My dear Finalists 2022!

The time has come!! We gather today to say “Thank You to the God who has journeyed with you all these years while you have been with us.”

We as Community want also to say “Thank You” to you for being here with us all these years. We have laughed, we have worked, we have prayed, we have hugged, at times we cried, there were times when you failed or we did but we stood up again… And here we are!! So much has gone on while you have been with us and we thank God and you for the joy of knowing you, joy of loving you and joy of journeying with you this far.

Some of you have been prominent in our Community while others we hardly know you or you knowing us. To all of you the Community says thanks to you. St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Community bids you farewell. “A farewell is not just about saying goodbye to your loved ones. Rather, it is about encouraging and giving your best wishes to someone on his or her journey. No words can say it all. We say goodbye but we know that our paths are going to cross again; yes you will no longer be MUBS students but you will become St. Charles Lwanga Alumni, you are joining the elders. Congratulations upon joining this elite class.

All the begins comes to an End

I your Munnakyalo cannot believe it has been this fast. We shall miss the great times and the great fun we shared. Sometimes, I forget to thank the people who make my life so happy in so many ways. Sometimes, I forget to tell them how much I really do appreciate them for being an important part of my life. Today I want you to know that you meant so much to me and you meant so much to your Community you love so much.

Today, Mother Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. After the celebration of Christmas, we come to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, which began with the baptism of John, as Peter tells us in the second reading. The first reading describes the call, the gift of the Spirit, and the mission of the “Servant of God.” The Gospel tells us that the faithful “Servant,” beloved of the Father, is Jesus. The word of God today invites us to look at Christ to discover the Father. He is about to begin a journey that will take him to his death and resurrection. Like Jesus you are beginning your journey to your destiny. What you say, whatever you engage in, what you ignore, what you touch or do not touch, what you eat or do not eat all that will determine your destiny.

Isaiah has invited the “Servant of God” in these words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned.” That is you, today. Be comforted MUBS is now behind you. Formal school for most of you is ending but the school of life is just beginning.

Isaiah has continued and said, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” This is your duty which no other will do for you. Prepare to enter the adult world, the world of work, the world of family, religious life or priesthood, the world of intricate relationships, the world of great risks and great benefits. In you we long to see our success not our failure, our greatness not our weakness, our future and not our destruction.

Fear not. Yes, what awaits you is mighty and awesome but be brave, courage for your God goes before you. These are the encouraging words from Isaiah, “O Zion, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not . . . “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Courage my very dear ones, the finalists. This is your God. He will never fail you when you cling to him.

Watch your life; watch your ways. Live good and virtuous lives. Pray all the time. Avoid sin in your life. If ever you ever sin please go and confess that you may always be on God’s Team. Titus in the second reading has told us this, “Beloved: For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

May your life be so good that people may have wonderful thoughts, wonderful expectations about you like during the times of Jesus they had for John. Luke has told us, “At that time: As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ!” John’s life was so good that some had mistaken him for Jesus!!

We are praying for you that the opens may open for you all the time and through your good life you may always find favour with the Lord as Jesus did from His Father. May you always treasure being and remaining a beloved child of God in whom He is well pleased. We are told that after Jesus’ Baptism, “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus began his public ministry after his baptism, today! Today you are leaving and starting yours. When you are gone, life will at the beginning be a little awkward and possibly boring. We will definitely miss many of you because you have been great guys and really part of our life. But whatever the case we cannot stop the clock. We shall allow the clocks to tick and move on and please, you, too, move on.

Move on to make a new start in a new world: The beginning is always the hardest. When you start and it is hard, do not give up. Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. Try, try, try, try and try and try. No endeavour that is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect. You are starting something new, something you have been preparing for during your student days. The world is round: what seems like the end could be just the corner in the road, the beginning of great things ahead. Give the fullness of yourself in all that you engage in. As you close the door of student life another door is opening. There are very many doors in the world you are entering. Make sure you open and enter in the right door.

Move on with a friend: Find a friend to journey with through the pathways of life: “Friendship marks a life even more deeply that love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing,” Elie Wiesel. Muhammad Ali once said, “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” Find someone who challenges and inspires you; spend a lot of time with him or her, and it will change your life.”

Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walked into your life, said, “I’m here for you,” and proved it. Oprah Winfrey said, “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Socrates, “Be slow to fall into friendship but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.” Beware of insincere and evil friends. Buddha said, “An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body but an evil friend will wound your mind.” A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allow you to grow.

Move on and grow: The world needs masters. The masters rule the world. Do not allow the world to sit on your daily growth as a person and as a person of God. Strive to do well and do gloriously well always. Let your performance always set the bar always higher so that many people will come to you for the wisdom you have mastered. Shed off gradually the childish ways as Paul tells us in I Cor 13:11, “When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.” Some people get old grudgingly (bakaddiwa tebeeyagalidde). Graciously mature so that you can take up your rightful position in your family, in our Church and in the nation.

Move on and prosper: Play by the rules which gain prosperity and retain it. Respect money. Save money. Invest money. Keep money for the rainy day. Each shilling which comes in your hand do not allow it to leave you without making another one. Do not live beyond your means. Do not borrow to celebrate and do not use capital or seed money to celebrate. Celebrate when you make a profit. Let your loved ones celebrate your achievements along the path of your life for you do not know when they will begin departing from you or you from them. Live a modest life whether wealthy or poor.

