Hoffman said people hear that phrase but don’t understand it. She read the teens a letter Mother Teresa had written her Missionaries of Charity that said even she worried her own sisters were working for Jesus without actually knowing him.

“Nothing But Love” was the theme of this year’s DCYC, which brought together 2,500 teens for a three-day celebration of sacraments and talks with national speakers. Music boomed as kids danced and hoisted beach balls, an inflatable cow and, sometimes, each other into the air. Seminarians played hacky sack with teens. Catholic vendors offered swag. However, the goal was for each person to encounter Jesus.

Speaker Megan Copeland told the teens, “Jesus delights in you! Do you know what it means to be delighted in?”

She showed a picture of her 4-year-old daughter wearing a princess dress. This made even the distracted and chatty teens stop talking to exclaim, “Aw!”

“That is exactly how Jesus feels about you!” Copeland said. She had the teens say their names in their heads, telling them that God is likely to use this same small voice instead of a big booming one.

Speaker Alex Gotay, known as “Dr. G.,” also showed pictures of his children. The teens laughed as he talked about his 13-pound newborn son’s “chubby chicken nugget fingers!” They also reacted heartily to Dr. G.’s hilarious recount of being involved in a fight that got him kicked out of his elementary school.

Dr. G. told of not only being disciplined by the school and his mom but also being shown great compassion by his father. He likened that compassion to the love of the Trinity.

During the conference, high school seniors, including my daughter Abby, were invited to ask questions of then Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez, who is now Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. One teen asked about a favorite Austin memory, and Archbishop Vásquez responded fervently on spending time with the priests. “They are my sons,” he said. “They are my pride and joy. Even when my priests don’t do the right thing, a father always loves his sons!”

Being grounded in the unconditional love of those closest to us and experiencing Jesus’ personal love are the foundations that help a person find the mission in life that God has for them. Archbishop Vásquez said it was important not to get that reversed.

“Each of you is called by God to a vocation,” he said. “God calls you ‘to be,’ not ‘to do,’” he said. “The world calls you ‘to do,’ and then you are empty!”

Teens are often bombarded by messages “to do” as they build resumes of activities and honors to prepare for college and work. They may feel pressured to perform well to earn relationships and love. However, the conference was aimed at chiseling away this mentality.

Jesus, who loves these teens as they are, was carried in the monstrance into the huge conference room. Smoke of incense shimmered through the beams of overhead lights. Some of the teens began to leave their chairs to run to the front, trying to get closer to Jesus. It was a beautiful sign that many had had an encounter.

Hoffman, who spoke to the teen girls, wanted to be sure the message of love had sunk in. She asked the girls to stand and hold open their hands. The chaperones and I extended our hands over them. Hoffman prayed the Lord would fill teens with the personal knowledge that Jesus knew and loved them. She prayed they wouldn’t be afraid, that they would know God really saw and delighted in them. The girls stood with open hands, hearing the words with physical ears. Hoffman prayed that the words would be heard deep in the girls’ hearts.

“Jesus loves you,” she said. “Jesus loves you.”