A youth’s response for a calling
DEAR Pope Francis, from the youth of today we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude for going out of your way to give us an opportunity to deeply reflect on our responsibilities as the future of the Church.
We are now once again reminded that no matter how hard we try to turn away from the Church, we are still the children of God who has the responsibility of keeping its mission alive and burning and that no matter what we do, God, through the Church, will always welcome us with open arms.
With this, in the light of our faith, we gladly offer ourselves as an instrument for the Word of God to disperse to Christian communities who really need help in navigating God’s spirit, keeping in mind that, we, altogether, put more fuel in our faith which keeps the mission going.
One of the prominent characteristics of most of the youth of today is being optimistically hopeful, may it be in our college degree, social relationships or in humanity in general.
We always hope for a better world where issues in different aspects come to a minimal. What makes us really proud for the youth of today is that we refuse to turn a blind eye to these problems.
We become aware and we try hard to make differences through different organizations that promote humanitarian advocacies. Gone are the days where the youth only care about their inner circle, now, we tend to explore beyond horizons, using all the life that we possess, we are trying to respond to our mission through breaking boundaries and breaking stereotypes.
We still face these lights and shadows that sometimes become setbacks for us to truly fulfill our mission but I hope whenever we experience this we are reminded of 1 Timothy 4:12 which reminds us “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
In line with the lights and shadows that we experience, we, the youth, sometimes find it hard to overcome heavy trials.
The world demands different hefty workloads for all of us that we think it is tantamount to the greatness of our Lord.
This is an aspect that we should look more into. In order to be more effective in responding to mission, just like the Church, we should proclaim what we freely received and we are abundant of the Lord’s blessing, all it takes is the time to look and to appreciate.
We live in a world today that revolves around digital evolution. Technology became such a trend that the youth cannot help but follow. However, it comes with temptations that hinder us from fulfilling our tasks. But, we hear your call, pope.
We are once again reminded that someday, we are to manage the world. It is our responsibility to shape our morals and our beliefs in line with God’s plan.
It is our responsibility to look after what the older generation built and to correct their mistakes.
Therefore, we are responsible for one another. We cannot achieve the mission that God handed out to us if we work with different agendas. We cannot hand down a proper world to live in for the next generations if we prioritize our differences and to let ourselves be pulled by worldly temptations. This is another call for us, to not only advance in worldly creations but also advance in our spiritual mission.
Though it is hard to conquer temptations, let 1 Corinthians 10:13 tell us that God believes in us: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Pope Francis, we are blessed to be a part of the youth that have access to different ecclesial groups that can help strengthen our relationship with God and to address our queries and our uncertainties. Though we belong to different ecclesial organizations, we hope and we aim to serve one mission.
As our life unfolds, we hope we can extend a hand to the different parts of the society that still do not know the grace of our Lord. Your words of encouragement reassure us, that, we belong to the Church, we are one children of God and that each and every one of us is special and are wanted by our Lord.
It is a realization that we may have our own differences, but it is still worth it to try to serve our Lord as one and be there for one another if one falls apart.
The month of October has already started, with the month of mission, may our spirit for mission be burning with passion more than ever.
This has been a realization that, though we have many more aspects to work upon, we must also acknowledge our combined efforts as one unit of the society; the youth, who continues to strive, to fight and to live out the mission. We offer this prayer:
Dear your holiness, you have sent forth the message of the Lord to deepen our purpose as children of the Lord living by Christian faith. As this month of October we humbly participate in acts of devotion for the fulfillment of the mission embodied to us, the youth.
The reason why we are living is that we entrusted with a movement to help and spread the kindness of our hearts without any conditions.
As a student we devote ourselves through simple acts by engaging with our church services, offering even a little part of our pockets to supply the financial needs of the vulnerable communities in your mission.
And like his son Jesus, we will take part on making disciples by strengthening our faith and together as children of God, will be voices to proclaim the message of the Lord. May all of your steps in fulfilling the mission be successful and will shower prayers for guidance and strength. May God continue to bless you and may you live longer in service.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6.