On a Cold Winter's Night: WYD Preparation Day #1

The weather outside is frightful, but WYD is so delightful!

Although the evening was covered with a fresh shower of snow, all were warm inside the Church. Well, almost all.

WYD Pilgrims learn about the spiritual importance being beggers at the Lord's table: being able to receive from the Lord all that He wishes to give us; standing before the Lord and asking for what we need.

Brad: "I think this begging idea is covered in the Code of Canon Law."

Stacy: "I bet Sydney is really warm now."

Rose: "I can't believe it's Advent already."

Jenny: "Is anyone else cold?"

"Fr. Will! I didn't know there would be studying involved! But I love learning about the saints"

“SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24).

The following is a little gem from Pope Benedict's new encyclical, Spe Salvi. As usual we are so blessed to have this amazing Pope teach us in such beautiful ways with words that are life-giving.

I'm at least two-thirds of the way through the encyclical so far, and it thrills me and challenges me in almost every paragraph.

I think it's particularly poignant for those going on pilgrimage because it points to the hope that pilgrimage embodies: we are not just walking aimlessly, but towards a goal and with a purpose. We are journeying with one another to meet Pope Benedict and all the Catholic youth of the world. Ultimately, though, we are journeying to Sydney to seek the face of the Lord. It is our hope that we will meet Him face-to-face and be transformed in the encounter.

Enjoy the following paragraph as a taste of the good things to come. It is contained in the section, "Prayer as a School of Hope," and has to do with the size of our hope and God's dream for us.

33. Saint Augustine, in a homily on the First Letter of John, describes very beautifully the intimate relationship between prayer and hope. He defines prayer as an exercise of desire. Man was created for greatness—for God himself; he was created to be filled by God. But his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched. “By delaying [his gift], God strengthens our desire; through desire he enlarges our soul and by expanding it he increases its capacity [for receiving him]”.

Augustine refers to Saint Paul, who speaks of himself as straining forward to the things that are to come (cf. Phil 3:13). He then uses a very beautiful image to describe this process of enlargement and preparation of the human heart. “Suppose that God wishes to fill you with honey [a symbol of God's tenderness and goodness]; but if you are full of vinegar, where will you put the honey?” The vessel, that is your heart, must first be enlarged and then cleansed, freed from the vinegar and its taste. This requires hard work and is painful, but in this way alone do we become suited to that for which we are destined[26]. Even if Augustine speaks directly only of our capacity for God, it is nevertheless clear that through this effort by which we are freed from vinegar and the taste of vinegar, not only are we made free for God, but we also become open to others. It is only by becoming children of God, that we can be with our common Father.

To pray is not to step outside history and withdraw to our own private corner of happiness. When we pray properly we undergo a process of inner purification which opens us up to God and thus to our fellow human beings as well. In prayer we must learn what we can truly ask of God—what is worthy of God. We must learn that we cannot pray against others. We must learn that we cannot ask for the superficial and comfortable things that we desire at this moment—that meager, misplaced hope that leads us away from God.

We must learn to purify our desires and our hopes. We must free ourselves from the hidden lies with which we deceive ourselves. God sees through them, and when we come before God, we too are forced to recognize them. “But who can discern his errors? Clear me from hidden faults” prays the Psalmist (Ps 19:12 [18:13]). Failure to recognize my guilt, the illusion of my innocence, does not justify me and does not save me, because I am culpable for the numbness of my conscience and my incapacity to recognize the evil in me for what it is. If God does not exist, perhaps I have to seek refuge in these lies, because there is no one who can forgive me; no one who is the true criterion. Yet my encounter with God awakens my conscience in such a way that it no longer aims at self-justification, and is no longer a mere reflection of me and those of my contemporaries who shape my thinking, but it becomes a capacity for listening to the Good itself.

Five Rules to a Successful Pilgrimage

Five Rules to a Successful Pilgrimage

1. Don’t complain;
2. Don’t complain;
3. When you see a bathroom use it, whether you have to or not;
4. When somebody offers you something, take it;
5. When somebody asks for something you have, give it to them.

These rules come via Franciscan Father Stan Fortuna, who offers these to all World Youth Day pilgrims and all other pilgrims. World Youth Day (WYD) is an international event for young adult Catholics to gather with the Pope to celebrate faith and culture. St. Mary’s will send twelve CMU students with Fr. Will to join seventy pilgrims from the Diocese of Saginaw to Sydney, Australia next July.

