When I See You Again

WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN

A Homily delivered by the Very Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, OP, Rector of the University of Santo Tomas, during the Baccalaureate Mass of the 8,048 Graduating Students of 2015
15 May 2015

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. BUT I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you” (Jn 16:20-23).

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The Gospel speaks of the sorrow the disciples felt when Jesus went away, and the joy they experienced when Jesus returned to them after His Resurrection. Jesus compared the feeling of the disciples similar to a woman about to give birth to her child. There was pain during the process of delivery. The mother suffers so much, but there is joy once the child is born. It is a kind of joy worth any pain. I guess, all of us today have the same kind of emotions. Leaving always conjures the feeling of sadness, but it also evokes a feeling of excitement and sheer joy because of the new possibilities and a newfound life.

The University of Santo Tomas, your alma mater, your beloved mother, shares the same feeling of pain and joy. Graduation is like a moment of giving birth. In Filipino, “to be born” can be translated into “nakakita ng liwanag.” Kaya ang bawat araw ng kapanganakan ay araw na itinakda kung saan ang bata ay nakakita ng liwanag. Birthday is a day when a child sees the light for the first time. Today, UST is giving birth to thousands of enlightened men and women. Scriptures remind us that such light should not be kept in bushel basket but ought to be placed in a lampstand (cf. Mt 5:15; Lk 11:33).

After few years of being under UST’s protective womb, today we open that womb so that you can begin a new life. As you leave the portals of this venerable institution, reminisce the most important subject you have learned. When Pope Francis visited the University last January [2015], he asked Leandro [Santos II], “What is the most important subject you have learned in a University? What is the most important subject you have to learn in life?” The Holy Father answered his questions by saying, and I quote, “To learn how to love… You come to the university not just to accumulate information without knowing what to do with it, but through the love, let that information bear fruit,” unquote.

Studying or learning not just only makes us knowledgeable and employable, it makes us fertile and able to bear fruits. Pumasok tayo sa Pamantasan upang magkaroon ng maganda at bagong buhay. Inihanda kayo ng Pamantasan sa hamon ng buhay. Dapat din matuto kayong magbigay ng buhay. Dapat ding natuto ring kayong magbigay ng buhay. The moment of fecundity happens when we share it with others for the good of society and development of humanity.

My dear friends, you should not only be inspired by your personal vision or driven by sheer ambition. As Thomasians, you must be imbued with the sense of mission. Remember, people get tired not because of work, not because of problems, but because they are aimless. Mark Twain said the two most important days in our life are the day we are born and the day we find out why. The happiest alumni I have met are those who are not only blessed with material success but have become blessings to others.

As we lead your way, we share the same emotions of parents bidding goodbye to their children. There is a moment in the life of a parent when he knows that the moment his child learns how to walk, the child will walk away from him one day and leave the comforts of his home. When parents allow their child to leave home, it comes with a wish that someday their child will return to them, bringing with him fruits of his hard-earned labors and, at times, gifts they would never expect. In the same manner, we would be happy to listen to stories of how you keep your duties, your virtues, and the passion you have embraced; but we would be more excited to hear stories of how you have lived your life as valiant legions, who are protecting life, improving life, saving life, giving life.

I would like to close this short message with a song that I have heard, the soundtrack of Furious 7, written by Wiz Khalifa. And the few lines that I actually lifted from the song… don’t ask me to sing it; it’s difficult to rap.

“So let the light guide your way

Hold every memory as you go

And every road you take

Will always lead you home

It's been a long day without you, my friend

And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

We've come a long way from where we began

I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

When I see you again”

Go forth, my dear Thomasians, today new life awaits you. And as a Thomasian community, we will pray that whatever you ask the Father in Jesus ‘name, may God give unto you. Congratulations and see you again.

Transcribed by chubiop
Edited by pjhernandez