GRADUATION 2023.

I Cor. 13:1-13; Matthew 22:36-40

Today is a special day for all of us present here; particularly for all these nine graduates and their families.  These students will be leaving Sts. Peter and Paul and looking forward to going to a high school. They have been a great part of this school for the past 10 years, for some less than 10. Therefore, it is an emotional and bittersweet moment for them and the school staff.

Graduates, this is an exciting time in your life – a time between childhood and adulthood. This graduation from 8th grade into high school is not the time to be slack but rather to take the next step in maturity and move forward with your parents in gaining wisdom and direction. This moving-up ceremony commemorates your past years of hardships, trials, and sacrifices. As learners, you climb up the educational ladder. We have prepared you to travel with confidence and face those challenges.

We are so proud of your accomplishments over the past 10 years, where you grew stronger not just in your ability to read, write, and do math, but in analyzing the world around you, in asking questions, and in wondering why the world is the way it is.

Your parents have sacrificed so much to get you to this school and have been willing to give all that it takes to educate you to this point. Graduates, this is a time to give back to your parents and to be a partner with them as you start to take responsibility for your education and be a blessing to your family and your community. This is the time to be diligent, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord with the gifts He’s given you. It is a time to take your faith as your own and acknowledge God as your life planner. You will make your high school years great if you make the Lord great in your life and fulfill the demands of the two commandments Jesus told us.

God has so much good in store for you. He needs young men and women of character and strength to be His ambassadors. This is the time to be firm in your commitment to love God and love others, to give of your time and talents whenever and wherever needed, and to be an example in life, speech, love, and purity (1 Tim 4:12). It is important that you keep up the values you learned from this school and not to slack or make compromises on them. If you abandon them little by little you will go down on slippery path.

Once, a teenage girl quarrelled with her dad to allow her to watch an R-rated movie. Her dad declined the permission. He said that the movie has some immoral, violent scenes and some swear words in it; therefore, she should not see that. But she argued that the bad and violent scenes are very few and only 3 swear words are in it. It contained a good story and plot. She further added that everyone is seeing it. Still, he refused to allow her permission. Finally, in frustration, she went upstairs and slammed the doors, and stayed indoors. After several hours, she smelled some fresh, sweet-smelling brownies that she always had liked, so she came down to the kitchen. She saw her dad preparing some brownies and he invited her to share some. Then he said that this time he had added one special ingredient which would make it very special. She asked her what that special ingredient was.  He refused to reveal the secret recipe. But when she kept insisting, he finally said that there was a little dog poop in them. She said what? Dog poop? But it won’t hurt he said, there is only a little bit in it. It will taste good because he has added some yummy walnuts in them. The brownies were moist and fresh with wonderful chocolate frosting on top. He said that she would probably not even be able to taste the dog poop; and he had baked it at 350 degrees so any bacteria or germs from the dog poop had probably been destroyed. Yet, she refused to eat any of them.

But, she understood what her dad was trying to teach her. Even if there were only a very few violent scenes or only a few cuss words in the movie, it was going to affect her character and she was going to be influenced by it.

As St. Paul said, even if you have everything else, if love is absent then everything becomes meaningless. Your parents chose to teach you here because the public schools do not give you the very important thing necessary for your life: teaching the love of God and neighbor. Your parents didn’t need to pay the school fees and tuition if they sent you to  public school, yet, they chose to pay fees just because the most necessary thing for your life is prioritized in this school.

This is not just a day to celebrate our graduating class but also to celebrate the parents, family, friends and teachers who have worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to make sure their children succeed.

 

Parents, I bet you can clearly remember the day these graduates were born; you remember their first words, and then when they learned to read – how exciting that was! If you take a snapshot of that baby and then look at this graduate sitting before us, you realize in an instant that time doesn’t stand still. And just as fast as this time has passed, the next season in their life will be here soon.

I know the joy you feel at this milestone, and I also know the fear you could be feeling for the future. I am encouraging you to cast all your cares on the Lord as you take these children through the next milestone in their lives.

 

To everyone here today: thank you for your support of these graduates. It is incredible to see these young men and women of character and excellence here before us.

On this day of celebration of these young people’s achievement, I would like to appreciate and thank their teachers, Mrs.Humphreys, their principal, Mrs.Black, their homeroom teacher and other teachers and staff who helped form them through these years who brought them to this landmark success in their life. As their parents have seen them grow, you also have seen them growing fast physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Feel proud of what you have offered to their growth and success, who will be great citizens and stewards in the church.

 

Finally, Graduates, never fail to look back and be grateful to all who have touched your lives. Remember, your graduation does not end today. Your education is a process that goes on until the last breath of your life.

And make us proud by the way you conduct yourselves in the next phase and all through your life. God’s blessings and our prayers will be with you always.