: humanity, humility, generosity and compassion. "All of these values speak of God and the human being, as you have heard us say in our classrooms and in other parts of the university". He recalled that: "These values are the values of the Society of Jesus. They are the values that we Jesuits have been cultivating and offering in our educational institutions for almost five centuries".

During his speech, the Rector spoke about the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, using his Autobiography as reference and assuring them that discernment is the key to Ignatian thought: "the best way to choose well, to choose freely". "Leadership, health care, reasoning, listening and discernment are some of the traits that you have acquired at Comillas", he reminded them. "Share your life story with your family and friends with humility and affection," he encouraged them, "and count on us forever, as our word and our truth will always be in our person," he concluded.