#BlessedByThePope at UST: The rock star teaches us 'to think, to feel, to do'
January 20, 2015 9:34pm
Pope Francis enters the middle of the UST Open Field in his open popemobile, with a rousing welcome from his young audience. Sherwin Marion Vardeleon

At first glance, it seemed like the University of Santo Tomas grounds in Manila had been prepared for a grand concert.
 
The open field was covered throughout. Quadrants marked by steel fences started to be filled with people wearing shirts of different colors. Away from the area, more people had gathered, many sleepy from camping out. They weren't allowed onto the field, so they came earlier to make sure they still got to watch the program, thanks to LED screens set up around campus.
 
Even more people were in lines that snaked around the university, all of them waiting, hoping to get in, some of them fainting because of either exhaustion or lack of space.
 
Two platforms were set up on each side of the grandstand for the orchestra and attendees who were considered VIPs. The grandstand was sheltered by a curved roof that towered over it, speakers on its sides.
 
Yes, it was going to be a "show" featuring a big "star" — except this was going to happen on a Sunday morning.
 
The "front acts" began at 5 a.m. — a Mass presided by a former rector, followed by the prayer of the rosary, and the practice of songs of praise for the main act.
 
The skies began to light up, but the gray remained, as the sun refused to come up. Most people were ready with their ponchos, even jackets, because of the cold wind. They sat there waiting, their excitement palpable as they cheered for whoever was onstage to keep them entertained.
 
Some people in the crowd brought their young children, like this toddler perched on his dad's shoulders for a better view of the Pope. Rose-An Jessica Dioquino
 
At around 9 a.m., random cheers would erupt from somewhere in the crowd and the rest of the audience would look up, some of them running to the edges of the field.
 
False alarm. And another. And another.
 
Then came 9:24 a.m. Trumpets rang and cheers came from those outside the guarded area.
 
The "rock star" had arrived. Or perhaps, it's more apt to say the "owner" of the university?
 
It was none other than Pope Francis, who was at UST for the first event on the penultimate day of his Philippine visit.
 
When he arrived, he entered through the Arch of the Centuries, UST's symbolic passage landmark. After signing the official guest book and meeting briefly with leaders of other religions, he headed to the audience that waited at the open field in his open popemobile.
 
He entered through an alley in the middle, as per his request, for whatever "personal" encounters he could manage in large crowds.
 
Seventy-eight years old and wearing his customary white cassock, the "rock star" waved, smile wide as his audience gave him a rousing welcome — smartphones, flags, signs, and hands raised high as "Bienvenido, Papa Francesco" rang in the air.
 
 

"Rock star" welcome for Pope Francis at UST. Surreal. #BlessedByThePope (Repost from @ailexvillamor)
 

A video posted by Aica Dioquino (@aicadioquino) on



 
Pope Francis' visit marked the fourth for the university, which carries among its official titles from Vatican the word "pontifical," or "established or approved by the Holy Father." 
 
It was a trip similar to those taken there by his predecessors, Blessed Paul VI and Saint John Paul II. Their purpose were the same: to meet young Filipino people.
 
Pope Francis' visit came 45 years after UST welcomed its first pope, Paul VI, who set foot there on November 28, 1970.
 
According to The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication, Paul VI called UST the "university world of the Philippines" in his address
 
That was followed by two visits from Saint John Paul II, the first on February 18, 1981, when he met with 60,000 students from 350 schools around Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
 
In his remarks, John Paul II urged the youth present to "be genuine young people... to possess within oneself an incessant newness of spirit," according to The Academia, UST's official international bulletin.
 
He would return to UST, which he said "has a special right to the Pope's attention," on January 13, 1995, as part of the World Youth Day celebrations.
 
John Paul II, who is known for his affinity for the youth, "was welcomed by about 200,000 young people waving yellow and white flaglets and cheering 'John Paul II, we love you!' to which he replied, 'John Paul II, he loves you!'" The Varsitarian said.
 
