The youth commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines warned young people about being self-absorbed to care about others, especially those in need and facing injustices.
In his message for this year’s National Youth Day, Bishop Rex Andrew Alarcon, head of the Episcopal Commission on Youth, urged young Filipinos to hasten in love to help out those in need.
“Dear young people, let us resist the temptation of self-absorption. May we not be simply concerned with self-preservation. Rather, let us look at the needs of others as our own,” said Bishop Alarcon.
He also urged them to, among others, “strive to make haste in doing kind and good deeds; to make haste in consoling and supporting those in need; [and] to make haste in attending to injustice.”
“Let us make haste to realize our communion, to share responsibility and to go for mission; to make haste towards building God’s Kingdom,” he said.
Established in 1986 by the CBCP, the NYD is a yearly occasion offered for young people to celebrate and deepen their faith.
It is celebrated every December 16, the first day of the Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi, in dioceses across the country. It is also marked biennially with a national gathering.
The NYD national gathering was last held in the Archdiocese of Cebu in 2019. The Archdiocese of Caceres was supposed to host it in 2021 but it was forestalled due to the pandemic.
“As we all celebrate the NYD, our prayer and wish for all is that we may all have the agility to face and address the rapidly changing challenges, keeping our minds, hearts and spirit focused on the Lord Jesus, Who comes to rescue us,” said Bishop Alarcon.
