UST RECTOR Fr. Richard Ang, O.P. urged graduating Thomasians to not be afraid of failing for it is the only way to succeed during the Baccalaureate Mass for Class 2021 held Friday.
“Do not be afraid to fail, for success is not far behind; be satisfied with your lot in order for you to be happy; be happy in order for you to be grateful; and be grateful in order for you to be blessed more. This is my own version of the Beatitudes,” Ang said in his homily.
Comparing the graduates’ journey to the Parable of the Sower where the sower did not give up until the seeds bore fruit despite the obstacles, Ang told the graduates that this day would not have come if there had been no failures.
The Rector reminded the graduates to be satisfied with what they have as happiness follows contentment.
“You truly deserve to enjoy the sweet smell and taste of success, with one caveat though—never allow success to enter into your head. Achievement does not entitle you to get everything that you want. When you want […] everything in the universe, it is already a form of covetousness,” said Ang.
Ang told the graduates to not take their blessings for granted and to be grateful to their parents, teachers, and true friends, who had stood by them along their journey.
He also urged the graduates to recognize ‘faith’ in one’s success.
“You are not a Marvel superhero who does things by his power, by himself. Your power or your capacity or your talent must have had an origin, and the origin is Grace. Grace is, of course, God,” he said.
Ang concluded his sermon by congratulating the graduates and reminding them to remember their alma mater—UST, which always stands “with her gates open to her sons and daughters.”
For the academic year 2020-2021, the Faculty of Arts and Letters has produced a total of 153 graduates.
The mass was live-streamed from the Santísimo Rosario Parish via the University’s official Facebook page, which was followed by the send-off proper and virtual exit through the Arch of the Centuries via the UST Minecraft server live-streamed on UST Tiger TV’s official Facebook page. F
