Youth for Christ - UP Diliman

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This Friday na.

5:30 (after Frisbee Friday)

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A Pub Workshop 1830 hours Delaney Hall

The Fin Protocol

March 5

6:30 pm

C.I.A.(Christ in Action)

January 29, 2015

Thursday morning I received a text that said:

 CIA: Christ inAction

Thursday 6:30pm at Delaney Hall, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice

 Be ready to move on be moved on our 1st UPYFC Prayer Meeting this sem!

See you and your friends! 

 P.S. Please wear black and/or white ;)

 #CIA

 My initial thoughts were “Shocks meron ba kong black and/or white?!” Haha!

Kidding aside, what really came into my head was: “This ought to be exciting.”

I remember the whole week all I that was looking forward to, was the prayer meeting. It was because in them, I felt like our busy worlds stopped for a while and gave us exclusive time to praise and glorify God.

 Now what was this CIA stuff about? We were all yet to find out.

As we arrived, the room was divided in the middle. It was unusual because we usually had the entire hall to ourselves. When the prayer meeting officially commenced, we were asked to line up and enter the “crime scene” pair by pair. As we entered we were presented with different crime scenes and we as CIA agents were to gather data in the hopes of identifying the “criminal”.

 Upon entering, we were faced with the first crime scene in which the criminal was revealed to have caused thousands upon thousands of people to follow him. With no more food to eat, the people were hungry, thus he did his first act which was to multiply the loaves of bread. There was said to have been so much that there were even leftovers after everyone had eaten.

In the second crime scene, it was revealed that there was a wedding going on but the wine ran out. A woman then apparently talked to this “criminal” and persuaded him to do something about it. Obediently the “criminal” asked the people to fill the jars with water, and turned the water into wine.

The third crime scene was a bit scary for what the “criminal” apparently did was, as the storm rocked a boat aggressively, he was seen walking calmly on the water towards them. He even invited a man to come join him, and surprisingly the man was able to do so, but as doubt came crawling up on this man, he started drowning in the water only to be helped up by the “criminal”.

The fourth crime scene involved a pouch of money. In here the “criminal” was finally taken because his so-called friend sold him for thirty pieces of silver. When he was being captured, one of his friends cut off the ear of the captor, but this “criminal” healed the captor’s wound and put his ear back.

Finally, the fifth crime scene involved three crosses, the “criminal” of our case being the one in the middle. On this cross, this “criminal” died on the counts of blasphemy, but we all know better. We know that he died in order to save His people from their sins.

So who was our criminal? Well, it was none other but Jesus Christ. And what does CIA stand for? It stands for Christ in Action. As the youth of today we are easily carried away by everything our fast paced world throws at us. But though the case may be so, we must never forget to let Christ be the center of our lives. This semester, in all things that we do, we must try earnestly to be like Jesus and act out of selfless love. Our mission does not end with that activity, rather it starts there. We are only at the beginning and we have a whole sem ahead of us. There will be times when we may feel exhausted, afraid, helpless, stuck and alone but we are called to endure through it and take comfort in knowing that we are loved by Jesus. May we all accept our mission to be like Jesus, to love like Jesus, and to act like Jesus. Most importantly may we let Jesus use us as instruments so that He may act through us and prove that He is undoubtedly in action.

