NCYM 2024: In my point of view

It was on the 17th of July, 2024 that we arrived at St. John the Evangelist School of Theology Academic building inside the Seminary Compound. At that moment, the learnings, encounters and opportunities opened up for us and the participant-youth leaders of the National Conference for Youth Ministers hosted by the archdiocese of Palo. NCYM: “Abound in Joy: Christ is our Hope”, is the theme where the whole event surrounded. On the very first day, hope flowed as we met youth ministers from different dioceses all over the Philippines, from Northern Luzon to Sulu, one by one, we got to encounter youth that are as excited as I was; and just like that, our NCYM journey started.

There are a lot of realizations this event has graced me.

First; the grace of God through hope and patience. Day two of the NCYM was blessed with a Holy Eucharist where in God touched my heart as the homily gave emphasis on how the Lord carries us in every step of our lives, that revenge, grace, and justice is His, and we only need to be patient and hopeful.

But how are we really embodying these graces? Are we only hopeful and patient to the ones we love? Do we offer a listening ear to the ones we find hard to even look at, more so, listen to? Do we include everyone, reaching out to the peripheries, especially as a youth leader?

These are some of the points in the homily, that was also reflected in the talks during the event, making it not just an encounter of our co-youth ministers, but an encounter of ourselves.

This also challenged me to reflect, re-evaluate, and listen; what can I do? What can I impart in this synodality of the church, in my way of reaching out to everyone, and in offering a safe, hopeful, and including space.

Second, how do we rejoice in hope despite the personal challenges that we face? How do we practice a joyful attitude, a hopeful attitude, when things do not go as we expect them to be?

One of the plenary speakers shared, that in times of things going far from what we have planned, we either begin to blame others, the joy is replaced by anxiety, frustration, and anger. Then, we, most of the time become reactive, we react negatively in a negative situation.

This posted a challenge to us, participants, in being proactive in times of negative circumstances, practicing a good attitude in a not-so-good situation, then, we may see the grace of that certain situation.

Bishop Rex, in this talk, left us with a saying to ponder, it goes “When we resist and we grasp, we become disturbed, so, we have to accept and let go.” And so, as youth ministers, we face circumstances that frustrate us, draw negative reactions from us. Thus, we are challenged to look for the circles that we have to prioritize; the circle of concerns – which are the things that is beyond our control, beyond our influence. We have to loosen, then, our grip to this circle, and the circle of influence – the things that we can change.

As youth ministers and servant leaders, we tend to do things as we see best, forgetting this is a ministry and not a one-man team performing in a business market, and so we have to learn how to listen, never stop learning from other ministers, connect with the people, accept the inevitable plot twists in our lives and help ourselves and the people around us find purpose in this synodal journey.

Third, I was enlightened in a topic: health and wellness – in a more spiritual perspective. An issue-based workshop was part of the event where in participants were grouped in their chosen topics and focused on it for an hour. I was in this group, and to my surprise, we didn’t discuss the topic on a conventional scientific approach, its more of spiritual, and what’s truly surprising was the realization, that when you look at and treat your body, the way you look at Christ, the way you revere and give value to our God, then, taking care and loving yourself is way easier and fulfilling than pressuring yourself to achieve the societal beauty standard.

The health and wellness should not only talk about the body, physically, but should also include our mental state, and spiritual state. Our speaker for this issue-based talk closed his sharing by saying “Do not be contented with just looking good, be good.”

He gave an emphasis on “be good”, you as a person, the being, seeing yourself as good is equal to treating yourself good by eating good, doing what makes you feel good physically and mentally, and radiating that goodness to others.

The being, the self, wholeness of a person reflecting the good, is our new view of health and wellness, a new challenge of relearning what’s traditional “looking good” to the appreciation of different beauty in physical, spiritual, and mental aspect, and that what is inside you, in your heart and mind, shines in your face, outside, physically.

A spiritual challenge in honoring one’s body as we honor Christ, and creating a beauty that radiates, for true goodness diffuses.

Lastly, as this event culminates, we are challenged to bring a wider and clearer view of the ministry and the church, the needs of the young people and how we can include them in our synodal journey.

We are challenged, as youth leaders, to include everyone, to reach out to the peripheries, to invite them and make a space where they will feel safe and welcomed, if not, bring the ministry to them, join them, sit on the ground with them.

The very essence of the NCYM journey, for me, is to inspire our young people to be someone who’ll be the bridge of the traditional and the modern, to reshape our ministry to be more inclusive, to become a safe space, and to embody Christ as we offer our company in this synodal journey, this all, by starting to be good on ourselves, as the saying goes; “you cannot pour from an empty cup”.

My NCYM experience summarizes in one of the speakers words saying “We will always carry the weight, but by grace, we are able to carry”. It is in God’s grace that we are able to attend the National Conference for Youth Ministers. It is by God’s grace that we are able to learn, understand, and experience, and it is by God’s grace that we are send off for the mission.