ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.7!

By Pilgrim Chantal Khoury

WYD Spain was one of The most amazing, life changing experiences I have ever journeyed.

Words don't even come close in describing the lessons learnt and the journey one experiences during this single week. A week full of youth, laughter, singing, dancing, culture, and the strength and courage shared by millions whom are joined together by one faith. You can hear so many stories, see so many pictures, watch so many videos of this amazing event; but nothing comes close to actually experiencing it for yourself!

The joyful positive energy that flew through the center of Madrid could turn any frown upside down ;) Many of you may have heard about the organized protest that occurred on our 2nd day in Madrid. Being in the center of it all was a real eye opening experience. You can hear of all the things that some people have to say about what we believe, but when you witness something like we did in Spain - reality hits you hard in the heart. Yelling back seemed pointless yet 'viva il papa' still rang through the dark mob..just as it did the previous day.

Although we could not understand what the protesters were yelling, we understood what they were saying through their facial expressions of anger and gestures of frustration. at one point it was almost like you could see the devil prowling through the crowd.. Praying was our only weapon of destruction..and prayers were needed now more than ever... And so we continue to pray for Spain and the rest of our world.

All in all, WYD was the day that was a week of a lifetime one which I am still trying to absorb! What a trip, what a journey!

I'm so pumped for RIO!!!!!!!

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.6!

By Pilgrim Matthew Hill

WYD was a very spiritually uplifting time, as well as a lot of fun.

For me personally, seeing a few million people of a similar age as myself gathered together adoring God, the Blessed Sacrament, in complete silence with the Pope, both at the Evening Vigil during Benediction, and at the consecration during the Final Mass, was tremendously inspiring. Seeing things like this definitely reminded me that we are not alone in striving to love our Creator. Journeying together as a group through Egypt and the Holy Land with Cardinal Pell, and then seeing him deliver an awesome pro-life talk in front of hundreds, was a massive encouragement to stand up and fight for God and life .

Coming straight from the place where Christ lived and died , in the tiny land of Israel, and then seeing the countless numbers from all around the world at WYD in Madrid, definitely reminded me that the Catholic faith, although small in its origins, had certainly reached to the ends of the earth, as Christ had intended to be.

The week was heaps of fun too. Simply being in a foreign city with millions of enthusiastic Catholic youth buzzing around was enough to get you pumped, as well as checking out some of the pubs with our gang, and conversing with foreigners about our Aussie homeland and our faith in common. The journey had a great impact on me and will be an experience I will never forget

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.5!

By Pilgrim Kamela Maka

"I need to be strong and not let satans plans get to me, nor shall i be bitter, nor shall i hate or be afraid. For the Lord God's love is abundant with overflowing graces and joy. Forgive me father for my tears of self-pity, Lord I understand that you have plans for me and right now you don't want me to do the things that I want to do. Christ never abandons me, he carries me when I cannot walk and leads me when I cannot see. Hear my cry Lord and help me not go astray. May i be strong enough to accept your will and obey it obediently and faithful."

(Student Kamela Maka, Australian Catechesis, World Youth Day Spain)

"When we choose to love and care we are affirming our faith"  

(Archbishop Philip Wilson, Australian Catechesis, World Youth Day Spain)

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.4!

By Pilgrim Jessica Nohra

What a note to end on!

Our brilliant pilgrimage was finally concluded by the WYD week in Madrid, Spain. I don't think Madrid city knew what had hit it when a flood of pilgrims including 3,000 Aussies stormed its streets by day and by night.
Our time in Israel had just flown by and for me was extremely tough since I had one less able leg, yet what an enormous blessing it was. I truly believe we all received an overflowing of graces from Our Lord while praying
at holy places such as the Holy Sepulchre. After a three hour flight to Spain we were all ready to hit our beds rather than the loud streets of Madrid. Yet I think adrenaline kept us all going strong!

The week of WYD  included a huge Aussie gathering, catechesis every morning led by Bishops from around the world, daily Mass, culture festivals, a Vocation expo topped off by lots of Tapas and Sangria!
For me the week was about growing in fellowship with those I was on pilgrimage with and also developing a deeper love for Our Lord and His Church.

