"I See You."

Director James Cameron came back with Avatar: The Way of Water, which continues the story from his 2009 film Avatar. In both movies, “I See You” is a formal greeting and sign of respect for the Na'vi's. The significance of “I See You” personifies how the Na’vi's perceive each other; not only do they refer to the literal act of seeing someone, but they truly recognize them as a person. In the second installment, The Way of Water, Jake Sully and Neytiri's children find their mixed heritage challenging to deal with, and feel that they're not "seen" as equals by the Na'vi's.

What Jake and Neytiri's children had to deal with is something familiar to me. There were days when insecurities popped up because of how people saw me and I had the tendency to anchor my identity with it. There are people who always want to say something demeaning about my short stature and on my bad days, their opinion mattered. So I thought I was too small to ever be seen as significant in this world.

Volunteers' meeting with the pope, WYD Rio 2013

World Youth Day (WYD) helped me to see myself how God sees me. WYD is the largest gathering of young people from all over the world with the Pope. It aims to provide all participants with a universal Church experience, fostering a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Time and time again, God has used the largest youth gathering in the world to make someone small like me feel seen.

In 2013, I had the opportunity to volunteer short-term for WYD Rio. It was also my first WYD participation. I found fellow volunteers turned into friends who took the responsibility to watch out for me especially when we attended the big events and went through large crowds. My friends endearingly called me their "little friend" and joyfully offered themselves to be my height booster without having to ask for it. Already being distant from my faith before going to Rio de Janeiro, experiencing the love from my newfound friends helped me to acknowledge that God sees me. It's a gift to keep the friendships I made a decade ago in WYD Rio. Seeing that it has lasted this long, I know it's a bond united by Jesus.

Community of St. John-Cebu WYD Krakow 2016 pilgrim delegates

I participated as a WYD Krakow 2016 pilgrim delegate with the Community of Saint John-Cebu. In his homily during the final Mass, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who, due to his short stature, climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-10). How Zacchaeus went to see Jesus despite the obstacles he faced, especially his short stature, and how Jesus looked at Zacchaeus spoke a lot to me. Keeping my distance from God wasn't only because I felt small and unworthy, but also my lack of humility to accept who I am, a child dependent on him. God calls me by my name and does not see me based on my capacities, social status or sins.

"I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38; WYD Panama 2019 Theme). It was a gift to participate as a pilgrim delegate in WYD Panama 2019, this time with Corazon Puro. Being recently commissioned as the new head server of Pure Heart Philippines back then, it was a timely pilgrimage to get ready for my big mission. I knew I was taking on an arduous journey and have limitations I needed to accept. It was Mama Mary's courageous and generous yes to God that inspired me to focus on the mission - to meet, live and share Christ.

Corazon Puro WYD Panama 2019 pilgrim delegates

In a flash, it's been more than three months that I've been helping to organize WYD Lisbon 2023 as a long-term volunteer. I'm part of Caminho 23, the international relations department, as one of the pilgrim managers for the Asia and Oceania episcopal conferences. Now that we are less than six months away from the gathering, work is beginning to get intense. At times I don't know how to move forward with the tasks yet I am confident to face them because I have a team willing to help me.

I am excited to make Christ known to the youth from all parts of the world! Like Pope Francis, the team dreams of having each country represented in WYD Lisbon 2023. I cannot wait that each pilgrim and volunteer would personally meet Jesus through each other and discover how beautiful this encounter is. It is my joy to be Jesus' "little friend" and share his love with others and say, "I see you!" This is the beauty of the Church, you are never alone and insignificant. We are one big family, with Jesus as our model, on mission together for the glory of God!

Come join us this August for World Youth Day Lisbon 2023! Register here.