Cubao Youth Leader’s Conference kicked off its 3-day event at Claretian Missionary Sisters last weekend, March 14-16, 2025. With a goal to deepen the faith of the youth, several speakers were invited to discuss related topics.

CFD QC Public Information Officer, Bro. Jomar Gokong, was invited, and discussed the importance of the Catholic faith. During a breakout session, youth leaders from across 47 parishes in the diocese attended and reflected on the topic.

Bro. Jomar began by defining three important key terms in apologetics: Defend, Catholic, and Faith.

Faith is a word that often gets tossed around and lightly spoken of by people who do not realize the richness and beauty of it. Faith, or Pananampala-TAYA as Bro. Jomar emphasized in his lecture, is not just about being familiar with certain concepts, but about genuine belief in them that one would bet their life on it, hence the emphasis on “-TAYA“. “Kapag tayo ay nananampalataya, tayo ay tumataya sa ating pinaniniwalaan,” Bro. Jomar said. All Catholics profess this faith by declaring the Nicene Creed in the middle of the mass. Some of us don’t realize it, but many powerful truths are declared in that creed!

“I believe in one God, pero may ibang nagsasabi na tatlo raw ang Diyos ng mga Kristiyano, kasi naniniwala tayo sa Diyos Ama, Diyos Anak, at Diyos Espiritu Santo,” Bro. Jomar reported.

(I believe in one God, but there are others who say that Christians have three gods, because we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.)

He continued to explain that there is one divine nature, God. And in God is three divine persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He gave bible verses to support the doctrine of the Divine Trinity such as Gn. 1:1-3, Mt. 28:19, and Lk. 1:35.

Another important issue is the divinity of Christ. “Marami ang nagsasabi na si Kristo ay hindi Diyos, ngunit tao lamang. Ipinanganak na tao, at namatay na tao.”

(Many say that Christ is not God, and is only human. He was born human, and he died human.)

Bro. Jomar cited that some Non-Catholics believe that Jesus is just a prophet that God the Father sent to redeem the world. “Pero mababasa natin sa John 1 na in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt upon us.”

(But we read in John 1 that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt upon us.)

He continued to give many bible verses that supported the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ, both in the Old and New Testaments. Moreover, he reiterated the importance of having a religion, and not mere spirituality, and the concept of faith working through love and charity as opposed to faith alone.

A particularly special verse was cited for the word Catholic. Bro. Jomar mentioned that the word Catholic is not an English word and thus should not be looked up in an English bible. The word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective katholikos, which means “universal”. To support the claim that the Catholic Church is the One True Church that Jesus Christ founded, Bro. Jomar quoted the bread and butter verse of Catholic apologists, Matthew 16:18. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. And the gates of heaven shall not prevail against it.”

Bro. Jomar also cited verses to support important traditions within the Catholic Church, such as the sacrament of Baptism, Confession, and Eucharist: Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mk 16:16); Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (Jn 20:21-23); For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them (Jn 6:55-56).

In the latter part of his talk, Bro. Jomar introduced the youth to apologetics, and the significance of it. Defending the faith is not an easy task, as many who study and train in apologetics would come to realize. But as instructed by St. Peter in his first letter, it is a must to know a thing or two about our faith in order to “give an account for the hope that is in us” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Finally, Bro. Jomar gave parting words and advice to the youth leaders of Cubao. “Nung bata ako tulad niyo rin ako; naka-upo, nakikinig, nagse-serve. Sana ipagpatuloy ninyo ang paglilingkod, dahil balang araw baka kayo naman ang nagsasalita dito sa harap. At maging proud kayo dahil Catholic kayo. We should be proud of our Church, because Jesus himself founded it!”

(When I was a kid I was just like you; patiently sitting, listening, serving the Lord. I hope you continue your service, because someday it might be one of you speaking here in front. And be proud that you are Catholics. We should be proud of our Church, because Jesus himself founded it!)

In the end, many youth leaders had interesting questions about the Catholic faith, and expressed their eagerness to join the field of apologetics.