At the final vigil on Saturday night we became soaked, after a summer rain decided it would show its face after a whole week of clear skies, yet with two million other wet pilgrims around you who was complaining!
The next morning we awoke and readied ourselves for Sunday Mass which was celebrated by the Pope with over 2 million people. For me this was a clear image of the universal church;
people from all different walks of life coming together to celebrate the same thing - the suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ - the Mass!
So I would like to thank you all for your prayers and ask you to continue to pray for the fruits of WYD in all the young people who attended and especially in Spain.
God Bless x

 

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.3!

By Pilgrim Alison Collet

It's really hard to comprehend summing up the most amazing three weeks of my life into a few short paragraphs. Speaking to some of the other pilgrims and experiencing this myself since I've been back... there are no other words to describe such a journey. It was simply... amazing!

To use a cliché, this pilgrimage has honestly been life changing. I began it knowing Christ to a certain extent but wanting to know Him so much more. I knew that there had to be more out there and I was determined to find out exactly what "it" was!

After an overwhelming two weeks, following the footsteps of our ancestors in Egypt and those of Jesus Himself in the Holy Land, I reached Madrid and began to understand the reason for Salvation a lot more. One of the reasons that Christ came to the Earth was to reveal the love of His Father to us all through His humanity. As I began to meet and greet many friends from Sydney and Australia, it became clear that we had all travelled so far for a sole purpose. Like many of the other millions of young people, we all wanted to meet in this place to share in this one aspect of our lives, our belief in Christ.
We took what Fr Simon had said before we left for the overnight vigil quite lightly. Those whom we had been travelling with had become more than just fellow pilgrims, they were like our extended family. He said, “You will miss them”. This is true. The places we visited and things we had experienced were shared amongst a tight knit group and is something that will be remembered for the rest of our lives. Surely the images of places we've seen coupled with stories they describe will forever be implanted in our minds but what remains is the life-long friendships that have formed in our hearts.

Plane trips and long car rides may keep us apart but what holds us together, what binds us together with the millions of other young Catholics around the world is the faith entrusted to us by our ancestors. The love and knowledge of Christ is the most valuable gift we could have ever asked to have come away with. We all began this journey with expectations and pre-dispositions about who God is and a miraculous revelation but what we have found is that God Himself exists in the people we have met and the relationships formed. This remains the greater and most invaluable gift.

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.2!

By Pilgrim Madeleine Vella

If anything could have prepared us for the week we were about to experience, it was the flight from Tel Aviv to Madrid! One excited pilgrim after the next filed on to flight LY 397 and together we sang hymns and made up chants which only elevated the anticipation. As the plane landed on the runway and our excitement erupted into cheers and applause, it finally sank in that we had arrived in MADRID!

Throughout the week, I began to appreciate and understand the universality of our faith and the church. Surrounded by thousands of people that I had never met at the Papal arrival in Cibeles Square, I was hit with this confronting reality. All around me were people from countries I had only heard about or seen on a map; but there they were, in front of me, introducing themselves and discussing the mysteries of our faith. It began to really sink in how through our faith in Christ, we are united!

Walking the streets of Madrid as pilgrims, patriotically displaying our Australian flags, this universality was reinforced yet again. Stopping to take photos with Italians, swapping Facebook names with Polish pilgrims and learning a very fast-paced clapping game with Venezuelans encouraged me to celebrate our faith. At times it was difficult for me to comprehend that 2 million people had journeyed to this one city, as pilgrims for one unifying reason... FAITH. Faith in God, Faith in Christ, Faith in the Holy Spirit. This thought was extremely comforting and essential to the core of World Youth Day and the message it holds.

‘Planted and build up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith!’  - the intermingling of cultures, races, languages and appearances, complimented with an overall Spanish influence brought the youth of the church to one place – Madrid. I definitely feel as though I was able to become firmer in the faith and I am now ready to share my experiences with others!

Holy Land - Pilgrim Reflection No.2

By Pilgrim Nick Smith

Throughout our pilgrimage in the Holy Land, a place soaked in history and littered with the ruins of countless empires which have risen and fallen here, one could only be struck by the transcience of the human structures and institutions and civilsation we take for granted. As we wandered through Caesarea it was impossible to think of the people who many millenia ago would have inhabited this once thriving metropolis which had now been reduced to little more than a pile of rubble and whether they would have considered the fate of their city. The passage in Genesis came to mind "you are dust, and to dust you shall return," as one could see how putting one's hope in Earthly treasures and honours which are by their nature fleeting is ultimately foolish as in the end they amount to little more than ashes and dust. We should thus take up Christ's admonition to "store up for [our]selves treasure in Heaven" with Him, He who is permanent and everlasting and outside the ebb and flow of history.

