A GRADUATION PRAYER

1. (Echoing Psalms 117)

Please repeat after me:
Praise the Lord, all you nations! //
Extol him, all you peoples! //
For great is his steadfast love toward us, //
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

2. (5-second silence)

3. (Sign of the Cross)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

We adore you O God, our dear heavenly Parent and Guardian. We come before you as your children, uniting ourselves as a community of disciples and learners eager to follow the examples of our Brother Jesus.

Each one of us if filled with overflowing gratefulness for You boundless generosity, goodness and graciousness in making it possible for all of us to be here at this point in our lives.

In a very special way, we thank you for the precious gift of EDUCATION, which is not givne to all, we thank you for our parents, guardians, mentors, classmates, friends and those who have been part of our journey as we strive to become better everyday.

We have gone quite a journey, O Lord, and now that we are to close this chapter in our lives, we ask for your forgiveness for the many times we have turned away from you through our favorite sins, our lack of responsibility and concern for others and the environment. We beg for your mercy so that we can move on with a new beginning, bringing with us the knowledge and skills, values and attitudes, the faith and spirituality that (Name of School) has taught us.

It is with confidence that we enter another threshold and to You we look for guidance. Through the intercession of (Name of Patron Saint) bestow on us the grace we need so that we can be the persons You want us to be - living life to the full, striving for excellence in all we do, reaching out to others in charity and always aiming at social transformation.

This, we pray in the mighty name of our Brother and Friend Jesus Christ. AMEN

4. (5-second silence)

5. (Echoing Psalms 117)

Please repeat after me:
Praise the Lord, all you nations! //
Extol him, all you peoples! //
For great is his steadfast love toward us, //
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

6. (Sign of the Cross)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

Ikaw Ang Kabuhi Ko

Ginabag-o mo ang pananawan,
Ang akon mga pamatasan.
Ginhatagan sang kasayuran
Ining diutay nga kalibutan.

Ano na ayhan kon wala ka
Nagdulot kabuhi kag gugma?
Paano na lang ako bala
Kon ikaw wala makilala?

Ikaw, ikaw lang ang kabuhi ko
Tuman ang imo kaayo,
Himpit ka sa imo pangako.
Ikaw lang ang kabuhi ko.

Salamat gid sa handumanan
Nga ginkalipay sining dughan.
Gani sa imo ginatugyan
Ang bug-os ko nga masarangan.

Ginoo, ikaw lang ang kabuhi ko!

Are you a martyr?

You think you're no martyr? Let's see.

In olden times, a martyr is one who is called to bear witness or to testify to something to which s/he has a personal knowledge. Such is the meaning from the Greek word martus. In a religious sense, it has taken on more meaning, that is having to witness to one's faith, even to death.

Today, the term is often referred to someone who seem to be in love with sacrificing oneself for something - principle, belief, love, ideology. We'll you can read this stuff on the net.

Guess everyone has a personal knowledge of anything, even just a thing. But only if s/he stands for it, and bears witness to it in truth and freedom, can one be called a martyr.

How much of a martyr are you? It's good to be able to embrace what is it that you really want, what you believe in, what are you here for. Do welcome the martyr in you. S/he's there, waiting to be recognized.