Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle urged the youth to always uphold the truth to build a society with integrity, during the evening prayer of the third day of the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization on Saturday.
“Before Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life, we confess not only our intellectual lies, not only our lies through speech and most specially as he pointed out, the lies in our lifestyle,” he said.
Tagle warned against spiritual and theological words that may be tainted to mislead people.
“There is shame in admitting a life of lies pero saan tayo dadalhin ng kahihiyan? Sa mas marami pang kasinungalingan. Let us return to the Father in order to return to our true selves and to our true mission,” he said.
Tagle reminded the faithful that the hope of forgiveness begins in accepting the truth.
“The young are most vulnerable because they are searching and those who are not young anymore are vulnerable because we have stopped searching,” Tagle said.
Youth urged to commit to vocation
During the third day’s opening Mass , Bangued Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian encouraged the youth to fight for their vocations amid distractions in life.
“Vocation is not only, for the religious life but if we discern in life [kung] ano bang kagustuhan ng Diyos sa aking buhay? That is a call. That is a vocation of life,” he said.
Jaucian, chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Youth, also urged the youth to emulate the Blessed Mother who entrusted her life to the will of God.
“Mary is not just a statue that we offer flowers [and] novenas to, for she journeys with us. Hindi lang si Hesus ang kalakbay natin sa buhay,” the bishop said.
The youth’s creativity and talents are treasure and the power of the Church, Jaucian added.
PCNE gathered an estimated 5,000 participants this year.
