MAKATI City, July 28, 2013—“Young people are pencils in the hands of God,” according to Parañaque Bishop Jesse Mercado during his homily for the opening mass for the local World Youth Day (WYD) celebration in Don Bosco Technical Institute—Makati.
Mercado likened the youth to a pencil that undergoes sharpening, a virtue that enables them to grow with God.
“With love, you young people will be able to grow together with God. When we love, we forget ourselves,” he said.
The bishop explained that by loving, the youth will be able to learn sacrifice.
“And sacrifice is a part of growing up in life. As pencils, our lives are placed in the hands of another, the hands of God, and that we are made to leave a mark,” he stressed.
Praying
Meanwhile, the bishop urged participants of the local WYD celebration in Don Bosco to continuously pray in order to know that God is in them.
“Praying is one of the ways to know if God is in you,” the bishop said.
He added that through prayer “we can know God and find peace in ourselves once again.”
He also added that young people must trust Christ to forgive sins and be determined to obey Him for the rest of their lives.
“In Jesus, with Jesus through Jesus, we are saved,” Mercado furthered.
San Jose, Nueva Ecija Bishop Roberto Mallari co-celebrated the opening mass.
The local WYD celebration is organized by the Federation of National Youth Organization (FNYO) together with the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines (MOP) and the National Capital Region (NCR) Youth Ministry.
Around 3,800 young people coming from FNYO, MOP and different organizations and parishes in NCR participated in the local celebration. (Patricia Mae Calica/Jandel Posion)