Speed Dating The Gangster

January 22, 2015

Last Thursday, my friend invited me to attend their prayer meeting in YFC. I was hesitant at first, because I am not really good in faring well with new acquaintances. He said that if 10 minutes had passed and I feel that I do not belong, I can go home freely. With that bargain, I agreed to go with him. The walk from Econ to the Holy Sacrifice Parish was filled with nervousness and excitement regarding the moments that are going to unfold. Upon reaching the venue for the prayer meeting, I was overwhelmed that YFC is composed of very energetic members. They talked to me and made me feel very comfortable. A portion of the nervousness was gone because some of my friends back during freshmen days were also present. The others seemed to be filled with happiness, and it made me wonder what made them look and feel that way. When someone told us to take our seats, my friends and I did so in the front, facing the board with the lyrics of the songs plastered there and the people who do the accompaniment at the side. I was not familiar with the songs, but the rehearsals helped me gain some familiarization with them. The official prayer meeting started, and then games followed. The first game is Ninja, and I was so shy because that was the first time that I have heard of that game. It was fun though, but I think it felt better to be a bystander and watching our bets win the game. Speed Dating the Gangster followed, with the goal of having all the people present get to know the others as well. It was very fun, and I realized that one minute is never enough to get to know a person fully, and the simplest and most foolish of questions can serve as a trigger to make you desire to know the other party more. I was happy that I was able to share my perception of others, and that I also know what other people think of me.  As time passed by, I had observed that YFC is composed of quite a few members compared to other organizations, yet the close-knit ties shared among them, as if they were family, were very evident. I thought to myself that it would be very nice to be part of that family. The next part is the sharing, wherein we were grouped and had a chance to share what we had learned during the entire experience. After that, we prayed and sang to the Lord. I had always thought that my own prayers were very selfish because I always ask for the betterment of myself and of the people close to me, asking for forgiveness of my sins and thanking Him for the blessings He has provided me. That prayer meeting made me realize that it is not wrong to wish for yourself, as other people also wish for themselves. However, I learned that I should also think of the others people who are not close to me. That, for me, is the greatest lesson that I have learned for that session.

The path was still wet, fresh from the rain that just poured itself away a few minutes ago. It was a dark and lonely walk to the CSC common room. I was late; I just came out from my 7 pm class that day. I was tired, weary and my steps were heavy. I was literally myself amidst the long path towards the CSC common room, for some reason there I was, walking, walking towards the dimly lighted room where my brothers and sisters were already gathered. As I got nearer, I could hear the warm laughs and shouts from inside. The place was cozy, it was small and the ceiling was lower than that of the usual place where we spend our Prayer meetings. It was a different place, but it felt as warm as though we were inside Delaney Hall. The chairs were the same chairs used in Delaney since those chairs were moved there because of the exhibit, and more over the faces of friends were as familiar as ever. I felt my weariness drift away as the introductions and greetings ended, and at the other end from where I was seated, I saw the speaker. She was this tall lady with short hair, she was already apologizing and telling us that she isn’t good with explaining things but everyone just laughed so did she. Maui Melencio, she was the one that gave the talk that day. She was an old friend of mine and as a friend listening to one of his friends everything she was saying was organic to her personality. It’s as if she’s sharing a part of herself to us that day. Making Acts of Random Kindness, that was the title of the Prayer Meeting and she started off by defining each word. Acts: ‘What are acts?” she asked us, “What things are essential in doing actions?” Then on too what does random mean, or what it signifies. Then she asked us, “What is kindness?” There was this silence. Did we take the question too seriously? Was there something so hard to conceive as to what kindness is? She broke the silence by drawing a portion of a sun. “So God created man in His own Image, in the Image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”-Genesis 1:37She shared a verse from Genesis and said that if God was a huge unbound limitless sun, we the people made in His image and likeness are likewise sun but smaller ones, that we in each and every one of us embody a piece of God Himself. And it is in our existence in this world that sometimes we think that our sins and our humanity prevents us from being like Him. Our God is a God of kindness, tenderness and compassion, and we being made in His Image must be likewise. We always reason out that we are human, though in essence we have in us the capability to be like Him, that is why kindness is innate in us. Kindness is innate in our nature in our very genetic coding. She said that in doing acts of random kindness, it is not just the act that is important, but also the heart. There is a heart behind every action, behind every deed and that is as important as the deed itself. “Act from the abundance of love from the heart.”During the whole Prayer Meeting the words such as “love”, “pag ibig”, “mahal” and “ibigin” were repeated several times, maybe as jokes or “banats” but Maui explained that actions come from the abundance of the heart that loves, and that our deeds also reflect the state of our hearts. We YFCs are people who said to bring and be Christ like every where we are, and it has always been a challenge for us to Christ-like. So at the end of her talk, there was this line that Maui left that hit me like a challenge. “Why not?”Why not do random acts of kindness, why not? We lose nothing from loving with all our hearts. Let us remember that “THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE.”