Holy Land - Pilgrim Reflection No.1

 By Pilgrim Lauren Langrell

On the first day of the Pilgrimage, what struck me the most was the visit to Abu Serga Church where the Holy Family took refuge after fleeing from Jerusalem. After finally retrieving from all the Egyptians salesmen, loud train noises and busy crowds, the pilgrim group entered the peaceful and ancient Church.  Once entering, we were taken behind the covered altar to where the entrance of the crypt. Although unable to enter, we were still able to see down the stairs to where the Holy Family stayed. For me, just being in the presence of where Christ was over 2000 years ago, was a surreal experience where time seemed to come to a halt.

My faith has been built around the Church’s teachings and Scriptures, which were dated thousands of year’s ago and often I felt distant because there was such a significant time gap. But standing above where God incarnate walked, prayed, ate and lived was an experience I cannot truly comprehend, but I wanted to stay there for hours.  And I thought to myself – I wish I could access this everyday.

Suddenly I felt God speaking through to me, reminding me that I have this available to me everyday. That this presence of Christ in the Abu Serga Church 2000 years ago, is present NOW in the Eucharist! Our Lord is physically present here today, everyday, every moment – waiting for us to receive Him. I was falling more in love with the Eucharist, for even though Christ was physically present in the crypt 2000 years ago, He is physically present here in the Eucharist!! And we can receive the body and blood of Christ physically! How much our God loves us is so clearly evident and His continuous presence on earth is here. 

This beautiful moment of realization has lit a new fire within my heart for the Eucharist. That in every Catholic Church I enter, Jesus Christ is just as present as He was when He walked on the ground of this earth. And that even though the Scriptures and Church’s teachings were formed thousands of years ago, the Word made flesh is present and is here!  We can encounter Christ and enter into His covenant when we receive Him, just as our spiritual ancestors physically encounter Christ.  I thank God for this blessed experience on the first day and I eagerly look forward to the many more abundant blessings that will draw us pilgrims closer and more deeply in love with Christ, whom is present in the Eucharist now.

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Photos!

ND Students in Spain for WYD - Pilgrim Reflection No.1!

By Pilgrim Claire Devonport

In the days leading up to the Saturday night that we slept out, I was anxious to say the least. Anxious, nervous, restless and adamant that I would in no uncertain terms be sleeping out. I hadn't even packed to sleep out but during one of my minor protests and excuse secessions, a beloved friend informed me that she had in fact hauled 2 sleeping bags all the way to Madrid. As one sleeping bag was for me, and I saw all the Priests in their habits and the Young Order of Malta participants, some in wheelchairs, preparing to sleep out, I realized I was well and truly out of excuses.
We set off for the aerodrome where we were to sleep out in the hottest part of the day. Our bags bulked down with litres of water and supplies for the next 24 hours. All up I think it took about 2.5 hours of walking and catching stuffy trains to get to the aerodrome but the site of all of the pilgrims camped out, flags waving and fire trucks spraying the millions of pilgrims with their fire hoses suddenly made me feel excited. We finally found somewhere to set up camp and were fortunate that three Italians, who had taken enough room for 10 people, moved themselves into a smaller space and even donated some of their tarps to us.
It wasn’t long after we got set up that the rains came. Rain!? In Madrid!? Seriously!!?? The timing was poor but by grace alone we were blessed to have the 10-15 minutes that the Blessed Sacrament was exposed to be rain and wind free. After that however it continued to pour. There were 6 or more of us huddled under a tarp with a few more poking their heads in. The wind howled, lightning struck, thunder boomed, people said they wished their mothers were there, and it rained.
I’m sure the Italians were wishing they could have their tarps back, but they didn’t ask so we moved some barricades and made a tent out of mattresses and tarps. While it continued to rain, it was ironically quite fun. I even managed to get about 5 hours sleep.
It took a friend’s comment to make me realize the enormity of what I was a part of. She commented on how amazing it was that there were 2 million people all together praying. When I said that I couldn’t see anyone there praying, she reminded me that by being at the aerodrome, making a pilgrimage there, camping out in less than desirable circumstances, awaiting the Holy Father, we were praying, all together, all night.
We were a part of the biggest crowd ever to be drawn in Europe, perhaps the world, and it was all to see one man. To celebrate one faith. To show and spread one love.
Like the friends who still insist on photographic evidence that I did in fact sleep out, I am still trying to comprehend how the night that I had predicted to be one of the worst of my life, turned out to be the best. Sleeping on rocks, in the rain and the dirt, in scorching heat, was the best night of my life.

