THE BEST way to prepare for the papal visit is by attending spiritual gatherings and prayers, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president, told participants of “Win One for God,” a “pope rally” held last Dec. 12 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The one-day event, organized by Family Rosary Crusade, featured testimonials of faith from celebrities, such as Elmo Magalona, Gretchen Ho, Chris Tiu, Jeron Teng, Kiefer Ravena, Iñigo Pascual, and Jay Durias.
Villegas said joining spiritual gatherings would lead young Filipinos to a renewal of faith, as a way to fully grasp the message of “mercy and compassion” that Pope Francis will bring to Filipinos.
“What comprises majority of the people in the Philippines are the youth. So if you prepare the young people, you are also preparing the majority of the Filipino people to meet Pope Francis,” Villegas told the Varsitarian.
Pope Francis is set to hold an encounter with almost 30,000 young people in UST on Jan. 18. The event will highlight stories of faith from three young people—a college student, an out-of-school youth, and a relief volunteer from Tacloban.
‘Sweet scent of Jesus’
Aiming to prepare Thomasians for the upcoming visit, Villegas called on young people to look at Jesus and recognize that humanity is “poor and in need of God’s mercy and compassion,”
“See the suffering of Jesus as your own sufferings and his pains as our own pains. Look at Jesus and see how he had suffered for his love for us,” Villegas said in a pre-recorded video message shown in “A Nation of Mercy and Compassion,” a one-day theological gathering organized by the UST Theological Society last Nov. 6 at the Santisimo Rosario Parish.
The best way to look at Jesus is to look at Pope Francis, he said, describing the Holy Father as as the “sweet scent and odor of Jesus.”
Eucharistic spirituality
Meanwhile, a total of 673 Dominican Network (DomNet) youth members gathered to strengthen their spirituality during a pre-papal visit event dubbed “Adonai,” held at the Angelicum College in Quezon City last Nov. 8 and 9.
Fr. Gerard Timoner III O.P., prior provincial of the Dominicans in the Philippines, invited “young Dominicans” to “clean the temple of God” as they prepare for the Vicar of Christ’s coming.
“Next to the tabernacle, the holiest [of places] that you can find inside the Church are your seatmates and yourself. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, because by baptism, God dwells in each of us. Therefore, we should keep ourselves clean,” Timoner said in his homily during the Eucharistic celebration.
The night-long gathering included different Dominican organizations such as the UST DomNet chapter.
Religious organizations
Living up to the Church’s call to spread the Word of God, youth members of religious organizations in the University are preparing themselves for the papal visit.
Ian Eustaquio, president of Couples for Christ-Youth on Family and Life (YFL) UST chapter, prepares spiritually for the Pope’s visit by serving his community and helping in evangelization.
“As a young person who prays for the success of this event, I continue to strengthen my faith by praying to God and lifting up the upcoming encounter,” Eustaquio told the Varsitarian.
Eustaquio is among the 10,000 Thomasian volunteers who will have the chance to see Pope Francis at the UST Field on Jan. 18. He will be joined by 75 more volunteers from YFL.
Ian Beltran, treasurer of Pax Romana, said that aside from personal prayers, he was also preparing for the papal visit through praise and worship.
Beltran said animation volunteers from UST were collaborating with the Archdiocesan Youth Commission for the rehearsal of songs.
Among the songs that will be performed are “We are all God’s children,” the official theme song for this year’s apostolic visit, and “Tell the world of his love,” the official theme song of World Youth Day in 1995. Angeli Mae S. Cantillana
