Mary and the Young People

Excerpt from the homily of Most. Rev. Romulo Valless, DD in the DaDiTaMa-wide Youth Marian Conference.

This is a special gathering of the young people especially that this special year is dedicated to the youth, the Year of the Youth.

Let us not lose sight that we have a special area of concern every year, as if a novena, in preparation for year 2021.

These special areas of concerns were specifically chosen by the bishops so that we will be reminded on the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.

It is surely no doubt that the Holy Spirit guided us that in the nine years of preparation, we have a year specifically dedicated to the youth.

I am proud and happy that we have this kind of event (DaDiTaMa-wide Youth Marian Conference) here.

Also, this assembly has its special feature that the young people will always be reminded that in the Catholic faith, they will be able to realize that the beloved Mother of God is always with us.

We will have a wonderful journey as we walk through our faith if we give chance to deepen our faith through looking at the grace of Mary as our Mother.

Yesterday, I was touched with the question on what must we do with the various groups that kept on convincing us to join them and leave our Church.

My answer was the Holy Mass is among the treasures that, if given attention and if we become familiar with it, then, we would appreciate it in our community.

Before, as I have read in the National Geographic, there was a study on the houses of prayer or places of worship.

Among the famous ones were the pyramids. It was designed as if they would like to reach God with the ladders constructed on it.

But the house of prayers of the believers of Christ, especially the Catholic church, is not built high because the way Catholic church understands God and our faith, was that God was the one who went down to be with us.

And the main feature of our house of worship is not the ladder to climb but the altar in front of us. Every time we celebrate the mass, God wants to share with us in His table.