1. Today, we celebrate Youth Day, a day of our young people. We honour them as the future of our nation and indeed the Church. As we celebrate Youth Day, we pray that God may bestow on them initiative and wisdom, humility and diligence and indeed the fear of the Lord.

2. In our Gospel passage, Jesus tells the Royal Official that: “Unless you see signs you will not believe…Go your son will live”. The man believed the words of Jesus and started on his way. His faith was strong and he found his child miraculously healed. He along with his family believed in him (Jn 4: 51-53).

3. An experience of miracles helps us on the need to rely not on our strength but God. Miracles teach us that when encountering obstacles and difficulties in life, we need to rely on Jesus. We acquire faith through our contact with the Lord. Our faith is awakened as a gift and not as an achievement. In faith we share in the life of God.

4. With faith we evaluate everything through the eyes of God. God is the author of everything. We totally trust in Him. Faith stripes the mask of the world and reveals God in everything. Faith makes everything possible for nothing is impossible with God. Knowing Jesus and experiencing Him are important for growing our faith. Let us walk with Jesus and grow in faith.

5. Let us pray that the Lord increases our faith (Luke 17: 5) and especially for our young people. Isaiah looks forward to a new heavens and a new earth. We too look forward to a life beyond the here and now, when in God’s presence we will somehow live a new kind of existence. As St. Paul writes: “A new creation, when what is sown perishable will be raised imperishable” (1 Cor. 15:42).

6. Is our heart secure in the faith that whatever happens at the end of each journey, no matter what, it will really be for the best? We can make our own the officer’s prayer of faith: “Yes, Lord, I believe.”