Thursday, September 29, 2005
The love of God has brought you there to your seat. It has afforded you the smell of successes and relief that now fills your lungs as you breathe your final days in this alma mater to go on tackling the real world after. Some of us are excited, some of us afraid, some of us happy to leave, some of us sad, that the journey with classmates, friends, teachers have already ended and it is time to move on. Time flies so fast. It seems just yesterday when I was looking through my eaf inquiring what my next class would be and wondering where M406 or LS311 is located, and then finding out later that it's 3 buildings away from where I was and I only have 10 minutes to get there, and when you get there the professor is already lecturing and the class is already quietly listening and taking down notes, and someone comes in panting like she's never had anything to drink for years. And she says sorry, sits down and takes out her notebook and pen, looking to see that her life just went flying by before her. And then she realized she has to keep up with that for 3 months, 60 days, for over 25 class meetings for the entire term.
Through our encounters in this institution, there have been times when we felt like we would die, whether because of a 0.0 grade that we have created for ourselves, or a 70% score that we got in a test, or a paper that we have failed to submit at the due date, or a 500-paged pile of photocopied materials that we have to read overnight for the finals just for one subject. Many times we thought we'd never make it. Many times we thought there'd be a point where we could not keep up with the trimestral system anymore. Just as the song by Incubus so clearly state, So little time, so much to do.
Yet we are all here, now. No one died. 900 of us. We have made it through successfully. No matter were there failing points along the way. That's part of the journey.
The quest for knowledge thus ends here. Though the quest for something beyond knowledge, that which is more mature, complete and spiritual, begins. The quest for that which we call Wisdom, a combination of the heart and the mind, producing sound judgment and prepares one for meaningful action, that is far more superior than simply knowledge, shall commence in our aim to find our respective destininies. But the most important facet in our quest is God, Who is perfect, wise and all-knowing; there is no one better to ask counsel from but Him. Let us not make God a spectacle anymore, saying to ourselves that we cannot reach Him, for we are only deceiving ourselves if that be the case. He is not a historical icon and should not be treated as such. He is here, He is alive. And it is time to do things accordingly for His glory. What is it that we pray? 3, 4, 5 times a day throughout our entire college life? Or for, those with loyalty awards, almost your whole life, uttering these words, 'I will continue O my God to do all my actions for the love of You'. It seems so short, seems so simple a prayer. It is very easy to memorize, but easy to forget as well the meaning when we are no longer conscious due to the frequency by which we utter it. And not long before we realize it, we have already taken it for granted. But let us now analyze for a few moments what those words mean – I will continue O my God to do all my actions for the love of You. Your work, everything you do, everything you say, you do for God’s glory. And it is my hope that we all continue to do everything in the future, not for our sake but God’s, for we are not created in order to give glory to ourselves or give praise to ourselves as many in the world are adhering to at the present. They want to take the place of God because He is nowhere to be seen. That only proves how stubborn and how small of faith man can become as a creation. We are created for God’s glory and it is not as if God has granted us two lives to live on earth to carry out two separate glories. One for God's. And the other one for ourselves. No. We have only one life to live. And there is no time to waste for us to still be the prodigal children that we were, doing things for our selfish interests and caring for our own well-being.
In the end, success will not be measured by how much wealth you amassed in your lifetime. That is a distorted meaning of success provided by mankind. But it is how close you were to the path that God laid out for you that will be the basis for true success. It is the extent to which you have been a catalyst of change in your surroundings, in the company you have worked for or the company you have managed, in the lives of other people and that includes your own life and yourself. How much change have you brought forth? How much have YOU changed? How much did you successfully learn, that you never had to make the same mistake more than twice in this lifetime? How strong have you been in your faith? In the values you were taught, by the school, by your parents, your friends? How much have you done for God and for your country? These are questions you shall ask and questions only you can answer 10, 20, 40 years from now. And if you are able to answer these satisfactorily, that the answers may even exceed ordinary expectations, then you have lived as you ought to have lived.
And as we go out into the world, all 900 of us, we will enter different fields, participate in many different activities, go into many different places, countries. But no matter how different and varied our undertakings may be, it is in my hope that we would be united when it comes to beliefs, values, united in our spirit, doing what is good and right in the eyes of God whatever circumstances may present to us. And in this, I do not say, may God be with you, because He always is, but that you may be with God in whatever you do and uphold your beliefs as Filipino La Sallian Christians. Congratulations to you, congratulations to us all. This is only the beginning of what is hopefully, a meaningful and exciting journey for all of us. Teachers – congratulations, that you have produced once again a batch of bright minds and your work has paid off for these students, including myself, parents – it is in saying that right now you also feel success and relief, that of a parent whose sons and daughters have finished their schooling because of your efforts, thankyou that you have given us a good education and having done so secured a bright future for all of us, guests, administrators, to my fellow graduates, I bid you all a good morning. God bless you and animo la salle!
- hypo speech for the proto suma
by Schulerin 8:26 PM
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