I always believe that the best way to experience life is to experience moments ourselves. Our actual senses with those moments substantiate our sentiments. It becomes more personal, beautiful and true when something or someone is seen, heard and touched as if that experience was meant just for you.
Throughout the years and through the community, I have encountered people and things that contributed to my individuality and faith. One of the many activities I have always anticipated is the Youth for Christ – International Conference (YFC ICON). Time and opportunities passing made me experience this year’s 28th ICON virtually. Though not my preferred and usual way of such experience, the Father continues to move me through the fresh eyes of today’s youth.
Workshops during “ICON: Homebound” became an opportunity for participants and speakers to engage as the talks were being delivered. Seeing the youth haveyouth to have the opportunity to directly express their thoughts leave me in awe, witnessing how God personally connects with each of us. Some in silence, in creativity, some with the presence of others, in solitary, struggles, uncertainties, wonders and victories.
Father Jay Dador toured the participants inside the church during his workshop, At the Table (Faith Workshop – Holy Eucharist). It was a technical and pastoral approach of evangelization about the Holy Eucharist that Sophia, a participant from Davao City, deemed as an essential means for her fellow youth and the church to understand and appreciate the appreciate more the Catholic faith.
When we learn more about something or someone, that sentimentality flourish and allows us to see its true value. Knowledge begets sentimentality. And I cannot help but resonate with her thought, — for the more Jesus moments I had, the more familiar I am of Him and His love for me through the cross and the Holy Eucharist. Directing my heart to a wider and deeper love for God.
As much as the youth is struggling with the challenges in their service, personal and family life, the couple coordinators I was in the same loop during the workshop, Gatekeepers (Leadership Workshop – Couple Coordinators), brought to light their similar realities. At the end of the session, the crowd was reminded to remain in Christ in their mission. To be teachable and cultivate a heart of a servant that is open, ready, encouraging and loving.
We will all move forward even with the sign of the times. As Pope Benedict XVI stated it, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness”. The pandemic may have taken away from us opportunities, plans, the tangible and otherwise. But I truly believe we gained more than what we lost. We’ve created more safe spaces, spread wider awareness on subjects that have long been thriving so it could be brought to light and engineered channels so we can do more with what we already have.
With technology, flourishing creativity and our mission to bring more people to Christ, the limit is as endless as God’s love and mercy for us. Fervently, I look forward that the youth will experience the YFC ICON with more hearts and minds that will manifest and discover its truth and the Truth. Reaching the young individuals beyond the screen. To create a channel that can capture and express the depths of one’s heart and thoughts carried from the sessions and engagements and to extend it to their households, to witness the youth engaging in the conference in flesh, have a deeper and more meaningful engagement during the online conference and perhaps integrate the conference activities in the church.
Only a few of many ways I hope that will bridge more gaps among the youth, and experience fun, faith, freedom and friendship the Father desires them to.
I see no one format of how God talks and walks with us. I truly believe that we all have our own love story with the Father that we are to let others experience as well. A story of our journey to eternity, to our Home.
