04/07/2025
‘BEING A BEDAN LAWYER’
For the Graduating Class of San Beda Alabang School of Law Class of 2025
If you can walk through fire and still keep burning—
Not with rage, but with the will to rise,
If you survived the nights in silence, barely breathing,
Reviewing codals lit by 2 a.m. lights;
If you have stood your ground through fear and trial,
When pages blurred and hope began to wane,
But found in prayer your strength, your self-denial,
And chose to carry faith above the pain;
If you can speak with clarity and reason,
And hold your silence when the world condemns,
If you can wait your turn through every season,
And win with honor, never at others' expense;
If you have wept, but never once surrendered,
And offered consolation when it hurt the most,
If love and truth in every act you’ve rendered—
Then raise your head, for that alone you boast.
If you remember why you dared to enter
These hallowed halls, where lions learn to lead,
And made the poor brethren’s cause your inner center,
Not just with words, but by each faithful deed;
If you can wield the law not as a weapon,
But as a light to heal, correct, restore—
With every brief, uplift the truths once trampled,
And never close your heart to those left behind;
If you can share and not grow tired of giving,
Let kindness echo in each firm reply—
If joy, not pride, defines the way you're living,
And laughter lifts you when your stars misalign;
If you still choose to share your light with others,
And see in strangers, sisters, elders, children, brothers—
Then go, for you have touched what truly matters:
A life of law that’s filled with joy that gathers.
If in your toil, you never cease from praying,
And let God’s silence strengthen your resolve,
If, through each case, you feel Our Lady saying,
“Be not afraid—let courage spring forth."
If you can live Ora et Labora proudly,
And anchor all your work in holy trust,
If Mary walks beside you, most gently—
Then yours is her grace, for yours is what is just.
If you can look back now and know with glory
That every sleepless night was not in vain,
That every loss became a better story,
And every wound gave wisdom through the pain;
If you still kneel in faith before each battle,
And let God's will be written in your plan,
If truth, love, justice are the swords you rattle—
Then go forth now—be an honorable Bedan lawyer.
A Bedan lawyer, more than just a title,
But a calling forged in justice, joy, and peace;
Filipino soul, unshaken, wise, and free,
With Christ the King as guide in every case.
The world awaits with need, cries, and questions—
Stand firm, speak loud, defend the good and just.
And when you rise through trials and transgressions,
Let them say: They served. They gave. They loved. And they were just.
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*A poem dedicated to the San Beda College Alabang School of Law Class of 2025 and inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s “If—”, a poem I’ve loved since childhood. I offer these words to my batchmates with deep gratitude. May the Lord bless us not only with strength for the challenges ahead but with hearts formed in love, truth, and peace. May the wisdom of the law guide us to be instruments of His justice, especially as we aim to conquer the upcoming 2025 Bar Examinations. Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus!
____
Words by AJ Rodriguez | Features Writer Emeritus | The Red Chronicles
Photo by Marco Angelo Mercado | The Red Chronicles
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