We live in the age of Corona-19. It is unprecedented times. People have lost their lives, jobs, enterprises, savings… This can happen to you. Do not reinvent the wheel. Live with caution for the unforeseen eventualities. Life can take you “Process by process; but please do not be naïve!!” Corona, Slim, Sickle Cell these are dangerous modern diseases with us; we must avoid them because if we do not they will cut short our prosperity.

Prosper with clean hands. Many embezzle money and become wealth. But there is no joy in stolen money. Aim at living a corrupt-free life. Prosper decently without blood on your hands.

Move on and find a cause a reason to exit: You find meaning in life when you live “a purpose-filled life.” When the time comes and the right woman or man comes or you have proved the one you have been with is the one God has planned for you, kindly take him or her to the altar and make her your husband or your wife. If you are to be a priest, go to your Parish Priest and ask him to connect you to the Vocations Director of your Diocese. If you want to become a religious, find out the congregation you want to join and do likewise. Avoid leading “an open-to-all” kind of life.

In order to see furthest we need to see less. Commit your life to a cause (to someone or to your God) and your life will make a lot of meaning for you and for others. Never be disillusioned that old age is very far. Your beloved Munnakyalo was also once a young boy not too many years ago. He had a lot of hair on his head. They say he was very handsome but all that you do not now see.

Use the time God has given you to build your name and your status. No one will do it for you. If you have no mentor yet, find one. Have ideals to work towards and live for. As you have found people who have inspired you, begin to put together a life which will in turn inspire and up lift your generation and why not even generations after you.

Move on but DO NOT WASTE PRECIOUS GOD-GIVEN TIME: Time is precious. Never waste it. Use it fully. The way you use it will separate you from the boys and girls.

Move on but return to build your Community: This home you have enjoyed has been built by your predecessors. Come back often to tithe with us so that we can complete the project. The Students Centre is yet to be raised. Think back on us.

Move on to change your bad ways: Do you remember Paul; once he did harm the Christians. But God touched him and changed him. He gave his soul to His God, he became a great Apostle. His conversion was real and beneficial to the Community. Change your bad ways; change your hates and jealousies; change all that draws you and your people down. Aim for the higher values and virtues. Seek forgiveness from God, from your family and friends so that you can live in peace with people and that people can live in peace with you.

Move on to be a man or a woman of his or her word: The psalmist says, “My vows I will pay before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.” Be a man or a woman of your word. Avoid lies. Fulfill what you have promised to fulfill. Pay your loans and those people to whom you are indebted promptly.

Move on to be men or women of God to bear much fruit:  Again the Psalmist said, “And my soul shall live for him, my descendants serve him.” Continue to know your God, Praise and thank your God always, because those who love and serve the Lord are like Mount Sion. Know the Mighty Name of Jesus and may you pass through that name to obtain all the graces and favours and build a great legacy. Let not your heart or soul condemn you. Be at peace with your God all the time. John said it, “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Abide always in God. There is a reward attached to abiding in God. He has said it, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing . . . If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.”

Move on and love in word and action: St. John tells you, “Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.” Be sincere and genuine in your love. Those who have given their life to you: respect them and never disappoint them. Let them know of your love. Never take someone’s love for granted.

Move on to provide for yourself and your dependents. While here almost everything was being provided (food, tuition, shoes…). When you graduate shed off the “dependence syndrome.” Temulemeramu lock yakulabirirwa, mudde mu kusabiriza. Bakadde bammwe Guardians bakoze kye babadde bateekeddwa okukola. Obudde butuuse mmwe mwennyini mutandike nammwe okwetakulira. Time to become self-reliant and self-support is now. One of my mottos is, “Hit the Iron when it is still hot.” Do not wait years to start on this. Start right away.Your parents and guardians have done what was their duty.

Yes, be gracious and grateful to all the people who have supported you up to now and do not take for granted those who have been there for you. Abo abakubeereddewo funa engeri ennungi era entuufu okubasiima n’okubeebaza. Find a way of acknowledging and thanking all those who have been there for you until now. Some of you people live life as though you are ENTITLED to your parents life accumulations (land, house, business, investments…). These are not yours. Go work for yours. The father dies and the children gather to divide the spoils!!!! “Tugabane ku bya kitaffe!” Let us share our father’s things. Bannange!!!! Greed for what is not yours!!

Move on to take opportunities. Explore all the opportunities that there are. Be brave. Take calculated risks. At your age it is ok to make mistakes because that is the only way to learn. But correct them. Do not make the same mistake twice. Go forward. Explore. Mistakes of after 40s may be devastating.

Move on but know the correct measure. Moderation is a golden word. Avoid life in the “fast lane.” If you over speed, if you sniff drugs, if you abuse alcohol you will be leading a reckless life. Era ojja kutomera! Some accidents are fatal! Live sober, modest lives where there is hope for the day after tomorrow.

A farewell promises a new beginning. Go, fly away to the destinations God prepared for you. We want to bless you in the spirit of Psalm 20 which says,

         “The Lord answer you in time of distress;

         The name of the God of Jacob defend you!

         May God send you help from the temple,

         From Zion be your support.

         May God remember your every offering,

         Graciously accept your holocaust,

         Grand what is in your heart,

         Fulfill your every plan.

         May we shout for you at your victory,

         Raise the banners in the name of our God.

         The Lord grant your every prayer!”

         The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His Face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn His Face toward you and give you peace!

FAREWELL MY BELOVED CHILDREN!!

Msgr. Dr. Lawrence L. Ssemusu

CHAPLAIN