Day 9 Pilgrim Blog - Holy Land! Jerusalem, ‘The City of God’

By Pilgrim Madeleine Vella

This morning we battled with fatigue as we put out our bags and boarded Bus 3A around 8:10am. We began the short journey to the peaceful, serene Neocatechumenal Centre that had a Seminary attached to it. The ‘Neocats’ were established around 40 years ago in the slums of Madrid. Today there are over 1 million followers world wide. We all listened to an insightful explanation on the nature ‘Neocats’ by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell. His Eminence explained that this ‘movement’ sends families on missions all around the world and referred to them as the “backbone of World Youth Day”, suggesting their influence is paramount for Catholicism. Many of us had the privilege of spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament which was a moving experience. The panoramic scenery of the Galiean shore enhanced the power and serenity of this place. As Pilgrims we passed through the ‘Narrow Gate’ to achieve our personal salvation. The abundance of community members is inspirational and motivating, encouraging the re-evaluation of our contribution to the world.

After about an hour we headed to the Chapel of Beatitudes on the Mountain. We all shared a spectacular Mass together outside the chapel. Despite the intense heat and humidity, this experience allowed us to reflect on how we, as the young Catholics of the world can enrich our lives by living out the Beatitudes. Father Simon enlightened us with his Homily, which discussed the Beatitudes and their significance to our lives in depth. This deconstruction of the Beatitudes was insightful and interesting as he explained the thought provoking concept that the opposite to beatified is misery. It was deeply moving to share mass at the exact place Jesus chose to reveal the Beatitudes.

Later that day, on the bus, Daniel; one of the seminaries travelling with us, shared his testimony with us. Daniel spoke to us of his personal vocation and gave us deep insight into how we can pray for our personal vocations.

It took about an hour and a half to drive to Mount Carmel at Muhraqa, overlooking the beautiful Jezreel Valley. On this mountain, Elijah went to the top of Carmel after confronting the priests of Baal in a contest of faith between his God and theirs. Here we visited the Carmelite Monastery which stands on the site of the early church. United, we all went up to the Chapel of Mount Carmel and prayed together the Carmelite prayer and offered up our intentions. After climbing up onto the roof we could see a beautiful view of Israel.

After a 10 minute drive we arrived at our lunch destination. Here we shared more traditional Israeli food. Further on we arrived at the Crusader point of Caesarea to see the maritime city build by King Herod the Great. This ancient city located on the Mediterranean was once the Roman capital of Israel. It was here that the centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter, becoming the first gentile to convert to Christianity. We visited the impressive excavations, ruins, amphitheater and Herodian port.  We were also able to see the grand aquaduct that was built to accommodate the city.

We continued onto our final destination, Jerusalem. On the bus, Lauren read spiritual reading concerning our personal crosses. This passage was reflective and encouraged us to accept and embrace the crosses we must bear, as followers of Christ. One quote from the passage that was deeply inspiring was; “The cross has to be part of our discipleship, so why is it such a surprise when it comes?” This question ignited a lot of reflection and contemplation.

Many of us caught up on our sleep as we drove two hours to our final destination of the Holy Land – Jerusalem, ‘The City of God’. Upon our arrival in this Holy city there was an immediate distinctiveness between the contrast in cultures as Christians, Jews and Muslims must share this city. Our first stop in Jerusalem was the ‘Wailing Wall’, nowadays more commonly referred to as the ‘Western Wall’. Jews come to this wall to pray, particularly on the Sabbath. The men and women had to go to different areas to pray. This was a very moving experience, to touch the remains of the Temple and pray alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters. It was incredible to see this wall that we had heard so much about and see that every crack was filled with years and years worth of petitions.

We then went to the hotel and checked in before boarding the bus again to go shopping in Bethlehem. Many of us bought some beautiful icons and crosses to take home. We then went back to the hotel and all went to bed.

Good night J

Day 8 - Photos!

