Mark Van Kirk Prof. Vanessa Chan Moreau FYE 4 March 2022 An Obedient Creature Mark Van Kirk was a friend to those who knew him. He might not have always said it, but it was clear that he cared. He made a conscious effort to keep calm, to think about his actions, to consider the needs of others. But he was also easily distracted during conversation— easily pulled away from menial dialogue to consider ideas that were important to him. If Mark were here, he would want everyone to know that he regrets not listening more to other people. He certainly tuned in when something was interesting to him, but that does not take much effort in the first place; in fact, it is natural to do so. “Researchers in the new field of interruption science have found that it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from a phone call. Yet such interruptions come every eleven minutes—which means we’re never caught up with our lives” (“Why We Need to Slow Down Our Lives” by Pico Iyer – Moreau FYE Week One). Mark was especially prone to such interruptions, but it should be noted that many of these interruptions were callings that he felt an obligation to respond to—fixing a scooter for a friend, walking someone back to their dorm, or explaining theology to a roommate. One thing that anyone could learn from Mark is beauty. He enjoyed artwork, and he loved creating and building things that displayed beautiful ideas. Mark especially appreciated the niched statuettes around Notre Dame that are easily ignored. Fittingly, his dorm, Dillon Hall, contains five—nearly 20%—of the statuettes around campus: those of St. Patrick, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. John Henry Newman, and Commodore Barry. He admired the saints’ dedication https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ towards what they did out of their sincere love. Fr. Ted Hesburgh gave advice to one Notre Dame student that reiterates this idea: “Serve our country, put your country before party and politics, and always do the right thing” (Hesburgh by Jerry Barca and Christine O’Malley – Moreau FYE Week Two). Whatever one’s vocation, he must not forget to attend to the most important philosophy—that of love. As a child, Mark knew to love yet struggled to do it. That is something that most of us have experienced as well. But in his struggle, Mark learned to transform the pain into something beneficial. Rather than forgetting his faults, Mark brought them to the forefront of his mind with the intention of never committing them again. Likewise, he remembered the good things that were brought to fruition, hoping in earnest that he would be able to share those things with others. In this way, Mark learned that “every experience shapes you in some way, whether you realize it at the time or not” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” by ND Undergraduate Career Services – Moreau FYE Week Four). With the weight of sin as a constant burden, death is something that Mark frequently pondered. It is not usually brought up, but it is something to consider. So often people “try to suppress the thought of death, or escape it, or run away from it because [they] think that’s where [they’ll] find happiness. But it’s actually in facing the darkest realities of life that [they] find light in them” (“Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” by Ruth Graham – Moreau FYE Week Three). It is counter-intuitive, but with death in the back of one’s mind, small things that often make us upset become extraordinarily insignificant. Instead, eternal characteristics are brought to light—characteristics that Mark tried to live by. In college, Mark become more concerned about his future. So much of his life had been directed towards college by his parents and teachers, so when he finally got there, it seemed as if https://notredame.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/us/memento-mori-nun.html he had gotten to the end already. But in light of the stress, Mark found consolation in these words: “I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next” (Class Slideshow by Vanessa Chan – Moreau FYE Week Five). It is natural to worry about the future and the responsibilities that will arise as time goes on, but it will all be taken care of. Rather than asking why when problems arise, one should ask what. For “why questions trap us in our past, [whereas] what questions help us create a better future” (“Five Minutes” by Aria Swarr – Moreau FYE Week Six). Regardless of one’s abilities, appearances, faults, or failures, one must have hope. “Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself in darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, that doesn’t simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow” (“Why the Only Future Worth Building Includes Everyone” by Pope Francis – Moreau FYE Week Seven). Mark was especially hopeful in his life, and we must now hope with him that the Lord will take Mark into his loving arms. Mark’s death may not be the death of a hero, but it was the death of a man who strove to fulfill God’s will. When the time comes for each of us to pass on to the next world, we can remember those who came before us—men like St. Thomas Aquinas, George Washington, Fr. Ted Hesburgh, and even Mark Van Kirk—so that we can follow their limited yet insightful examples that testify to the light. In a world that has great darkness, the light becomes increasingly necessary until the time comes for Christ to establish perfect relationships. One way to make this light more visible is to let your light shine on others. Be a mirror to reflect it. Be the spectator to admire it. Be the bearer that carries it. If Mark were with us today, he would make known to us the sheer beauty of each of our souls. We must lift up one another so that we might not fall down in the weight of this world. https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40288/files/678593?module_item_id=188845 https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/transform/why-does-god-allow-suffering/?utm_source=moreau&utm_medium=class&utm_campaign=spring_2022 https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript