Filipino Youth in Mission: Beloved, Gifted, and Empowered

We, the youth, are the hope and salvation of our country. We, the youth, are granted
endless opportunities to be heard and to be seen, to fight and stand on what we believe in.
"Believing"- a very common word with a strong sense to it, something that radiates inside you,
making you bleed out emotions and speak with dedication and conviction. When we believe, we
have faith. Not just any amount of faith, but faith so unwavering, a faith rooted in Christ that no
adversity or trial can shake or tear it down. Faith that loves and protects at all costs, faith that
promotes the good of all, a faith bonded with Christ.

There is a song that is a perfecty encompasses this year’s theme for the Year of Faith. A
song that urges us to speak of how undeniably good and faithful God is because of His love for
us. The song? Tell the World of His Love by Jamie Revera. The first two lines of the song
explains why God gave up His son for us. “For God so loved the world, He gave us His only
Son.” We are God’s beloved creation. So loved that He created us in his own image and likeness,
in order to preach beyond seas and mountains who our God really is. God is love. We are
beloved to the point that He gave up His son to save us. The Lord believes that we can change
and repent for our sins to the point that He sacrificed His son on the cross to ensure our salvation.
John 3:16 is a solid statement of God’s love for us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave
His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Even up until
the end, because of God’s love, he still wants to ensure that He is our endgame. If we believe and
follow in Christ’s teaching and Gospel, then we will have eternal life with God and Jesus in
heaven.

“Jesus Christ our Savior, His most precious one.” This line speaks of how precious Jesus
Christ is as God’s only son. We are indeed gifted for God was willing to sacrifice Him for us to
be stripped away and forgiven for all our sins. Jesus Christ, along with eternal life, are God’s
most precious gift to us. A promise of a life without pain and suffering, a life of freedom and
happiness. Of course, as long as we are in the flesh, adversities will always be part of our life.
We may reach a very low point in our lives wherein we forget and disregard God and His
promises, but, like how He would always promise us, he will never depart from our side. He will
never abandon us. Therefore, we must live a life where we make use of our God-given gifts and
use it for the good of all. These gifts that he gave us willingly, we should not hoard and keep
them only for ourselves, but rather hone and use it in doing deeds that are pleasing to the Lord.
We are even gifted of having those people who tirelessly preach the Word of God to others. We
are challenged to be like them, disciples of God who are guided and blessed by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a gift too, one that will light a flame of burning passion and service to God our
Father.

“He has sent us His message of love, and sends those who hear, to bring the message to
everyone with a voice loud and clear.” Like our fellow Catholic youth martyrs who have risked
their lives for the Word of God, we too, are called and empowered by the Father with a voice
“loud and clear” to send his message of love to everyone. May we, the Filipino Youth, with both
our man-made and God-given resources, be not afraid to speak of the Gospel and use our voice
to educate more youth of today about God’s unending grace. Let us reach out especially to those
who have lost their way back to the Father. May we not only be voices but also light bearers to
those who are followed by darkness in their lives. As light bearers, hopefully, we will be able to
light their path back to the Father. As the empowered youth, may we always have the flames of
the Holy Spirit burning inside us, ready to fight not only faith-related challenges, but also
political and public issues that might trample on our human rights. Let us all be educated on
social issues of our country and empower ourselves with correct knowledge in order to help and
prove to our country that as their hope, they are in safe hands.

“Let us tell the world of His love, the greatest love the world has known. Search the
world for those who have walked astray and lead them home.” We are called in faith on a
mission to be shepherds to those who are astray. God has given us this mission not only as
individuals but as a community to welcome and accept whole-heartedly the “lost sheeps” of
today and encourage them more to return to the Lord. Since we are beloved, gifted, and
empowered, may we continuously fulfill our mission with our hearts of service strengthened by
the Lord. No matter the problem, no matter the adversity, one thing remains true and
unchanging. God’s love is greater above all else.

As we do this mission and live out our days loved, gifted, and empowered by God, may
we always keep in our minds and heart this song by Jamie Rivera. A song that passionately tells
of God’s love and calls everyone to be part of the people who shares His words. May our path of
mission lead us even to the darkest corners of the world and fill it with the light of Jesus’ love.
Our path of mission and service will not be easy, but may the youth never forget of God’s
constant guidance. May our unwavering faith be strengthened more than ever as we take this
path and live our lives poisoned with temptations. As we take on this mission, may the youth
also never forget that that our country needs us now more than ever. Together, let us pray for the
betterment of our country and the enlightenment of all Filipinos. Like the last line of the song
states, “Walk every step, every mile, every road, and tell the world, tell the world of His love.”