Spiritual Prep
These pages will be your space to prepare for a powerful week of grace, fellowship and celebration for the Church. To aid you in this we will be updating these pages with new topics to prepare your heart and mind for pilgrimage. In addition we will post videos and links for you to explore.
"Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? . . . No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen."
— Pope Benedict XVI
pil·grim
1: One who journeys in foreign lands 2: One who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee
pil·grim·age
1: a journey of a pilgrim; especially : one to a shrine or a sacred place 2: the course of life on earth
We will come from every background and walk of life, from every culture, climate and country on the globe, and yet, everyone who comes to WYD will have something in common:; we will all come as pilgrims. As Catholics, pilgrimage defines our life. Our whole life is that of a pilgrim. Life is a journey of joy and sorrow, cross and grace, consolation and desolation. It is in living the struggle to hold firm the vision of faith, cling to hope, believe in love, and stay true to the special plan God has called us to, that we grow holy and gain life eternal. In the depths of his heart, man longs for love. Heaven alone fills that longing, as St. Augustine so beautifully expressed when he stated, “Lord you have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” We know that the cup of bold coffee at Starbucks, the plush angora sweater at the Gap, and the six- figure income won’t in the end suffice. We are made for more, and the journey of life is the searching and reaching for that more. And so, this pilgrimage to Madrid is a little paradigm for life. Pilgrimage is a time of special grace. It is a journey that helps us discover God more fully. While the end of this pilgrimage will bring you into celebration with 2.5 million of your brothers and sisters, to celebrate the gift of faith and to worship the living God, it will also fuel the greater adventure of life with grace in abundance.
We will all have a special role in serving our fellow pilgrims. Recently, a planning group went to Madrid to prepare for the Love and Life center. They were told by those in charge of WYD Madrid that they weren’t planning for 2.5 million people, but rather, were planning for one person, 2.5 million times. How true to the way the Lord cares for us. His love and revelation is always personal, reverent, and specific, that we might see and hear Him in ways that are meaningful for our life and journey.
John Cardinal O’Connor, founder of the Sisters of Life, asserted, “God wants to reach out to others through your hands. He wants to speak to others through your lips, and God wants others to look into your eyes and see Him…Give God permission.” It is your very self that will be the greatest gift you bring to Madrid as a pilgrim, not your abilities, or your expert skills. To the degree you avail yourself to God’s inspiration, His presence, His workings, you will be a powerful instrument of grace for those you meet at WYD. Start praying now for those in your pilgrimage group and for those you will encounter along the way. WYD Madrid will offer many opportunities to give God permission – to give and to receive anew the life of Christ. As John Paul II said, “life with Christ is an adventure.” Let’s dare to live it.
Some Spiritual “Exercise”
1. Accept everything that God sends you as coming from His hands. As Mother Teresa said, “Take what He gives, and give what He takes.” Believe that whatever He permits, it is what you need most in life to help you come closer to Christ and become a fuller version of yourself.
2. As you prepare your heart for WYD Madrid, go big. The Lord tells us, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). What are you seeking in this time of pilgrimage, and what do you hope to gain? What places in your life do you desire to be transformed by Christ? What intentions will you carry to Him throughout your pilgrimage?
Media Break
Tap into WYDMadrid2011at the official site! Videos and audio clips, fundraising tips and more… Madrid11.com
Take a look at this clip of the Love and Life Site at WYD Sydney 2008!
Steve Kerekas of Youth in Europe offers some thoughts on the essence of pilgrimage
Read more...
Check out the Holy Father's Address about WYD Madrid 2011 and the theme he has chosen -– “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). Words that will feed the journey!