“While I breathe, I hope!”

Or in Latin, “Dum spiro spero.” Among the countless things that I learned and experienced during the National Conference of Youth Ministers last July 17-21, held in the Archdiocese of Palo, Leyte, these words are what stuck to me the most. Our hope is grounded in the fact that there is a God, who is in control of everything going on in our life. We have to continue to fight the feeling of despair, especially when we are constantly confronted by the harsh reality that we do not have complete control of the people and situations in our lives.

Throughout the entire conference this learning was constantly deepened by the experiences I shared with others’ and by the magnificent program created by the Archdiocese of Palo. It was my first time to share thoughts and reflections with youth leaders who are serving the youth at a diocesan level and in big communities. I remember thinking a few days before the conference while I was packing my clothes and other essentials “Am I really worthy enough to go to this conference?” Perhaps other youth leaders within the diocese could do a greater job than me, and in fact absorb more knowledge and bring it back to the youth in the Archdiocese of Davao in effective and better ways than I ever could. It was an amazing thing to encounter other youth leaders who felt the same! Despite that feeling of unworthiness, other youth leaders that I encountered would share that we need to have faith and trust in God that we were brought here for a reason. That God has brought us to this moment in order for us to continue to spread the message of hope to the youth in our dioceses and communities despite that overwhelming feeling of unworthiness.

Furthermore, I cannot express enough my admiration to the Archdiocese of Palo and the Episcopal Commission on Youth for making the conference not only meaningful, but truly drawing us closer to God in different ways. The plenary talks, activities, group-sharing and most of all the celebration of the Holy Mass presided by the ever-supportive bishops and priests was more than just a way for us to become closer together as youth leaders in the Philippines, but truly a path for us to experience God. One of the highlights of the conference for me was the talk of Congressman Jude A. Acidre, a Representative of TINGOG Partylist, a former youth minister and ex-seminarian. He shared about one of the Latin Phrases that was constantly mentioned to them when he was still a seminarian. “Dum spiro spero” or “While I breathe, I hope.” This saying ties into my personal reflection that sometimes it is easy to fall into despair when we look at the situations and people that drag us deep into despair.

As we serve the church and God’s people, why do situations arise that make us feel like we should not continue on this path? People we encounter who appear so difficult, blinding our eyes with a darkness where we may even forget God! It is a strange feeling to give yourself to God in the Youth ministry yet feel like there is no hope in certain situations. People or situations that leave us with a feeling of dread, day after day. Problems that seem unsolvable with no solution in sight. Yet again and again Jesus reminds us that we cannot serve Him without carrying the weight of this cross. If we carry it alone, it is impossible. I remember the saying that my friends and I carry despite our distance. “The cross is lighter when carried together.” In order to continue to serve God, we have to be humble enough to share the weight with others. We have to be humble enough to remember that God is in complete control of the situation and people whom we encounter in our lives, as we continue to serve Him. That all of these seemingly unsolvable situations, and all these extremely difficult people we might encounter are here for a reason, and are all part of God’s plan in our lives. While we live and breathe we have to continue to bring hope to others, a hope that is not founded on our own strengths but the hope that is Jesus. Our hope is in Jesus and this simple truth: God is in control of everything. (Kim R. Amparo)