2,000 Pinoys wave RP flags to greet Pope in Sydney

MANILA, Philippines - Almost 2,000 Filipino youths waved the Philippine flag at the final mass of the World Youth Day celebration at the Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia Sunday.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the Philippine youths were among 180,000 delegates who waved their respective flags during the mass.

Led by the official delegation of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth, at least 1,954 Filipino delegates and 10 bishops attended the two-hour High Mass.

Highlighting the mass were music, liturgy and the testimonies of seven young people from around the world.

In his homily, Pope Benedict XVI called on the pilgrims to pray for racial unity and disparity reconciliation.

"Unity is the essence of the Church. It is a gift we must recognize and cherish. Tonight, let us pray for the resolve to nurture unity," the Pope said.

Relating the value of unity to the Holy Spirit, the Pope quoted Saint Augustine in saying that the "Holy" and "Spirit" refer to what is divine about God. It is shared by the Father and the Son. Hence, he said Saint Augustine concluded that the Spirit's particular quality is unity.

"The Holy Spirit is God eternally giving himself; like a never-ending spring he pours fourth nothing less than himself. In view of this ceaseless gift, we come to see the limitations of all that perishes, the folly of the consumerist mindset. We begin to understand why the quest for novelty leaves us unsatisfied and wanting. Are we not looking for an eternal gift? The spring that will never run dry?"

"Inspired by the insights of Saint Augustine , let unifying love be your measure, abiding love your challenge, self giving love your mission! These gifts of the Spirit- each of which, as Saint Francis de Sales reminds us, is a way to participate in the one love of God- are neither prizes nor rewards."

He ended the homily in challenging the youth to carry on the Holy Spirit's gift and be unity initiators. - GMANews.TV

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