Day 8 Pilgrim Blog - Mt Tabor & Cana!

By Pilgrim Lauren Langrell

Struggling to pull myself out of bed after a long intense night of the classic game Mafia, playing with pilgrims from around Australia. You know it’s a Catholic pilgrimage when a player asks “Guys...I think this games immoral because we are lying!” After rushing out the door in the early hours of the morning, sprinting past the empty breakfast room and just making it through the bus doors, we began our pilgrimage for day eight in the Promised Land of our spiritual ancestors.

With a beautiful beginning to the morning, our first stop was at the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. It was on this mountain, that Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself in all His glory and divinity to His apostles St John, St Peter and James the brother of John.  Our coaches dropped us off at the bottom of the Mountain and all the pilgrims split into smaller groups to enter mini buses that would drive us up the windy roads to the peak of the Mountain where the Church was situated. Apparently, the road we were travelling on was a two way road...and somehow the driver’s eccentric moustache didn’t ease my nerves! 

At each sharp turn, we took a deep breath and closed our eyes because one small crash would send us rolling down the hill. After surprisingly reaching the top in one piece, all the Exodus pilgrims walked towards the magnificent, stone Church which was lighted by the radiant glow of the sun above. It was breathtaking upon entering this Church, two main altars were visible once entering, the altar below consisted of beautiful mosaics of Christ and on the floor were two openings that traditional says which revealed the real stone floor where Our Saviour transfigured. At this altar, the Sacrifice of the mass was celebrated. The altar above was equally as beautiful but was personally more moving, as there was an astounding vast mosaic of the Transfiguration, displaying Christ lifted above the ground and looking up to His Father. On either side of Jesus were two elevated figures, Moses holding the Ten Commandments and the prophet Elijah.

Before entering this Church, we had meditated on the words of Archbishop Dolan, on the Transfiguration in his “Lessons from the Apostle Peter”. It was through this reading that we not only came to a deeper understanding of the event which took place, but that when in the presence of the divine Christ we should often have silence and listen to Him. We should not always focus on doing talking which is often unnecessary (evident through St Peter in this passage), but set aside time where we should remain silent and gaze upon the Christ in all his glory. We must learn to listen to Him.  And so when praying in this Church, I learned to listen more because I often become discouraged in prayer when I find I run out of things to tell Christ. But Christ is not there to be a garbage dump where we give him all our problems to deal with, but rather He is a source of healing, advice, peace, steadfast direction and unwavering strength. He is the One who to do the talking.

After a solemn and reverent Mass celebrated by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell and three assisting Priests, it was time to begin our next exciting visit!! The Church from the Wedding in Cana! This was definitely a special one for all the lady pilgrims! For the guys, it was a looonggg and painful bus trip as all the girls couldn’t stop talking about how sweet and romantic it would be to be married there. Once arriving at the destination, the Church was small in size but large in beauty. This was where Our Lord’s first miracle took place, it was here where Our Lady ordered the servants to do as He tells. And the water was miraculously turned into wine, and the Apostles proclaimed “Truly, He is the Son of God!” We were able to descend beneath the Church to view the remains of the original Church which held the marriage that Mary and Jesus were present.

I must admit, my heart did melt for a moment or so, as the traditional wedding entrance song was played throughout the Church. Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, we prayed for the vocation of Marriage whether that is to be the Spouse of Christ or the spouse of another.  

Following this visit, lunch was served at a nearby restaurant and next door was a souvenir shop, where most pilgrims bought the Wine from Cana. We then boarded onto the buses and headed back to our hostel for a relaxing afternoon of rest and swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Most pilgrims choose to sleep in order to catch up from the lack of rest, while a few others and I headed to the Sea for a swim and lie on the sand, feeling the warmth of the Israel summer sun.

After dinner, all pilgrims were welcomed to listen to the informative and intriguing talk on the Order of Malta by His Eminence, Cardinal George Pell. We are so blessed to have him with us on this journey!  All the pilgrims here love him and it’s a fight on the back seat to sit next to him every bus ride! 

Now as the day is coming to a close, my body is saying sleeeeppppppp...but my mind is saying maaafffffiiiaaaa.

So good bye everyone back home! Know of our prayers and please keep us pilgrims in your prayers that we remain firm in the faith and built up in Jesus Christ.

God bless!

Day 7 - Photos!