Aside from meeting youth representatives at the UST Grandstand and Open Field, the Pope also officiated a Mass for the delegates of the fifth International Youth Forum, which the university hosted on January 6 to 10, 1995 with some 300 delegates from 100 countries.
 
 
From each of John Paul II's visits, the university preserved second-class relics, which are material things that a saint had used.
 
These include John Paul II's papal chair, as well as the vestments he used for the Mass at UST in 1995. 
 
The university also preserved "symbolic gifts" from Blessed Paul VI: a gold chalice and a gold ciborium.
 
This time around, UST made a symbolic acknowledgment of the pontiff's "special attention" by giving Pope Francis his own university ID.
 
Gold just like the electronic IDs for students, faculty, and staff, it had two versions, which came with plastic casings. They both say "His Holiness Pope Francis," with his given name and ID number, 16112015-001.
 
The Pope was aptly given a role in "Administration".
 
He wore this ID throughout the encounter with a yellow lanyard bearing the logos of all the faculties, colleges, and schools inside the four-century-old university.
 
Pope Francis embraces Jun and Glyzelle, the two former street children who gave testimonies about the plight of abandoned children. Robbie Villegas
 
For his trip to UST, Pope Francis — who canonized John Paul II and beatified Paul VI in 2014 — met with some 24,000 Filipino youth from various sectors and dioceses with a program of music and words.
 
It may have been a lot of talk, but it held the audience's interest even when it started to rain halfway through. Most of them put their raincoats on. Some who forgot to bring one tried to cover their heads with hats, paper, handkerchief. The rest just let themselves be soaked.
 
It was Glyzelle, the lone female representative to speak before the Pope, who tugged at the crowd's heartstrings most. A former street child under the care of the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation, she broke down in tears when she asked Pope Francis why God let bad things happen to children, "kahit wala kaming kasalanan."
 
It prompted the Pope to set aside a speech he prepared for his "young friends." Soft-spoken and a little slow when speaking English, he told them the crowd that he wanted to speak in Spanish when he spoke "spontaneously."
 
He spoke for nearly 39 minutes, humbly admitting that Glyzelle's was "a question for which there is no answer."
 
 
The mood was solemn except for moments of laughter, with the Pope making light of his troubles with English, then of Glyzelle being the only girl to speak.
 
Then he went on to the serious stuff. He said technology, the best friend and worst enemy of many of today's youth, was "not necessarily" bad. But always, he asked them to go beyond information overload. 
 
He asked them "to think, to feel, to do." Use your head, your heart, and your hands.
 
He told them to cry, to love, and let themselves be surprised with that love — and to beg. 
 
To use their head, their heart, and their hands in unison.
 
 
It was unclear if the young rain-soaked crowd was able to retain everything he said. They had been standing under the rain for half an hour, on top of lack of sleep and space. He was speaking in Spanish, translated into English. But they listened. And however little he looked from where they stood, he held their gaze.
 
The last agenda for the morning was the 1995 World Youth Day anthem, "Tell the World of His Love." He stood in the middle of the stage, holding hands with two young girls, swaying them as the one on his right tried to sing with the gestures.
 
He isn't good in English, he had repeatedly said. He may not have understood the song as well as his predecessor, John Paul II, did.
 
But as he stood there — later walking front and center with the kids — there was a look of awe, the shepherd smiling at his flock.
 
After a group hug with kids and a selfie, he walked to the side of the stage, where his popemobile was waiting. Some of us watched him leave, that sunshine in a yellow poncho. Some rushed to the papal chair, to Jesus on the cross that he had kissed.
 
It remains to be seen if the youth that met him would "to think, to feel, and to do." But hope lingered as the rain quieted down. The young trooped to social media later on to thank him for a glimpse, for the good vibes, for his words.
 
He may have been able to get his message across, after all. — JST, GMA News

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