The destination is holiness, Valles tells youth

In front of about 7,000 young people from all over the globe, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles posed the challenge of a journey to holiness.

The 26th CFC–YFC International Conference (ICON) took place last April 5–7, 2019 at the University of Southeastern Philippines, with the theme Onward: A Journey to Holiness.

In his homily during the culmination day, Abp. Valles, stressed the relevance of the theme to the journey and destination of everyone.

“Whether we like it or not, the push or the dynamics in life is a journey, but as I have said, many of us do not have destination. But today, it is impressed on us that this is onward, and onward, a journey to holiness,” Valles said.

Valles emphasized that while many of the people of today’s generation do not have destination, the attending participants of the cited event are blessed enough to be guided that the journey is onwards and the destination is to holiness.

The archbishop also relates the said journey as the church is currently in the period of Lent.

“Lent is also a journey – a preparatory journey. We are now on the fifth Sunday of Lent and the end of Lent is Holy Thursday daytime,” he said.

“The evening of the Holy Thursday is not anymore Lent because we enter to the goal of our journey that is to enter into God’s love,” he added.

Valles also explained that the flip side of the journey is that God is love.

“The very important flip side when we journey is that we are so precious and that each one in this journey is very precious,” he said.

The archbishop also stressed that the Lord wants everyone to finish the journey.

“The Lord wants that each one will finish that journey, ready to enter, meaning the rhythm of life is already compatible and then there’s holiness,” he said.

While there are participants who are from outside the country, the archbishop stressed the relevance of the event as the Filipino Catholic Church currently celebrates the “Year of the Youth”.

“To hear that there is a gathering of about 7,000 young people gathered by CFC, that certainly adds color to our Year of the Youth in the Philippines,” he said.

Abp. Valles explained that Year of the Youth is the focus of this year as a part of the 9-year preparation for the celebration of the 500th year of the coming in of Christianity in the country set in two years.

“For those who are not from the Philippines, you see, we have a 9-year preparation, for 2021 which that year, the Philippines will celebrate 500 years of Christianity. So, we seem to have a novena, not of days but nine years, to prepare for the 900 years centennial of the coming of the Christian Catholic Faith in the country,” he said. (Julianne A. Suarez)