Youth...Hope of the Church

Abs Borja, “Youth …Hope of the Church!,” Yeastako
vol.3, no.2 (April-June 2006): 3.

Youth…Hope of the Church!
-Frt. Abs Borja, SVD-

They came! I saw in their faces the smiles of excitement. All were carrying their back packs. Some carried firewood. Others carried kitchen utensils. Two or three of them carried their tuldas. Of course, rice, canned goods, and vegetables completed the expedition. The gentle boys put up the tents and the lovely ladies cooked delicious foods and prepared their viands. Some were still coming! They grew in number! At last, they completed the menu! Wow! It was the very first time in Aguinaldo that all gimongs (communities) were well represented. That was great! Who were these people? They are the youth who came to participate and to worship Christ in the Parish Youth Camp.
As I lie looked through my tent’s opening, my eyes gazed heavenward at the dark blue sky. I remembered the days when we prepared ourselves for the Vicariate Youth Camp; the day when we built our tent; the little sharings we had; the talks we attended; the camaraderie we cherished; the joy of meeting friends and making acquaintances with the youth of Bon-Lag Vicariate. We were just ordinary participants then, but now, we are at the helm, to re-echo the VYC. The success of the PYC underscored the vision, the mission, and the strong support of Fr. Teody Saluba, SVD to the youth, together with the active youth leaders from the different gimongs who courageously and willfully took the risks to re-echo the VYC.
Other thoughts were also playing in my mind. I realized that the next day would be my call back to the seminary. Summer camp was wrapping up. I felt a bit sad that I would be leaving the people I had learned to love; that I would be leaving the places where I experienced the simplicity and the beauty of life, the places where I had lots of realizations and memories. But that is life! It is a continuing journey. It is not stagnant. There are chapters that I have to close to open new chapters. What else can I do but to make those experiences my inspiration and continue to move on in my journey!
But wait. Let me tell you who my companions were along the journey. Can you guess? Definitely, they were the faithful people, but to be more specific, they were the youth. The youth who sang with so much life during the mass; the youth who walked with me to the barrios; the youth with whom I shared jokes and laughter; the youth who supported the parish willingly and untiringly; the youth who became my inspiration in preparing and giving myself for the parish youth camp; the youth in whom I saw the face of Christ through their simple actions, deeds, and cheerful words.
If others say “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”, let me say, “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng simbahan”. If the youth of today will go astray, who will build the Church tomorrow? If they are trained today, then, they will be the leaders tomorrow. How I wish that the youth who were so energetic, excited, and participated well during the youth camp, will feel the same in sharing to others what they had learned; experienced, and realized. A life that is not shared is dead but a life that is shared is alive. We are the youth of the nation, the hope of the Church! Let us not just think of ourselves but rather look around us. Let us build a fraternity of young people and make service as an everyday gimmick! In doing this, we may not see it but I believe that God who sees us from above smiles!