The Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Archbishop Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal told final year students of Divine Word University that they were called to serve.

The Apostolic Nuncio was speaking at the 11^th Missioning Ceremony of the DWU’s Madang campus on Friday 18^th October 2019.

Below is the rest of his keynote address he delivered at the St John Paul II Hall which was packed with students, staff, parents, guardians and the general public:

 Keynote Address of Archbishop Kurian Mathew Vayalunkal,

Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

at the Missioning Ceremony (Commissioning) 

DWU – Madang Campus, 18^th October 2019

Prof. Cecilia Nembou, President of Divine Word University,

Most. Rev. Stephen Reichert, Archbishop emeritus of Madang,

Rev. Fr. Dr. Philip Gibbs, Deputy President,

Rev. Fr. Dr. Lawrence Arockiaraj, Vice President of Wewak Campus,

Other distinguished guests present,

Dear students and teachers, parents and friends,

          Thank you for inviting me to deliver the keynote address at the Missioning Ceremony. It is an honor and a privilege, and I appreciate the opportunity.

I want to add my congratulations to each and every graduate. You are an accomplished group, and after years of hard work, dedication, and drive, you are ready to be sent out of this prestigious Divine Word University.

          As I already mentioned in my homily, this is the first time I visit this University, and I am proud to say that I am really impressed with the whole setup and am happy to say that you truly serve the Nation by placing emphasis on the spirituality of work, self-reliance, and service. This Missioning Ceremony commissions our graduates to take their training into the world and make a difference in the world in general and in the Country in particular. This event will prayerfully commission you to serve the world as good human beings and, at the same time, good Christian leaders in your chosen fields.

My dear graduates, during your journey as students here at Divine Word University, you have certainly broadened your minds, increased your understanding, and gained incredible skills. You are different persons now than you were when you first set foot on this campus. When you leave this beautiful campus, you will start a new journey, and these are exciting times for you.

You have your own dreams and aspirations for the future. No matter what your career ambitions may be, no matter what line of work you may have in mind, this morning, let me ask you to consider how you can use the skills and knowledge gained here at the Divine Word University to serve something bigger than yourselves. Let me suggest to you that as citizens of this great Country, you are all called to serve: to serve our communities, our Church, our nation, and our world. You are indeed the future of Papua New Guinea. The Nation and the Christian community look to you with great hope. I am confident that you will make all of us proud by making the right choices in your life.

Since you all are at the cross-road of life and are trying to make the right choices in your life, let me give you some “mantras” for your life:

1. 1. Live in the present and live it fully: We all have a tendency to cry for the past and worry about the future. The best thing to do is to live in the moment, or sanctify the moment, and live 100% true to your life. Don’t wait to be successful at some future point. Have a successful relationship with the present moment and be fully present in whatever you are doing. That is essential to real success.

2. 2. Have a desire to become protagonists of change (agents of change). If you want to be protagonists of change you must start asking questions. Rather than asking a question like "why," you should rather ask "how" to solve problems. There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or to accept the responsibility for changing them. No one could take that responsibility for you. It is your responsibility.

Our problem is that we are all good at talking, but not in acting or performing. We are all good at finding fault with everything: with our customs, traditions, political system, corruption, criminality, insecurity, lack of education or health service, etc. But no one is ready to make a move to change those conditions. We always say, “Oh, what can I do? I am a simple, humble individual, and the system is so complex… I am helpless!”

We have to change that mentality of helplessness. Your mentality has a direct impact on your entire life. When you change your mentality from negativity to positivity, you can change your life; you can change the situation, and you can transform the world.

3. 3. Live your life without forgetting God. We are living in a world that hates God and all that is of God. There are people who want to tell that God doesn't exist. It is almost a fashion to negate God and faith in God. Yes, many of the youngsters in the modern world live and experience the illusions of contemporary man who believes he can dominate the world, and have everything under their control. But they don’t realize that they are, in turn, dominated by idols such as money, power, and pleasure, etc., that produce injustice and corruption.

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters, if you want to be successful in life, you must have faith in God and trust in God. I don't want any of you to live a life without God; I don't want you to live a life forgetting God and His great love for you.

4. 4. Be courageous young people: The world that greets you is one filled with both chaos and great opportunities. We are living in an increasingly diverse, interconnected, yet unequal world. To combat the inequities of our society, we need people who are ready, willing, and able to fix the problems that plague our society. You should be those who are actively engaged in making your communities, this world, a better place; people who are not afraid to join hands in solidarity against forces that seek to erode our ethical, moral, and civic values.

