Subject: 'austraLasia' # 328

SOLOMONS: YOUTH SHOW THE WAY TO RESOLVE NATION'S PROBLEMS

and (see below) FIJI: YOUTH 'TRY ON' SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY.

A. Pereira

HONIARA: 15th April --"You will never have the courage to say no to slavery, darkness, and apathy unless you've said a bigger yes to a higher value"; " You will never give up a low kind of trip until you taste a better and more fulfilling trip" or more simply, "You will never stop eating wrappers until you taste a candy".

This could be in a nutshell what the Honiara Catholic Youth group tried to experience in their prayer rally today, April 15, 2000, Saturday at the Holy Cross compound. This is what the "Jesus Trip" organized by the Salesians of Don Bosco was all about. A trip from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light and from death to life.

The group of 150 youth (mostly college and university students) was led to a deep and personal heart to heart experience with God. An appropriate athmosphere with the right kind of meditative prayer, action songs, inpirational inputs and fraternal sharing provided the ideal setting for the "Jesus trip". A talk on God's love, prayer experience, faith sharing, Eucharist and Reconciliation: these were the ingredients of the day which was billed as a 'Jesus trip'for the participants.

The youth of Honiara who attended the "trip" believe that peace in the Solomon Islands is possible if the offending parties accept their mistake and humbly and sincerely apologize and make amends. They believe it because they tried it. They challenge the nation to do the same. The first to sincerely apologize will be the greatest. We pray this will happen soon soas to put a stop to the senseless killing of brother against brother.