Demanding yet Rewarding

What does it mean to be a youth leader? What does it take to become one? Allow me to share my reflection during our retreat of the San Pablo Youth Apostolate Core Group (SPYA CG) at Kauswagan, Panabo City on July 27, 2024. The retreat was organized by our parish priest, Rev. Fr. Allan Rodriguez, with Rev. John Patrick Pelonio and Rev. Fr. Dioscoro Saniel, and supported by our Spiritual Youth Director, Rev. Fr. Zaldy Abonales. Days before the retreat, I was too hesitant to join the team because I felt discouraged by some people’s words directed at me. I didn’t want to go with them because I didn’t want to leave the house; I just wanted to isolate myself. I asked myself a lot of questions, such as: What did I do to deserve such criticism when I only intended to serve Him? I even cried to our Parish Youth Coordinator, Ate Aiko Vinuya, because I never thought that being lenient and understanding as a youth leader would challenge me emotionally. She told me, “It’s better to be kind than to be right.”

When my mom agreed that my sister and I, who is the Secretary of the Core Group, should join the retreat, I had no choice but to follow. I thought, “Maybe everything has a reason. I should just trust this one.”

So, after we had our tree planting in the area where Christ The King Parish will soon rise, Rev. Fr. Dioscoro, whom we call Fr. Lord shared his experiences as the only priest in the area. Despite my doubt and pain, I still listened to Fr. Lord’s sharing. What caught my attention was his statement that being a follower of Jesus will never be easy. Being His follower is very demanding, yet so rewarding. He stated that even as a priest, he had obstacles to overcome. He also received hurtful comments from different people, but instead of fighting back, he prayed and let God’s grace be his protection. Fr. Lord mentioned that being His follower requires commitment, faith, perseverance, and patience. With those, our service to God will be fruitful. At that point, I realized, “Oh, maybe God indeed sent me here for a reason. Maybe this wasn’t a mistake.”

While traveling back to Davao City, I could now answer the question: What does it mean to be a youth leader? It’s very challenging, to be honest. It is quite overwhelming and very demanding because I have to manage my time well. Not only am I an incoming 2nd year college student, but I am also a Zone Youth Coordinator and the Zone 7 Main Catechist. But I realized that despite this, I am rewarded in many ways that I was too blind to see. After the retreat, I learned that I am often blessed by Him without appreciating it. One of the blessings I overlooked was the opportunity to spend time with my family and hang out with my circle of friends despite my hectic schedule. These are God’s grace and gifts that I forgot to appreciate. Lastly, what does it take to become one? Commitment to serve despite my challenges, faith because I can’t do it without Him, perseverance even though the road might sometimes be bumpy, and patience because I learned that I don’t always have to be right. I don’t always have to be heard just to prove to everyone that I am right as a youth leader.

It is all demanding but rewarding in the end. (Sophia Beatrice V. Sison | SPYA Core Group)