Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat.

Ako po si JM Fegalan, isang Grade 10 student na nag-aaral sa San Benildo,

diyan lang po malapit sa APT Studios. Ako ay only child ng mga magulang ko, Mommy Flor at Daddy Norman. Kami po
ay nakatira sa bahay ng Tita Rose ko po sa Filinvest. Ako po ay 15 years old at simula noong bata pa ako ay aktibo na po
ako sa simbahan. Salamat sa mga magulang at tita ko na na-expose ako sa murang edad sa mga gawaing-simbahan. Ito po
ay dahil ako po ay isang sacristan o Knights of the Altar dito po sa ating Parokya ng St. Therese. Dahil sa maaga ako
nagsimula maglinkgkod sa Panginoon, nagkaraoon din ako ng pagkakataon na makasali sa Parish Youth Ministry at Youth
for Christ.
Ako po ay mahilig sa mga Social Sciences, most especially Philisophy. Here, the simplest question philosophers ask is
“why?”
Like “Why do we exist?” or more concretely, in my case “Why are you here?” A question that I have asked myself
countless times. Kasi pwede nalang ako tumambay sa bahay at maglaro at magnood magdamag o pwede naman din ako
gumala kasama ng mga kaibigan ko sa oras na binibigay ko para sa serbisyo. Ang parati komg tinitignan yung example ni
St. Therese who wholeheartedly served God, in living a life doing ordinary things, extraordinary well with great love and
dedication.

“Why do you serve God?” I asked myself this too. So do many people. Isa lang ang response ko: “Bata po kasi ko”.
And what I mean by that is that in this point of my life, while I’m still young, it is the best time for me to serve God. Dahil
bata lang po ako, ang katawan ko ay malakas pa at marami din akong oras upang magserbisyo sa simbahan – lalo na kapag
weekends. Kaya kahit na marami akong oras na para sa aking sariling kaligayahan, pinipili ko po parin na ibigay ang oras
na iyon sa para sa paglilingkod sa Diyos. The Open Letter for the Year of the Youth States that: “Filipino youth of the 21st
century are life-given and want to be life-giving. We are dynamic individuals, overflowing with blessings, willing and open
to learn and to grow when provided with opportunities to do so.”
“Why do you Serve God?” Another response of mine would be “The best feeling you’ll get in this world is serving
the Lord”. Pramis ko to sa inyo, sa sarap ng pakiramdam sa puso kapag gumagawa ka ng serbisyo dito sa simbahan. It is a
unique and heartwarming feeling, fueled by my love for God. From a tiny spark, it has grown into a raging fire in my heart.
When I started out as a Knight of the Altar, sa totoo lang, pinilit lang ako ng mga magulang ko. Di po ako masyadong
magaling makipag-kapwa-tao. Kaunti lamang ang aking kaibigan. Minsan, kapag recess o lunch sa school ay mag-isa
lamang akong kumakain. Now as I reflect, my life is like St. Therese who had few friends, was picked on in school and had
some difficulty in dealing with others. Naisip ng parents ko na baka sakali ay may makilala ako na mga taong mga magiging
kaibigan ko. Kahit na pinilit ako, maraming takot at kaba, nararamdaman ko na ito ang naging spark para ma-ignite yung
fire sa heart ko in serving the Lord. Naririnig ko ang Diyos na sinasabi “This is the start of My big plan for you. Don’t be
afraid and lose hope, for I am here with you”. Today, I have passed these obstacles in my service, made deep bonds with
my fellow servers; and now I am serving every mass with a heart full of love for the Lord. Similarly, my experience in
serving in the Church showed me what St. Therese had said in her autobiography “Story of a Soul” and I quote: “I understood
that Love comprised all vocations, that Love was everything, that it embraced all times and places...in a word, that it was
eternal! Then in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out: O Jesus, my Love...my vocation, at last I have found it...My
vocation is Love”
But of course, serving the Lord has brought about challenges as well. My Dad has coronary hear disease and I can
say that it has somehat dampened my spirits. I remember when the relic of the heart of St. Camillus arrived, I could not
contain my tears as I lifted up my father in prayer. For God to heal him of his illness, as I continue serving Him and the
church. I ask you, brothers and sisters to help me pray for his complete recovery. I offer every suffering to God. Through
sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, St. Therese remained faithful to God, her faith rooted in His merciful love. Every
sin that I make, I acknowledge it and I pray to God for forgiveness and conversion. Lastly, my service and charity is an
offer to God for those times that I have failed Him. I believe that every little thing I do for Him follows St. Therese’s own
“Little Way.”
Part 3: Conclusion/ Tie-up (2mins)
I am a beloved little child of God; I am loved by God and called to love by God by acting His commandments. God
expressed His love for St. Therese, as she wrote: “All my life it has pleased Him to surround me with affection. My first
recollections are of loving smiles and tender caresses; but if He made others love me so much, He made me love them too,
for I was of an affectionate nature. You can hardly imagine how much I loved my Father and Mother, and, being very
demonstrative, I showed my love in a thousand little ways, though the means I employed make me smile now when I think
of them.” Pinakita ng Diyos yung pagmamahal niya sa pamamagitan ng pamilya ko. They were the ones who taught me
how to love others unconditionally. Like what the parents did with St. Therese. My parents showed me how to love others
by serving God and the parish. Kahit pinilit, kahit kabado, kahit tinatamad. Kahit madaming iniisip. Whatever comes my
way, serve lang ng serve. In big ways and even little ways, always….

Maraming Salamat po!