- Ron Sabolboro

That Thursday was unlike any other PM we had, because that day our speaker was Father Japs. For those who might now know him, he’s a priest at our university. What makes him stand out though is that he’s funny, cool, and relatable to the youth.

                  Father Japs talked about the beginning or the foundations of the church, the Holy Sacraments. Although he didn’t talk about all seven of them because not everything is applicable for us because of our ages. He focused on four sacraments—Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, and Reconciliation.

                  First was Baptism. It was the most important sacrament as it welcomes us into the church of Jesus Christ. Once baptized, it can never be undone. Also, not only a priest can baptize someone. A regular civilian who witnesses a dying man, or infants in most cases, may baptize.

                  Next was Confirmation. Fr. Japs clarified that confirmation is not something you should do because you’re getting married or you’re planning to be a clergy.  This sacrament is associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Through confirmation, we are mature not only physically or mentally, but also spiritually.

                  Holy Eucharist is what we commonly know as the Sunday Mass. In this topic, Fr. Japs talked about how and why the Holy Mass is celebrated. He talked about how it started with Exodus when the Egyptians used the Passover Lamb’s blood sprayed into their front doors to save their first-born children and when Moses “passed over” death through the Red Sea. In this topic, a lot of our brothers and sisters asked Fr. Japs about the proper decorum and attire while attending the Holy Mass.

                  Lastly, Father Japs talked about the sacrament of Reconciliation. He said that this sacrament is what we greatly need in our lives not because we are sinful but because it makes us closer to God.  We must not be afraid to confess our sins because God (or the priest) will not judge us. We must celebrate God’s forgiveness in order for us to be better persons.

                  The prayer meeting ended with our worship leader, Kuya Wilbur. This worship is also unique since the songs used are songs we usually hear in the Holy Mass. Through the worship, Kuya Wilbur shared his experiences of how his beliefs changed and was strengthened by the Lord. When the worship ended, everyone was touched by his story. May we find that kind of faith in our lives through God’s grace, forgiveness, and everlasting love.

Sometimes, life turns out to be harder than we expect it to be. We don’t get what we want, what we expect out of something, who we want, and sometimes, what we work so hard to get turns out to be disappointing. Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, and it’s at times like these when we start to feel alone and lost. Most of the time, at our lowest points in life, we find it hard to express to the people who care about us what we really feel, and it’s at times like these where all you want to do is curl up in your bed on a rainy day and listen to some good music - the type of music we think “understands” exactly what we feel.

Going to praisefests gives people an opportunity to sing without thinking about all those other people around you. To EXPERIENCE music. It is honestly one of the best and most freeing experiences you can ever experience as a human being. In fact, it’s like singing in the shower, except that this time you’re singing for a reason, and it feels all the more fulfilling.

Last Sunday, the campus-based band The Year won the title during the Sector Conference and if you asked them what it felt like to play on stage, most of them would say it felt surreal. Why? Because music can do that to you. It gives us an opportunity to feel without effort, to feel loved, to feel happy, to feel joy, and to feel like for once in your life, you can be fearless.

Last Thursday’s Praisefest was about Friendship, being fearless, and finding yourself in others. We all have different faces and masks we wear depending on the people we’re with. It can get tiring to try to be someone different every time you’re with a different group of people, that’s why it’s good to take a break from time to time and decide who among those groups of people you can really call friends.

The word Friendship has become so distorted now a days especially with the boom of social networking, that’s why it’s important to know the difference between real friendship and “Mean Girls” (the movie) type of friendship.

Most of us tend to be closed-off from people because of past experiences of hurt and betrayal and of being left behind. We become too scared to open up to people to try to find the love that has eluded us and given us hurt from past relationships and friendships - there is too much fear from the hurt.

Something awesome is coming your way and it will definitely be worth the wait!

Isang malayang UP-YFC.

Feel at home with your family. <3

HOME | June 13, 2013 | 6:30PM | Delaney Hall, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice

Wear your YFC pride!