          To be courageous means to live without fear. Fear leads you to worries. What are your fears? What are your worries? Or what worries you most deeply? Very often, the most common fear of young men or women is that of not being loved, not being liked or accepted by others.

          I had my fears, my worries. But when I start to place my trust in God, and when I start to believe in the words of God, I feel much relieved and comforted. Bible tells me four magic words to take away my fear: “DO NOT BE AFRAID." They are “repeated 365 times in the Bible with different variations, as if to tell me that the Lord wants me to be free from fear every day of the year.  

5. 5. Life is short, and the choice is ours: The lifespan of an average man is 80 years. If that is your life duration, how many days do you have in your life? Only around 30,000 days - to be precise, it is 29,200 days.

I want to compare this 29,200-days-long-life as a book with three chapters. But when we start our life, God already prepares the first and last chapters. The first chapter is, I would call it chapter B, which is about our birth; and the last chapter is, I would call it chapter D, which is about our death. Between B and D, there should be one more letter in the English alphabets. It is C. Yes, that C chapter or the in-between-chapter will be written by each one of us. That is our life-chapter where we have the control. That depends on our choices. You can write that chapter with straight lines or with twisted lines.

6. 6. Learn to see challenges as opportunities: If you want to shine like a sun in your life, first you must burn like a sun. So never expect an easy life. Life is always a challenge. But we must be able to see challenges as opportunities. In this regard, let me narrate an incident:

[On December 10, 1914, there was a massive explosion in West Orange, New Jersey, USA. Flames engulfed 10 buildings in a factory owned by the legendary inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Six or eight fire departments rushed to the scene but could not contain the chemical fuel inferno.

After having tried all that he could, Thomas Edison calmly stood there, watching the fire destroy his entire life’s hard work. His 24-year-old son Charles came over and stood next to him. In a child-like voice, Edison said to his son: “Charlie, go and get your mother and her friends. They will never be able to see a spectacular fire like this in their entire life. Astonished and shocked by his father’s response, Charles asked Thomas Edition, “Dad don’t you realize that our entire factory is being burned down to ashes?” Thomas Edition replied in complete composure, “Yes, our factory is burnt down to ashes, but all the mistakes we have made so far in the factory have also been burnt down to ashes. We will start all over again tomorrow.

That evening, Thomas Edition told a New York Times reporter, “Although I am 67 years old, and I am completely exhausted from running around and trying to control the fire, tomorrow I will start all over again afresh.” And so he did. The next day was a fresh beginning for Thomas Edison and his son Charles in trying to rebuild what had been destroyed by the fire.

 Often this is what life does unto us. Our dreams are shattered, our hopes broken, and efforts baffled. Great people, they don’t cry; they try to rebuild their dreams. Great people don’t give up; they live up to the challenges that life throws at them. Great people, don’t go through, they grow through the difficulties that come on their path. They start all over again with great hope, with great determination; and that is why they reach the highest peaks of success that most people only aspire for.]

When you are challenged, you should put your trust in God and leave your lives in His hands. I can guarantee that those who put their trust in God will never be disappointed because He will take care of our life. God is like software… He enters into our life, scans our problems, edits our tensions, downloads solutions, deletes all our worries, and saves us from viruses that might attack us at any moment. Friends, God knows you completely, accepts you unconditionally, and loves you wholeheartedly. If that is true, we don’t need to worry about the future. What we should do is just to trust in God’s timing and cooperate with Him. As young people, we all look for quick solutions and immediate answers. But God has His own timing, and it is better to wait a while and have things fall into place than to rush and have things fall apart.

Dear young friends, you are into your future with high hopes, at the same time with great expectations. When your expectations are not fulfilled, you quickly get upset and disappointed. You might lose hope and would be tempted to give up. Let me tell you: When you have given up hope, trust in God. He will make a way when there seems to be no way. When you don’t understand what is happening in your life, just close your eyes, take a deep breath and say ‘God I know it is your plan, just help me through.’ Yes, turn your worries into worship and watch God turn your battles into blessings. Remember that Jesus will never let you down.

Dear graduates, be proud of what you have achieved. You worked hard to reach this point today. On this beautiful campus, you have gained valuable skills. Wherever you are headed next, you now have the opportunity to take those skills and use them to make a positive impact in the society, to strengthen the Nation, and to transform the world around you. Try to make good choices in your life. Never forget to multiply your God-given talents. When you are challenged, see challenges as an opportunity; just trust in your God and ask Him to be at your side.