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?