World Youth Day -- Catechesis

For three days prior to the culmination of the World Youth Day experience (the Saturday night vigil and Sunday morning Mass with the Pope), catechesis sessions are offered for pilgrims according to language. It is humbling to have bishops and cardinals serving young people by offering these sessions, and it is beautiful to see the respect young people have for their Shepherds.

At World Youth Day in Madrid, the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus partnered to offer a home for English-speaking pilgrims throughout the week. They had 12,000 people packed into the arena each morning for music, a catechetical talk, fun with the Sisters of Life (who knew a sister would lead a "wave" race ... yes, the "wave" of baseball game fame), and Mass with hundreds of priests and dozens of bishops and cardinals.

It's absolutely incredible to celebrate the faith with 12,000 other people speaking the same language but from every continent of the world. Many of the teens in our group commented that their time at the Love and Life Centre was a favorite of the trip.

So, what did we learn during our time there? Here are some snippets of wisdom gleaned from the bishops/cardinals and other speakers:

• Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV: "In Baptism, you are promised two things: 1) That you are loved without limit; 2) That you can love without limit. Because Baptism promises the very life of God living in me.
• Cardinal Pell (Australia): It's when Peter looked around when he was walking on water and considered how ridiculous and impossible his situation was that he dropped.
• Jason and Crystalina Evert: Women can lead a man toward heaven through their modesty.
• Archbishop Miller (Canada): When trials and sufferings come, as they inevitably will, when you are built in Christ, then all you have to do is what Peter did in Matthew's Gospel -- cry out, "Lord, save me."
• Archbishop Dolan (New York): Sometimes we see the Church, the Body of Christ, as radiant, knock-down-dead-beautiful, and other times we see the side of the Bride with curlers in her hair and Noxema on her face. The nails that pierced Christ's hands on the cross have held His Church together for 2,000 years. We are heirs to the nails.