ALUMNI

Grade School Closing Ceremonies 06-07:

Commencement Speaker Cesar L. Dimayuga, M.D. Xavier Batch ‘82

Cesar L. Dimayuga, M.D. Xavier Batch ‘82

Posted Friday, 20-Apr-2007 10:07 AM

     Father Ismael Zuloaga, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Father Johnny Go, Director of Xavier School, Mrs. Jane Natividad, Grade School Principal, Mrs. Estrelle Nabua, Assistant Principal Intermediate Education, our teachers, parents, the graduating batch, friends,

     Congratulations first of all to the graduating batch.  It is but fitting that we celebrate your accomplishments as we mark the end of an important phase in your academic life.  Congratulations to your parents who have labored much, prayed much, and at times agonized much to see this day finally arrive.  It was a memorable moment, twenty-nine years ago, in the old grade school gym, of a much younger Xavier School, when I received my diploma and Xavier Award.  My grade school years in Xavier were critical as they set the foundations of the values and principles that have guided me through my years of study, career and family life.   I owe much to Xavier for who I am and where I am now.

     So when I got an email last month from Xavier asking me to be the commencement speaker for these graduation rites, it was an honor and challenge I could not refuse. The inevitable question came up, why me?  I am not a famous politician, nor am I a successful businessman.  I have not garnered local nor international awards nor have I made it to the front page of newspapers.  Maybe perhaps because I am not any of the above, in order to show that each of us is called to live the Xavier ideals, that they chose me to speak.  I must be honest though that these past weeks have filled me with much stress as I pondered over the words that would best express my thoughts and feelings on what would help you face what lies before you.  What I am about to share to you is a distillation of my readings and experiences as a student, a doctor, a son and a father.

     Socrates once said “An unreflected life is not worth living.”  Self-reflection, the capacity to pause and look at one’s life, what one has done, and where one is going, is what makes us see the meaning of our lives.  Issues that I have not considered in a long time, or that I have already put to rest, come to mind again, as I see myself in you as you make your transition from childhood into manhood.

     You graduates are about to enter a new and exciting world of change, questioning and searching for self identity.  When you were younger, you viewed the world through your parents and teachers eyes.  You were taught their values, followed what they told you to do (more or less), and lived within the confines of your home and school.  Your goal then was to please your parents and your teachers. 

     Now you begin to question why you have to believe or do certain things.  You realize that your role models are not perfect, questioning the manner and reason of your parents’ actions and validating the precepts taught to you in school.  It is a time of giving up or retaining old ideas.  This step is important, for only through such questioning would you be able to claim as your own what you had before accepted blindly. 

     You are also entering a world of exploration, trying out new things, a world where you discover yourself, with your changing bodies and sense of self image, a world of discovering girls, and forming deeper friendships.

     Although this period is indeed an exciting part of your lives, it can also be most confusing as you expose yourself to a myriad of conflicting values.  Herein then lies the importance of choice, freedom and responsibility.  For how would we make the right choices?  This is only possible if you have rooted within yourself your true purpose in life. But what is that purpose? Is it the American ideal of pursuit to happiness, meaning my happiness?  Is it to acquire riches, power, influence, or even affection and love?  Would the latest model cell phones, I-pod and laptops define you as a person?  In a world which puts premium on fast cars, huge mansions, technology and gadgetry, it is very easy to fall into the trap of materialism and the "I, me and mine” attitude.

     It is here where the guidance of your parents and school play a crucial role.  The key word is guidance, for we could no longer impose our will on you as we did before.  You are now becoming men and would have to make your own choices.  But it is not our desire to see you tossed like ships in the midst of a storm without a compass or map to guide you.

     Let me start by quoting the profile of a Xavier graduate, that he is:

          "A man for others
               missioned by Christ
                    to be an instrument of change
                         through service, leadership, and Christian witness
                              especially to the Chinese-Filipino community
                                   and to the poor."

– big words indeed.  But even before going through the whole vision, do we understand what it means to be a man?

     Maleness has often been misconstrued as being the same as manhood.  That to be man was defined as having to do with strength, domination, aggression and competition.  When maleness operates without moral values, we would have a world where “might makes right”.  Such a role for man may have been okay at a time when man had to fend himself against others, when dominance was crucial for survival.  But today the characteristics of true manhood are different.  It is a manhood that is measured not only by the length of your reach, but also by the tenderness of your touch, a manhood that serves the needs of others.  For today, the world does not need hands that conquer, but rather, hands that love.

     Where in lies true strength?  Is strength seen in a boxer who knocks out his opponent or in a runner who finishes first in a race?  Is it in a man who climbs to the peak of the highest mountain on earth?  Strength is not force.  It is an attribute of the heart.  If you are able to discern with your heart the path you should take and follow it even when at the moment it seems wrong, then and only then do you have strength. 

