“WHAT more can the youth do?”
This was what Rikki Macolor, an electronics engineer who invented the solar night light for Typhoon Yolanda survivors, asked His Holiness Pope Francis during his testimony in front of the Filipino youth in the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Macolor shared his experience while working on his project, saying that he did not expect it to be big and he just used what he learned from the University.
“Innovation is about being able to change other people’s lives,” Macolor stated. He said that with the aid of his friends, non-government organizations and other local groups, this project was able to provide lighting for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
Pope Francis, on the other hand, reminded him and the rest of the Filipino youth the importance of allowing other people “to give them something.”
“You know how to give and yet you have ever learned how to receive,” Pope Francis emphasized. “Become a beggar. This is what you still lack. Learn how to beg,” he added.
The Pope, however, said learning how to receive with humility is difficult to understand. But, he added that “being evangelized by the poor” would help one to be matured in giving to other people.
The risk of becoming museums of young people
Pope Francis also responded to Leandro Santos’ inquiry on how to fully utilize the value of technology amidst its distractions.
Santos, a law student, admitted that because of the evolution of internet, technology seems to be so promising. Nevertheless, according to him, “there exists a struggle in enormous abundance of information” due to rise of technology.”
The Jesuit Pope said overloaded information can really help. However, he stressed that people don’t know what to do with the pieces of information they have.
“We run the risk of becoming museums of young people who have everything but not knowing what to do with it. We don’t need young museums but we do need holy young people,” Pope Francis explained.
He also stressed that the most important subject that one can learn in life is “to learn how to love.”
“This is the challenge that life offers you: to learn bow to love. Not just to accumulate information without knowing what to do with it but through that love let that information bear fruit,” the Pope said.
For the Jesuit Pope, “real love is about loving and letting yourself be loved.” He pointed out the significance of love that surprises each and every human being as it continuously opens “a dialogue of loving and being loved.”
“Allow yourselves to be surprised by God. Don’t be afraid of surprises. They shake the ground beneath our feet and make us insecure, but they move us forward in the right direction,” Pope Francis said.
Walang kasalanan ang mga bata
Two street children were also given the chance to give their testimonials in front of the Holy Father.
Glyzelle Palomar shed tears as she asked why children like her experienced hardships at young age such as poverty and sexual abuse.
The Pope hugged Palomar and comforted her.
“Let us learn how to weep as she has shown us today and let us not forget this lesson,” he said. “When they posed this question to us, why children suffer, why this or that tragedy occurs in life – our response must be either silence or a word that is born of our tears,” he added.
On the other hand, Jun Chura, shared the typical scenario encountered by street children like him.
According to Chura, as part of his ordinary day before, he looked for plastic bottles and papers to sell, begged for food and slept with just a carton to protect his body from the cold pavement.
He also shared how Tulay ng Kabataan, an organization that offers programs and aid for street children, helped him to escape from his bad experiences and memories.
Chura proudly expressed that there are still groups of people who are willing to help and share their blessings to the poor and needy.
Before formally ending his message, Pope Francis reiterated his main points to the youth: the challenge of learning how to love and be loved, the challenge that concerns the environment and the challenge of loving the poor.
The testimonies of the youth and the Holy Father’s speech are just part of the Pope’s encounter with the youth and meeting with religious leaders at UST on January 18
Photo by Adrian Castillo