The first two rules are essential. They remind us of the Israelites who complained against God when they were on pilgrimage to the promised land. They complained about the food and about wandering in the desert for so long. Complaining did not bring them closer to God. Rather it made their suffering worse. The WYD pilgrimage can get brutal. There can be long lines, bad weather, long hours of waiting for buses, mistaken directions, missed programs, hard floors to sleep on, bad food, bathroom shortages, etc… There is so much chaos that it is easy to get overwhelmed by it all. Normally 400,000 pilgrims join the five days in a single city for this event, and it all ends with over 1 million persons sleeping out overnight and then celebrating Mass with the Pope the following morning. There are lots of opportunities for inconvenience, irritation, and frustration. In all of this we are called to surrender to God. God is working through all the frustrations to prepare us to taste more intensely the joy of resurrection. When we suffer these things together through faith, we are inspired to endure it and even make fun of it, and to experience the joy of solidarity. Suffering with God and each other can bring joy and fulfillment. Real pain is suffering alone and without faith. Pilgrims learn these truths.

Suffering makes the last two rules easy because our hearts are softened to the needs of others. There is a true bond of communion created through shared suffering and the needs of others become opportunities for joy and freedom. There is a free giving and receiving of gifts. Is not this what the Christian life is all about? Let us remember these things once again this Thanksgiving weekend.

Walking to the Father's House

We human beings need a friend, a brother who takes us by the hand and accompanies us to the "Father's house" (John 14:2); we need someone who knows the way well. And God, with his "superabundant" love for us (Ephesians 2:4), sent his Son not only to point it out but to become himself "the way" (John 14:6).

-Pope Benedict XVI

Homily at the Mass for Deceased Cardinals and Bishops of the Past Year, November 11, 2005

Pope Benedict: "Road Trip to U.S.!"

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the United States as pontiff next year, and plans to visit the White House, ground zero and speak at the United Nations, the Vatican's ambassador said Monday.

Benedict will travel to Washington and New York from April 15 to 20, speak at the United Nations on April 18 and visit ground zero on the final day of his trip, Archbishop Pietro Sambi said.
The pope will visit the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York to show "solidarity with those who have died, with their families and with all those who wish an end of violence and in the search of peace," Sambi said.
The visit will take place on the third anniversary of Benedict's election to succeed Pope John Paul II, who died in April 2005.
An official welcome reception for Benedict will be held at the White House on April 16, Sambi said. The pontiff will celebrate two public Masses, first at the new National Stadium in Washington on April 17, and again at Yankee Stadium on April 20.
He will also hold meetings with priests, Catholic university presidents, diocesan educators and young people.
"The pope will not travel much, but he will address himself to the people of the United States and the whole Catholic Church," Sambi said.

My experiences in Toronto

+JMJ+

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I thought that I'd start my contribution to the blog by writing about my previous WYD experience in Toronto, Canada in 2002. That was 5 years ago and I was at the lowest end of the age range. I don't think that I had a clear concept of the meaning of the word "pilgrimage" at the time, but when I got home the word had an entirely new meaning to me.

Toronto was a difficult experience in many ways. We got lost several times, it rained during the all-night vigil, some people from our group were lost for several hours, there was no hot water anywhere, temperatures were high and our accommodations were not very comfortable. The amazing thing was that no one seemed to mind. Everywhere there were people singing, dancing, and praising God. You could say that World Youth Day changed my life. This was the first time I saw the "young face" of the Church. There were times prior to that when I felt like the only Catholic under the age of 80 on the planet. Toronto gave me hope.

I can still remember John Paul II. He was having a hard time moving around and it was difficult to understand him at times. The love and affection the congregation had for him at the closing Mass was palpable. "John Paul II, we love you!" was the cheer that could be heard from all directions. At one point during his homily, he said, "You are young, the Pope is old..." to which all enthusiastically responded "Pope is young! Pope is young! Pope is young!" He urged us not to lose the hope that we have as young people. He said, "Do not let that hope die. Stake your lives on it! We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures. We are the sum of the Father's love and our real capacity to become the image of His Son." I still remember these words.

When John Paul the Great died, I knew the world had lost a great man. Pope Benedict XVI has addressed young people on many occasions and has reminded us how much both he and John Paul II love the young of the Church. As we prepare for Sydney may God be with us, may Mary pray for us, and may John Paul the Great intercede for us in a very special way.

Totus tuus

-Brad

Prayer: Following Jesus

I found this in the latest issue of Magnificat and thought it captured a great insight into pilgrimage: pilgrimage is essentially following Jesus on the Way. One of the earliest designations for the Christian Church was "followers of the Way." A most excellent way we can prepare for pilgrimage is to follow Jesus in his prayer to the Father. Enjoy: Your Word is a Lamp

“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” (Mt 8: 19). When the scribe spoke thus to Jesus, he surely meant more than just traipsing along the highways and byways of Galilee and Judea in the footsteps of Jesus. He was pledging himself to an across-the-board imitation of Christ. Jesus seems to have understood him exactly in that way because he (Jesus) went on to describe the challenges to which the scribe would be committing himself: “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” One of the things he would be giving himself over to was a life of prayer. Up and down the Gospels, Jesus is reported as profoundly given to praying. Particularly in Luke’s Gospel is Jesus so portrayed – as very much given to prayer.

