No Free Lunch

Ninth Grade Graduation Homily

Trinity Junior High School   

          Have you ever heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”? That phrase actually originated in the 19th century in American bars that offered their patrons a so-called “free lunch” if they ordered at least one drink. But the food they offered them was very high in salt, so what happened? They customers became more thirsty and bought more beer. So, was that lunch really “free”? Not at all. They paid for that “free lunch” by buying more booze. Everything has a price.

          Now, not all things can be bought with money; sometimes other kinds of currency are required. My high school principal, Fr. George Tribou, once told us boys: “I never want to hear you say, ‘I don’t get anything out of the Mass.’ Why? Well, because you don’t come to Mass to get something, you come here to give something: to give some of your time, to give some of your love, to give some of your attention.” Fr. Tribou’s comment taught me that there are different forms of currency, and even our “time,” “love” and “attention” can be the “cost” of obtaining something valuable. In other words, not only is there is no such things as a free lunch – everything has a price – but not all things can be bought with cash or credit, they require a deeper personal sacrifice. Indeed, the best things in life cannot be bought at any price. As that credit card commercial repeats about things such as love, faith and friendship, such things are “priceless.” 

          In the gospel today, Jesus educates Peter on the real cost of friendship with him, that is, “discipleship.” Peter thinks he knows what it costs, so he says, “We have given up everything and followed you.” But Jesus replies, “There is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more in this present age…with persecutions.” But notice what Jesus adds next.  He says that some who are first will be last and the last will be first. In other words, you cannot calculate the cost of friendship with Jesus: some who are last will be better friends with him than those who are first. No amount of gold or silver and no degree of personal sacrifice can buy Jesus’ friendship. It is priceless. 

          If I were to ask our graduates: “What is the cost of attending Trinity Junior High?” how would you answer me? Would you simply add the total tuition and fees you paid for the last 3 years? Or, would you say there were other non-monetary costs to come here? Or, put it this way: did you have to sacrifice more than dollars and cents to complete Trinity Junior High? Yes, you did: you’ve sacrificed your free time (to do your service hours after school, on weekends), you’ve killed your egos (by getting killed on the football field), you’ve left behind your pride (by not making every dance and cheer team you tried out for). You see, these are all very real costs of attending Trinity. But the most important thing you received from Trinity you couldn’t pay for at any price, because some things are priceless. Let me give you some specific examples of what I mean. 

          Madyson Dart, Kate Ingle, Leah Testa and Alana Baker (and other girls) go regularly to LaHuerta after school. They not only order in Spanish, but they do the blessing of the food in Spanish. Now the waiters don’t always understand what they say, but God understands them. They pay for that meal not only with “pesos” but with their pride. Claire Bruce loves animals, so much so that any stray animal that crosses her path always goes home with her. That’s a cost not only to her but also for her whole family. Paul Seiter was struggling to take Spanish for the first time in 9th grade. But Paul stayed after school, he worked hard, he admitted when he didn’t know, and he ended up getting a Silver Medal on the National Spanish Exam and held the highest GPA in the Spanish class. You see, Paul paid for the silver medal with a lot more than tuition money. 

          Now, other students have “paid” for the education here in other ways. For instance, Regan Christian is obsessed with Justin Beiber and even gets very emotional if someone criticizes his latest haircut. This is the cost of coming to Trinity, Regan; it’s a very expensive school. Zach Moody thinks that no one noticed the day he wore a school shirt without a logo. Zach, we will see you Saturday for detention hall. Zach will be joined by Madeline Forsgren, who thinks no one saw her phone in her pencil bag one day. Have you noticed those surveillance cameras in the halls? No? Well, they’ve noticed you. 

          James Nguyen during oral communications debates one day finally put his paper down and spoke from his heart. That took courage and a willingness to risk failure. James paid that price and succeeded marvelously. Corey Le is still paying the price for not getting enough sleep. Almost every day someone asks him how he’s doing and he invariably replies, “I’m tired.” Everyone tells him, “Corey go to bed early!” But he’s not willing to pay that price, something things just cost too much. We sometimes have “superlatives” for our graduates, what a given student is most likely to do. One faculty member nominated Greyson Meyers and Junior Adjei for most likely to rule the world. And Greyson would find someone else to do all the work. Greyson is still searching for that elusive “free lunch” – just don’t go looking in the bars, Greyson. Annalee Geels may be the next PGA golfer to come out of Trinity – of course, she’s the only girl golfer on the team. Annalee is not afraid to try something new. She’s ready to sacrifice safety and sameness, to be daring and different. 

          You see, our graduates may not have given up mother or father, lands or livelihood, to attend Trinity, but they have paid other real costs of being a student here. They have sacrificed pleasure, they gave up selfishness, they put aside ego, they let go of popularity. As Fr. Tribou said: “They came to Mass to give something: to give some of their time, to give some of their love and to give some of their attention.” Indeed, the best things in life cannot be paid for in silver and gold, because they come at a much more steep personal sacrifice. 

          But the best thing our graduates get at Trinity cannot be purchased at any price, it is not for sale at all, namely, friendship. You know, I’ve only been administrator of Trinity for one year and I can’t tell you the number of times alumni talk about the friendships they make here. Those friendships last through high school and through college and beyond. And of course, the best friendship you can make here at Trinity is with Jesus, a friendship that last into eternity. My friends, there is no such thing as a free lunch (everything costs something), and some things are so precious that money can’t buy them, and yet the most valuable things are not for sale at any price, like friendship, especially friendship with Jesus. 

          The famous Irish play-write, Oscar Wilde, once said, “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.” Boys and girls, as you graduate from Trinity Junior High, we do not want you to leave here a cynic. You should know the price of everything, as well as its value. 

          Praised be Jesus Christ!