Graduation is quickly approaching. Those who are about to receive their degrees are also about to move into a new phase of life. This experience is both exciting and terrifying, whether or not plans have officially been made. In response, I would like to offer a prayer for graduating seniors.
Our God in Heaven,
Thank You for blessing us with these people. Thank You for giving us time with some truly amazing humans. Thank You for the friends, acquaintances and peers that have influenced us in ways we may not even be aware of. Thank You for the conversations, meals, events, late nights, study sessions and weekends that we have been able to spend with these people. Thank You for creating these humans.
I pray that You continue to push them in the direction You want their life to go. And I pray that they follow without too much of a fight. I pray that the coming years would be full of new opportunities and that You show them parts of themselves they have yet to discover. I pray that in moments of stress, anxiety or fear, You would be there to comfort and guide them.
I pray that those who do not know what after-graduation holds for them don’t fear the coming months. I pray that You would open up doors for them and motivate them to try new things. I pray that they would take advantage of this time that they get to spend freely. I pray that they would get to spend more time with You and build a strong relationship with you that will last a lifetime.
I pray that those who do know what after-graduation holds for them are able to rejoice in You. I pray that they take time to reflect and that if they find that what they are doing isn’t their calling, they are able to walk away. I pray for ears to listen to Your voice and the ability to discern the right path for them.
I pray for strength, wisdom and discernment. I pray for grace, joy and peace. I pray that all of the graduating seniors know how much You love them and how much we love them. I pray that they will walk across the stage without fear of what’s on the other side. I pray that they are aware of Your presence on graduation day. I pray that they know how proud You are of them.
I pray that no matter where life takes them, they know You are with them. I pray that they know how much love and support surrounds them from family, friends and peers. I pray that they remember the people and places they are leaving behind and that they remember to come visit.
Most of all, I pray that regardless of all circumstances, they know that You are always on their side, and You have a plan for them.
Amen.
www.theodysseyonline.com
Notre Dame Graduating Seniors Pray for Obama Ahead of Commencement
Anti-abortion students at the University of Notre Dame held an all-night prayer vigil to protest the school’s decision to invite President Obama to deliver Sunday’s commencement address.
Led by the Rev. John D’Arcy, bishop of the Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese, the candlelight prayer vigil was held for graduating seniors and their families to pray for three things: that Obama will change his support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research, that people throughout the world gain a greater respect for life and that Notre Dame and other Roman Catholic universities will more fully embrace their Catholic identity.
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“It’s not a political issue; this is an issue of human dignity, and it’s a Catholic issue,” said Greer Hannan, a Notre Dame graduating senior. “As a Catholic university, we need to stand up for it.”
Many Notre Dame seniors have decided not to attend their commencement ceremony in protest of the university’s decision to grant Obama an honorary law degree and will instead hold a meditation ceremony to coincide with the official commencement
In addition to the meditation ceremony, a large rally will be held on the campus’ main quad between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., with a number of speakers lined up, including Elizabeth Naquin Border, Notre Dame graduate and former chairman of the board for the Women’s Care Centers in South Bend; William Solomon, director of the university’s Center for Ethics and Culture; and Chris Godfrey, a Notre Dame law school graduate and former offensive guard for the Super Bowl XXI champion New York Giants.
Earlier Saturday, more than 150 protesters gathered on the campus of America’s foremost Roman Catholic university as graduation festivities got underway.
Shortly after noon, 23 protesters marched on to campus. Nineteen were arrested on trespassing charges and four also faced a charge of resisting law enforcement, said Sgt. Bill Redman, St. Joseph County Police Department spokesman.
None of those arrested Saturday were students, Brown said.
On Sunday, at 2 p.m., Obama will be the principal speaker and the recipient of an honorary doctor of laws degree at the University of Notre Dame’s 164th University Commencement Ceremony in the Joyce Center on campus.
Obama will be the ninth U.S. President to be awarded an honorary degree by the University and the sixth to be the Commencement speaker.
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www.christianpost.com
by Lynai (Van Nuys, CA)
I’m a 17 year old senior currently trying to make my June deadline for graduation. I struggle very badly in math class, I’d like to ask for the strength to get through this class and not possibly have to take it anymore. I ask for the patience to get through my last few classes and to graduate on time. I feel so close, yet so far from where I’ve worked so hard to be. I ask the Lord to continue to guide in the right path and allow me to pass these last classes before June. It’s been very stressful and I know the Lord has a plan, I’d just like a sign everything is going to be okay.
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Share the following prayer service from Marriage and Holy Orders: Your Call to Love and Serve with your students. It is especially appropriate for juniors preparing to be seniors and seniors at the time of graduation.
The last semesters of high school are filled with planning for the next stage in life. Which college will you attend? Which career will you prepare for? What will it be like to leave family and friends at home? How will you grow in a personal and adult faith? These are only some of the questions to consider on a regular basis. Pray often for a smooth transition from high school. Keep Christ close to your heart as you make these important decisions. On several occasions, pray using the following format.
Table of contents
Call to Prayer for Seniors in High School
Pray the following words or choose some similar words of your own. Construct your prayer around some specific situations arising in your final months, weeks, and days as a senior in high school.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Be with me today in my studies.
Improve my work habits.
Help me to learn to relax when taking exams so that I am able to test to my potential.
When I apply to colleges, allow me the chance to show the “real me” to those who make decisions.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Allow me to appreciate my friends.
Give me a moment to see their goodness.
Help me to be always faithful to these dear people I have grown up with since childhood.
Always give me the opportunity to stay close to my friends,
whether we are physically near or far apart.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Continue to inspire my teachers, counselors, and coaches who have inspired me.
In these last days of high school, give me the courage to truly follow their lessons.
Allow me the inspiration to thank them for their gifts with sincere appreciation.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Bless my parents and family.
They are everything to me.
They have modeled for me your life and love.
Keep them healthy and happy for many more years.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Help me find my way to my loving Father through his Son.
Share with me a sign of my calling.
Give me good ears to listen to your voice.
Give me the strength to follow your lead.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
Slowly and prayerfully read the following Gospel passage from John 14:15-21. How is God with you now? How will you stay close to God after you graduate from high school? Listen carefully to Jesus’ words.
A reading from the Gospel of John.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions for High School Seniors
Read through the entire list of questions. Then go back and choose one question to spend time with in greater detail. Listen to what God is saying to you. Take notes in a notebook or prayer journal. Choose another question on a different occasion. Form your own questions having to do with your transition from high school. As your answers change, write your new answers.
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What are my goals for my senior year in high school?
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How can I better express my true self to my family and friends?
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To whom do I need to say I am sorry?
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Where do I see myself in five years?
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What are my God-given talents?
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How might I use my talents in a career?
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How can I show my family I appreciate their love and care?
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What do I need to do to learn to be more independent?
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How can I improve my faith-life?
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What can I do to be more active in the Church?
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What kind of Catholic will I be when I get out of high school?
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Who do I want to become?
Act of Hope
Pray an Act of Hope for your future life in college using these traditional words.
O God,
I hope with complete trust that you will give me,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, all necessary graces in this world
and everlasting life in the world to come,
for this is what you have promised
and you always keep your promises.
Amen.
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