     For example, can you turn and walk away from a fight, even when those around are jeering at you and calling you a coward? Can you refuse to look at so-called adult magazines and internet sites despite pressure from your friends?  Can you befriend a person whom nobody likes, even though others will laugh at you?  Can you stay away from a friend’s girlfriend although you like her?  Can you turn down a drink or drugs because you don’t want them?  And, can you do these in a kind and clear manner without appearing self-righteous?  If you can than you are strong.

     When you build your strength of character when you are young, it will help you face life’s challenges as men with integrity. 

     Let me tell you a story of a patient of mine.  He is a 30 year old father of two children, ages 1 and 3.  My patient had cancer of the bone around his right knee.  Despite chemotherapy, the tumor in his leg did not shrink enough for me to save the leg.  I had to tell him that in order to have a chance to save his life; I would have to cut his leg above the knee.  How would you react if you were him?  How did he react?

     Well, my patient wrote a letter to his friends which he shared to me before his surgery.  He entitled it, “So it comes to this”.  He writes “after all the things I had been doing with my leg –  riding a bike, trekking, running marathons, playing basketball, badminton, tennis, walking at the malls and driving my car, at still a young age, God tells me that it is time to retire my right leg.  All I could say to God was thank you.  We know that our lives are all on loan.  With the limited time God gave my leg, I’ve enjoyed so much.  What I have experienced is more than what others will in their whole lifetime.  What is happening couldn’t have come at a better time.  I am young and I am strong.  I am looking forward to doing and accomplishing all these things again with a prosthetic leg.  I have time because I will live long!  I will do it!  It will be all the better this time around because I will do them with my children.”

     Where did my patient find the strength to rise above the challenge of cancer and losing his leg?  What kept him from cursing his God and his fate?  What was it he said again?  He said, “Thank God”.  Wow!  Such strength could only come from a clear understanding of his purpose in life, which is, that life is not all about him, but rather all about God.  It is in living our lives in alignment with God’s purposes, that we shall be happy, despite the circumstances we are in.

     God has a plan for each of you. When I was in grade 4, I read this Danish proverb in a poster in one of our CLE classes, “What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.”  Find out what is God’s gift to you and nourish it.  Find out what it is that burns in your heart.  It shall guide you in the future as you choose the kind of work you will do.  Your work should not be just a job, but a vocation.  A vocation is something you do that fills your life with meaning.  It is something you choose not because of the money you are paid or the prestige you get, but rather because it allows you to accomplish the purpose in your life as your heart sees it.  More importantly your vocation allows you to love. 

     Why did I choose to become a doctor?  There is fulfillment in being able to do good, to alleviate the suffering of the sick.  It is like taking part in the work of the divine.  It is indeed a humbling experience to think that God uses my hands, despite my imperfections and limitations, to be his instruments in his healing ministry.  I had at times been foolish to think that the capability and capacity was mine.  Even more humbling are the times when I could not cure, and see my patient’s life slowly taken over by cancer, when all I could do is to provide a sympathetic ear, an understanding smile, and caring hands. We doctors are called to cure sometimes, care often and comfort always.

     To see Christ in the poor and suffering, that is a gift that I pray for.  For only then can I truly love and be a man for others.  It shall be easier to love, for those “others” is Christ Himself.

     I am encouraged by the works and words of Mother Theresa of Calcutta who said: “Because we cannot see God, we cannot express our love to Him in person.  But our neighbor we can see, and we can do for him or her what we would love to do for Jesus if He were visible.”

     What does it mean to be a Xavierian in today’s world?  Each of us is called to SHINE in our homes and in our work place to become effective instruments of change. Not all of us will be presidents of companies, news makers, but all are challenged to do in our small ways something beautiful for God.  In God’s eyes, even the simplest acts of kindness, a smile, a gentle word are great things.  May no one leave our presence without feeling the light of Christ.  Mother Theresa exhorts us to be kind and merciful and to let no one ever come to us without coming away better and happier.

     Let me paraphrase a bit, with Fr. Johnny’s permission, our battle cry of Luceat Lux, which means “Let your light shine”, to that of “Let Christ’s light shine through you”. In the end, Christ will judge us not by how successful we have been, but rather by how faithful we have been. 

Let me end this short talk with this prayer by Cardinal Newman called “The Radiant Christ”

Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go.  Flood my soul with your spirit and life.  Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that my life may be only a radiance of yours.

Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul.  Let them look up, and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.  The light, O Jesus, will be all from you, shining on others through me.  Let me thus praise you in the way which you love best, by shining on those around me.

Let me preach you without preaching, not by my words, but by my example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to you. Amen.

Congratulations once more and let us go on to be men of conscience, character, community, competence, culture and compassion.

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