Good morning, class of 2023. You have just heard two readings from the Bible and I am going to give a short reflection on them. The first reading was about God creating a new thing; the second about Jesus calling new disciples to follow Him. This year, you will be taking a theology class about the Bible and one idea that you will be hearing is this: the Bible is addressed to each of us here today, not just to the original audience two or three thousand years ago. So, when we hear God saying, “behold, I am making something new” in that first passage, what He is talking about is you! You are becoming something new today, with you choices and with God’s help. You are becoming a high school student and more specifically, a Mercy girl. You are beginning a new journey in your life and a process of becoming a new person. What is a Mercy girl? I suspect you have already begun to form an idea through your experiences here at this academy and from your encounters with th