World Youth Day 2008- Australia
Being in Australia during this time of great blessings with the Holy Father is a
true spiritual gift. This is a land that remains virgin for evangelization. A
lot of people do not know God still. It is an incredible challenge. A true
missionary heart will burst open with missionary thirst and will go out into the
open fields of the Gospel to bring it to every one.
The Australians are welcoming the pilgrims with an open heart in its majority.
One can also see the obvious crowd of the pleasant campers of money and worldly
treasures, who do not want anyone to rock their boats, and they just go by
slightly looking and slightly listening at a fast pace so that nothing may
attract them. They are not aggressive, mostly peaceful, with a few exceptions of
small lost groups that promote the assassination of babies with abortion and
give away condoms to passing youngsters in the corners, while cursing the Holy
Father. Those are probably social tragedies that one finds almost everywhere in
the world today. In general, the Australian people have been remarkably kind and
very hospitable.
The local Catholic Church that leads a population of five million Catholics,
that is 25 per cent of the whole country's population, has done a great job, and
all pilgrims seem to agree with that. We are all very impressed as to how
coordinated everything is, the whole logistics of the event, and the spiritual
side of the whole experience.
The government has prepared the city as a great scenario for the staging of the
youth with their Pope. A true Catholic Holy feast with "shepherd one".
If one could bring to the whole world just a little instant of how it feels to
see more than 180 countries represented by their youth, marching through the
streets in the most fantastic state of joy and freedom, as sober and peaceful as
one could be, the whole world will become Catholic. It is contagious. It is
something only God can put together.
One thing is for sure: a youngster that lives the experience of world youth day,
will never be seduced by any protestant sect or any cult of the many that abound
today, never will in a million years, because the love that grows for the Church
during these times, is beyond imagination. It is like seeing the Church dress
with one of her best dresses and preparing everyone for the most magnificent
wedding feast with the Lamb of God. It is a true renewal for most, and a deep
conversion for many.
Today is Friday, and I'm sure I'll have much more to say when this is all over
and we are all back home and wherever we belong after this. We'll be enlightened
and strengthened at a very high level after this congress is over for sure.
It is great to see an ocean of flags from all around this planet, waving all day
long for a whole week through the streets of this beautiful city in the hands
of happy, free, and spiritually healthy youngsters.
May God bless Australia, The Catholic Church and the youngsters from all over
the world that came.