Christian?

“They say that the Filipino youth are among the most religious in the world. True!

In spite of the many contrary influence in today’s society, the Filipino youth remain basically open to God. For them, God is not someone absent, hidden, or distant.

Rather, He is someone alive, present, and very much a part of their lives”

In my two years of experience in the world of youth during my two years of being with the young of DB Canlubang I realized the religiosity of the youth of our generation. I realized that they by nature a “faith persons.” What I mean is that they are individuals who believe that there is a God. I don’t know but I think by nature Filipino youth are God fearing and loving individuals. Maybe because of the Filipino culture that influences their inner being that made them such. As we all know that our country was under the bells of the Spaniards that spread the Catholic Christian faith in our motherland for three hundred years. But this particular culture that planted the seed of Catholic faith in every hearts of the Filipino also becomes the reason why the youth of today find a hard time in living out their so-called Catholic faith.

As we Filipino in general is suffering from identity crisis (my personal point of view) because we were colonized by so many cultures. The youth of today are as I observed also suffer from identity crisis in their Christian Catholic faith. For two years of teaching religion to the young adults of Don Bosco College Canlubang I discovered that significantly the youth could not define what it means to be a Christian much more of becoming a Catholic. The cost? “Lack of Basic Catechism about our Christian Catholic faith.” The youth of today (may be not only the youth but majority of the Catholics in the Philippines) are “Christians by heart but never a Catholic.”

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