Present versus Future (Hope)
Remembering the words of PJP II regarding the youth as the "Present" and comparing it with the words of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, we could see no conflict. Rizal wrote that the youth is the hope, or the future, of the fatherland. He was in a completely different setting as Pope John Paul II. Rizal was referring to the youth as the hope or the future because he saw that their present generation would only be able to strike the fire of change in the society but it would be the task of the next generation, the youth, to sustain that fire and create a better society for the Filipinos. He saw that through the next generation, the youth of their time, the country would be able to fulfill their dreams of independence and development.
PJP II on the other hand was living in the present and he knows that in the present even those undergoing formation could contribute very well to the task of evangelization in their respective areas of concern - shome, school, workplace, even in the streets, etc. PJP II believes in the capacity of the youth, and he initiated the Wolrd Youth Days in order to show to the world that the young can be the partners of the adults in the various tasks in the different aspects of life.
Rizal believed that the young when they become adults would be able to contribute towards the betterment of society. PJP II believes that young even in their youth could already contribute towards making changes in the society.
Perhaps one of the reasons why the Philippines does not develop is that we keep ourselves hostaged by a wrong interpretation of the words of Rizal. We alwasy remind ourselves that the youth is the hope of the country, that the youth is the future! But as PJP II said, if this is so, when the future comes the youth afre no more because they have already grown up to be adults!
Let us give the youth the chance to prove themselves. They could do great things. We only must give them good examples and we ought to give them truly good examples! 
