July 5, 2005
I attended a youth retreat recently and was given this beautiful poem by one of the young people there. I would like to share it with you so that maybe it will bring you hope – as it did me.
By The Grace of God!
Before this retreat I wouldn't miss a beat
I'd be out every week, with my homies on the street.
I dug myself a hole, and sat there for a while,
But being here with God I just couldn't help but smile.
Listenin' people's testimonies
Meetin' new "God-Loving homies"
My Franciscan brothers made us think and talk to each other.
They made us laugh, they changed our mind;
They made us shout "God is good" all the time.
Since the sixth grade I been sayin' the same prayer,
But it seemed God didn't answer, I was drowning in despair.
These past couple days have changed my crazy ways
And the walls have cleared instead of this complicated maze,
And I realized God has blessed me many times in all my days.
And now I carry a smile instead of a desperate gaze.
In one way or another we have all been touched by the grace of God.
We've learned so much.
Thank you for finding me when I [was] lost, out on the sea.
The sea of depression that once filled me,
Has now disappeared, gone for eternity.
Thanks Youth 2000 retreat. And I don't know about you,
But I know God is good, God is great
And God will find you when you're desperate.
-By a youth
When I read this, my eyes well-up with tears at the thought of the many youth who face tremendous struggles. To see these same youth after three days before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is nothing less than amazing. There is a sanctification which makes holy the person no matter the age, no matter the clothes they wear or their style of speech. But we need more laborers for the harvest. These youth are searching for Jesus and when they encounter Him they smile and find meaning in their lives. Let us pray for more laborers and in our prayer we may realize that evangelization is a fruit of a life of prayer and an authentic Christian witness. Indeed, we may realize in our prayer that "the laborer is me", so we all can be "touched by the grace of God."
Br. Agostino Miguel Torres, CFR
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www.franciscanfriars.com
comments: father benedict @ franciscanfriars.com
