From the beginning, the SMY of the Philippines have grown in faith through missionary activity. So inviting them on a mission is something that they happily respond to. This time it was a 3-day mission in San Fabian. We prepared it with them in record time. We had to limit the number of participants because everyone wanted to participate! And we experienced again that we are a mission on this earth.
What did we do?
San Fabian is another area of our Lingayen-Dagupan diocese, with sea and mountains. The priest asked us to go to the mountainous area, where we were welcomed into the houses of the inhabitants. We toured the houses of the neighborhood sharing our faith and taking the time to play games with the children. It was also important for the SMY to meet the young people of the parish of San Fabian, in a very festive atmosphere. Whilst the young people of San Fabian prepared all the logistics: food, places to sleep and visit, and a Taizé prayer that marked us all.the SMY were in charge of the content. This included talks and testimonies where they shared their life of faith, dynamic games, catechesis for the children and a written plan for the family visits.
The gift of mission
The mission allows
- each person to connect with who they really are
- to discover that there is more joy in giving than in receiving
- to experience that we are made to love
In the mission, young people perceive that very simple gestures can help others a lot. Gestures as simple as knocking on a door to share, listen and pray, spending time catechizing and playing with children, or sharing the story of your life and your faith. In the Philippines, the moments of creating ties with other young people from other cities are very important, because many of them are leaving their neighborhood for the first time. How nice it is to see them grow, transmitting the Gospel to both older people and young people! And God, who always works, is forging faith and their identity in them and teaching them to live their lives assuming the mission that God entrusts to them personally. We are a mission on this earth.
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