Consider the following references in Luke to Jesus at prayer: “He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day” (Lk 4: 16). Note the italicized words and, of course, note that the synagogue is a place of prayer. “The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray” (Lk 5: 15-16). Note “he would withdraw,” signifying a customary, repeated action. Yet another instance: “During the day, Jesus was teaching in the temple area, but at night he would leave and stay at the place called the Mount of Olives” (Lk 21: 37). Once again in this text Jesus’ praying is not referred to as a once-for-all prayer but rather as something typical, usual for him. Could our efforts to follow Christ be more meaningful than when we follow him to prayer?

First Bakesale Pics!

What a wonderful weekend for a bake sale! We need to do more of these.

Everyone seemed to have such a great time baking, and the sale went pretty well. Enjoy a slice of the pictures (with a scoop of Jeremy's color commentary)!


Wow, this is hard work!


I'm already tired!


But this is fun!


Besides, blonds bake better cookies!



They also have more Fun!

They do not!

Pardon Me!

I can't wait for Australia!


It's gonna be amazing!

We should save some cookies for the pilgrimage!

We're never going to make enough!


Yes, those cookies are $1 Million Dollars!


And they're really good!



This is way better than collecting pop cans!

And a lot sweeter!




PS: There's still some leftovers at the Church.

First Bake Sale Success!!!

After many hours of baking hundreds of baked goods... fighting the wind and rain at the Wal-Mart bake sale and working hard to sell goods at Sacred Heart... WYD Pilgrims were very successful on their first bake sale. Thanks to all those who dedicated their time and talents and to all those who came out to support us!

Learn to Speak Aussie

Helo, Mate....Throw another Shrimp on the Barbie!

I know you're scared about your ability to communicate when you're in Austrailia, so lets get some lessons from Matthew Kelly:

Lessons for Enduring Happiness

Pilgrim struggles...do not be discouraged!

I encouarge all pilgrims to remain positive as they begin fundraising efforts. The funds needed for this trip might seem like a distant dream that is unattainable. However, with God all things are possible. So we keep our eyes on Jesus, while we also are fully immersed in the fundraising efforts.

One suggestion I recently heard about merits reflection. The person suggested that each pilgrim come up with 50 names of persons they know who might be interested and able to donate to their pilgrimage. The pilgrim then writes a "begging" letter to each person on their list. It is important that you not only list those persons capable of donating, but those interested! This might include people who do not have a lot of money, that is, for example, children or young adults. Many spiritual benefits are accomplished by this.

First, by including all ranges of people, the word about World Youth Day expands, especially to those open to it. This is a way of including a variety of people, and not just one class of people, ie, those with money. We are imitating God's openness to all people in this way as God never discriminates where His gifts go.

Second, as humiliating as it might seem to beg for money, this is good for us. Fr. Guissani once said that "we are all beggars." That is right. Until we see ourselves as impovershed we cannot experience God's gifts as gifts. We presume on Him like spoiled children, who squander the inheritance. To grow in the spirit of a beggar opens us to the pilgrim spirit: a spirit that presumes nothing, but sees everything as a gift...good and bad alike. This is how God works in the world: through the good and bad alike. He proves this in the paschal mystery.

Third, we are evangelizing by spreading the word about our spiritual journey towards Sydney. And, we are taking many people along with us. This is good. We pray for all those who support us by their prayers and resources. This is good for us and for them. In all this we should reflect upon ourselves and our experiences of begging to appreciate all that God is doing in us as we prepare.

Tasmanian Devil: Not a Danger to WYD Pilgrims!

Tasmanian Devils declared, "no danger" do WYD Pilgrims.

Though mainly known by their Latin name to Church officials, Sarcophilus Harrisili, Tasmanian Devils gained noteriety during "Taz's" (left) days with Looney Toons.

Wikipedia tells us that the Tasmanian Devil "is characterised by its...offensive odor when stressed, extremely loud and disturbing screech, and viciousness when feeding..." For this reason, Tasmanian Devils were initally thought to be good mascots for some WYD pilgrims.

Though called "dEVILs", they are not in any way connected with their spiritual counterparts.

In addition, and most importantly, they are confined to the Island of Tasmania, and thus not a danger to pilgrims in Sydney!

Pilgrim Postings!

And so it begins...The die is cast...

"We're on a mission from God..."

So you've decided to go to World Youth Day in Australia and you don't have any money?

Interesting that this weekend's Mass readings are about praying always!