By Sister Natalie Sayde
On Pentecost Sunday, May 15th, the MYO groups
from Lawrence, Boston and New Bedford came to the Mother of Light Convent to
celebrate Divine Liturgy and enjoy a day of retreat with the Maronite Servants
of Christ the Light.
Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Monsignor David George, who
set the tone of the day in his homily when he asked the teens to remember that
their lives are a proof of God’s love, and challenged them to witness to this
everyday. Msgr. George asked them to consider whether people recognize them as
children of God by their actions, not just by their words.
Later in the afternoon, in his presentation on “Jesus as the
visible face of the Father’s mercy”, Msgr. George spoke to the teens about the
parable of the Prodigal Son, which he later renamed, the parable of the
Merciful Father. Msgr. George emphasized to the teens that God is the only
constant in their lives; that He is ever-present, ever-watchful, ever-waiting
and ever-ready to meet us wherever we are. We need not be afraid of our past or
apprehensive about our future, God is always there for us in loving
attentiveness to embrace us and bring us home. 
In our small group discussions, we discussed how we can
bring the Father’s mercy to others in practical ways, such as, community
service, praying for the sick and suffering, and befriending the outcast in our
schools and playgrounds.
We had so much fun throughout the day, as we played
basketball, soccer, Frisbee, and even had potato sack races!
A special thanks to Msgr. David George for his presence
during the day, it was an absolute blessing! A special thanks to all the
chaperones and teens that came from Lawrence, Boston and New Bedford.