Growth is a gift and a challenge

Sa mga magigiting kong kapwa Atenistang magtatapos, araw ito ng pagdiriwang at pasasalamat. Binabati ko kayo at ang inyong mga magulang sa tagumpay na inyong narating. Bunga ito ng inyong pagsusumikap at pagtiyatiyaga sa pag-aaral at pagpapalago ng sarili. Marami kayong pinagdaanan, maraming pagsubok na hinarap at nilampasan, upang sumibol ang bungang ito. Ito na ang panahon ng pag-ani!

As you end your studies in the Ateneo Grade School, I invite you to harvest and gather the fruits of your experience, to put to heart the lessons you have learned, to cherish the wonderful moments you have spent, and to acknowledge the people who have helped you grow and bear fruit.

Naalala ko tuloy ang isa sa mga kinagiliwan at pinahalagahan kong aralin at gawain noong ako rin ay isang mag-aaral dito sa Mababang Paaralan. Sa aming klase sa Practical Arts o ang tinatawag na ninyong SiPag o Sining at Paggawa, inatasan kami ng aming gurong si Ginoong Clarito Nabas na magtanim ng iba’t ibang gulay – sitaw, talong, pechay, at iba pa. Maingat naming isinagawa ng aking mga kamag-aaral ang proyekto – mula sa pagbungkal ng lupa, paglagay ng pataba, pagbuo ng punlaan, pagtanim ng mga buto, hanggang sa pagdidilig tuwing umaga at hapon, pagbubunot sa mga ligaw na damo, at pagtitiyak na naarawan ang aming mga pananim. Sa mga unang araw, tila walang nangyayari. Natakot kaming hindi tumubo ang mga butong aming tinanim, na baka may mali o kulang sa aming ginawa. Laking tuwa namin nang pagkatapos ng isang lingo may mga umusbong na maliliit na tangkay. At pagkalipas ng ilan pang linggo, tumubo ang mga ito. Dumami ang mga dahon. Tumangkad, nagkasanga, at namulaklak ang aming mga pananim. Hanggang sa wakas, tuluyan na ngang nagkabunga ang mga halaman. Pagkatapos ng mahigit isang buwan, naani na namin ang talong, pechay at sitaw na aming tinanim, at sabik naming inuwi ang mga pinagpagurang gulay sa aming mga tahanan.

That simple class project reminds us of how growth is a process that requires constant and patient care and nurturance. Growth is a gift and likewise a challenge. In your time in the Ateneo Grade School, good seeds have been planted in you. These seeds are the lessons and skills taught to you by your teachers, the values instilled in you that shaped and enriched your heart – magis, cura personalis, generosity, being men for others, humility, simplicity, among others. The seed of faith was also sown in you that roots you in God’s love, inspiring you to reach out to others, to love and serve as Christ did.

These seeds were nurtured inside and outside the classroom by your parents and teachers, providing you with the necessary care, love, and support. You have grown and flourished because of the attention and affection they generously shared with you. We pay tribute to them and honor them.

As you move on to Junior High School, you are now called and sent to continue the work of growth and flourishing. Take care of the plants that have been cultivated in you, nurture the seeds that have yet to sprout, prepare the ground of your lives for new seeds to be planted. Be assured that God will continue to send planters, sowers and tillers to help and guide you fully develop and bear fruit.

On Saturday (1 June 2024), I will be ordained to the priesthood with my three other Jesuit companions. I am truly humbled by this immense gift, this call of our Lord to be his priest. Through this gift, I will be able to selflessly serve God’s people so that they can experience his love and grace in their lives.

Looking back at my journey, I recognize how the seeds of my vocation were planted here in the Ateneo as a young student like you, being formed to be a man of faith, a man for others. These seeds have indeed grown and flourished because of my family, teachers, formators and friends who have taken care of me, encouraged and supported me to realize and respond to God’s call. This God-given fruit took several years to form and ripen. God patiently accompanied me to discover my mission and purpose, leading me always to share who I am and what I have for his greater glory – as an Atenean, as a lawyer, as a Jesuit, and soon as his priest. I discovered meaning and joy in serving those in need – the Tagbanua indigenous communities in Culion, Palawan; our mission partners from Sapang Palay, San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; and Payatas, Quezon City. They have welcomed and accepted me as their own. I can only hope and pray that the same seeds of Jesuit vocation will grow and flourish in at least one from your batch. I hope and pray that there will be a future Jesuit, or Jesuits from the Ateneo Grade School Class of 2024 who will selflessly offer everything to God and his people.

As you grow and flourish, remain rooted – rooted in the Ateneo, rooted in God. In times of difficulty, your roots will keep you grounded. It will keep you firmly planted in God’s grace, remaining true and faithful to the Ateneo way – a life of excellence and service, a life for and with others. May the fruits that you bear give life to others especially the disadvantaged and marginalized in society. May you be planters, sowers and tillers of good seeds in the lives of the people God will entrust to your care. As our Lord directs his disciples in the Gospel, “Go and bear fruit—fruit that will last!”

Congratulations and blessings, Ateneo de Manila Grade School Class of 2024!

This address was delivered by Fr Erwin "Bok" Arandia SJ during the 2024 Commencement Exercisies of Ateneo de Manila Grade School last 28 May 2024.