PILGRIM THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

The meaning of "united in one Baptism" has been renewed and strengthened by this World Youth Day.  As I ran into, met, conversed with, waved to pilgrims from throughout the world, I felt connected.  (Debbie)

The entire trip was just incredible. I really loved the entire time we were in Days in the Diocese. The people were so hospitable and loved joining us. Some of the kitchen cooks came with us to Madrid for a soccer game. I also loved having Mass every day knowing that Christ was physically in me. AMAZING!! (Ryan)

My favorite moment from this whole trip was when we were in Torrecillas. We were attending Mass and all of the women in the front of the church began to sing. Their voices echoed through the whole church and I truly felt the presence of the Lord at that moment. (Erika)

WYD has been an experience filled with excitement and learning. There have been many things which have struck me this WYD, but the thing I found most amazing was listening to 2 million people become silent during Adoration at the overnight vigil. It´s absolutely crazy to see a crowd of 2 million people who love Christ so much fall silent and praise Him. (Tessa)

This whole experience is like nothing I´ve seen before! Walking in the streets and every where you look people are cheering and dancing in dozens of languages, but for the same God. INCREDIBLE! (Justin)

When at the WYD Mass, Communion was not available because of the storm the evening before. But priests during Communion jumped fences to give some pilgrims Communion. I was one of them. This really opened my eyes to others´dedication to Christ. (Thomas)

My most inspirational moment was in Torrecillas and Father Terry did Mass on the day of the Assumption. I was amazed to see both the Spanish and English cultures come together under one religion. We had both languages of reading and music; it made such an impact on my trip to see the two blend together. (Rebecca)

The popular piety and devotion of the Spanish people has been especially inspiring and at times even intriguing. One of the most interesting displays of popular devotion came in the form of the statue of Our Lady, patroness of the small town of Torrecillas de le Tiesa, (our host town for Days in the Diocese). It is the first (and only!) statue that I have seen of Our Lady with three hands! Two hands clutch a bundle of flowers, and the third remains free. The story behind the extra hand goes something like this...
Many years ago, the village had been suffering from drought for over a century. Turning to God for relief, the villagers took the statue of Our Lady from the church and went in procession around the whole village, praying as they went. Their prayers were heard and the drought ended, as the village was blanketed in almost 3 feet of snow. News of the miracle spread and before long other villages requested to use the statue for similar processions. Reluctantly to lend the statue out, the villagers decided instead to take one of the statue´s hands and to allow the neighbouring villages to have procession with it. (This gives a whole new depth of meaning to ¨lending a hand¨). A third hand was made for the statue, so that while one was being borrowed the statue would still have two. Today the hand is no longer borrowed by other towns. However, when a villager becomes too ill or infirm to make it to church, the hand is brought to that person´s home as a sign of the support and spiritual communion they share with the church - a memorable and powerful illustration of the ¨communion of saints.¨ (Father Terry)

We have been touched by the history of Spain. Such beautiful cathedrals and art work! The walls around Avila´s old city were breathtaking. We seem to have adapted to the heat. The average day has been 34 degrees Celsius. Deacon Frank loved the Roman aquaduct made without mortar. Daily Mass in many venues has been a real blessing. (Deacon Frank and Michelle)

At one of our catechesis sessions, within the first few days we were in Madrid, the speaker, a Philippino bishop, shared with us a short story. One day he was in a church, and saw an older woman following and meditating on the Stations of the Cross. When she reached the end of the stations, he noticed the woman retracing her steps back through the Way of the Cross. He was rather puzzled by this, and a while later he approached the woman and asked why she had done so. Her reply was: ¨I was accompanying the Blessed Mother back to her home.¨ Jesus gave us His mother before He died, and the woman was walking home with Our Lady. This little story told to us by the bishop, calls to mind Our Lady´s presence during our pilgrimage. Within the first day or two we were told of Spain´s special devotion to Mary. And we soon found that she was one of our guides on our pilgrimage. There were constant reminders of her presence as we visited towns, churches, and communities around Madrid. Our Blessed Mother was with us all of the way. (Mary)

My inspirational moment on this trip was how Torrecillas took us in and how the ladies treated us like family. (Alyson)

For me the most memorable moment would be the fellowship we all experienced on this trip. (Jonathan)

Throughout this journey I feel that my personal relationship with God has definitely grown. On this trip, God has taught me to be patient and calm down. He has my life all planned out. (Moriah)

What God has taught me in this trip is to completely rely on Him in circumstances that I could not control. God also taught me that He can handle my fears and that I could have peace in exchange. I also learned that daily devotions are paramount for the dedicated Christian life. I want to thank Father Terry for being a wonderful leader - not only geographically leading us, but also spiritually leading us day by day. (Judy)

¨For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.¨ Matthew 25:35.   Arriving at the airfield for final Mass, I was a stranger, with no place to rest, and I felt extremely hot and tired. At that moment of need, God´s love came to me through several Spanish pilgrims who shared their space and food with me, as they smiled and made me feel welcome. I knew then that I was cared for and no longer a stranger. Thanks be to God for His constant love. (Scott)

¨Did you not know that I would be in my Father´s house?¨   For me, the ethereal magnificence of the Spanish cathedrals called to mind these words of the Child Christ to His parents, spoken when He was found in the temple after having been missing for three days. In relation to this thought, I found the beauty of the medieval art work exceptionally moving, and felt myself drawn to a heightened awareness of God´s infinite presence. (Jordan)

It was amazing to see so many youth on fire for Christ.  My Highlight was the final catechesis with a bishop from Australia.  His teachings were just what I needed to hear, and the questions that were asked were the same types of difficult questions that had been troubling me about the faith for a while.  He answered them succinctly and with wisdom and conviction.  I am now truly ¨Rooted and built up in Christ,Firm in the faith.¨ (Joshua)