Since my return from the World Youth Day in Madrid, I have been meeting with my friends and sharing my experiences with them . Here are some of the top frequent questions that has consistently surfaced .
1. Was the WYD a life changing experience ?
I do not feel that I have been tremendously changed from my pilgrimage to Madrid, but I do feel a sense of change slowly taking place. I don't think it was an instant wake up call, but rather one that is taking root in my heart. It was certainly an eye opening experience, that has gotten me burning to change.
I return with a conviction of my faith , enforced that Jesus is our God and Saviour. I am embolden to stand up for my faith and to live my life as a Catholic with Hope, Love , Joy and Charity. I am eager to share my experience with anyone who ask. I am reminded that I have been created to do great things, because I am His beloved creation. I resolve to do my best, so that my Saviour did not die in vain.
2. What was the single most significant event of the WYD ?
Honestly, I cannot say, except that it was the overall experience. I saw millions of Catholic , united in their faith. I saw the joy of being a Catholic, and the open expression of love for Jesus. I was overwhelmed by the open celebration of our faith by the Pilgrims. I was awed that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament brings millions of people to their knees in silence. I was humbled by the thousands of priest, bishops and religious who gave their life in service to Christ. To me, the most significant event in the WYD, was the whole event in itself. The people I met, my experiences and my own personal spiritual journey in Madrid
3. What was the most memorable event in Madrid ?
Interestingly enough, this was actually not an official program in the WYD. It was on the first day of the Cathechesis Sessions, where I went to the Love and Life Center (Center for English Speaking Pilgrims). I arrived late, and the venue was closed as it was full. As I was waiting outside, I met a few Malaysian Pilgrims in a similar plight, who was tagging along with pilgrims from the Chicago Diocese.
It was then, that the Priest - Fr Mani, sought his Bishop's permission, and they decided to hold an impromptu cathechesis session right at the doors of the Love and Life center. Fr Mani, called those within earshot, to gather round, make themselves comfortable. He asked us to introduce where we were all from (Washington, Malaysia, Chicago, New York etc) .
We started with the daily scripture reading. Then Fr Mani brought up the topic "The Challenges of our Faith". He asked us what are the challenges that we face when practicing our faith, and he called upon the Malaysians first. We openly shared with the group, the challenges we Malaysians had in practicing our faith, including the confiscation of bibles, obstruction in building places of worship, prohibition on using the word Allah, prohibition in the open worship, desecration of the Eucharist and etc.
He further asked us how it made us feel , and why we felt this way. As I shared, I realized that I was choking and tearing. I did not realise that these pent up issues had built an emotional burden within me.
One question that we could not answer was " With all these challenges, How do we practice our faith? ". I guess by then, we were caught up with emotions.
After the session & the sharing with all, a number of pilgrims from US came up to us Malaysians. They thanked us for our open sharing which touched them. Some of them asked us further questions, and offered their prayers for us.
Well Fr Mani, I've reflected on your question , and here is my answer. I will stand firmly in my right to practice my faith and to share my faith openly with Love , Joy , Hope and Charity (As Archbishop Dolan said in his cathechesis session)
Btw , Fr Mani is a newly ordained priest, and it was so inspiring to see his enthusiasm, energy and initiative.
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MADRID WYD 2011
Showing posts with label Spiritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual. Show all posts
Monday, September 5, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
'Spiritual Communion': Youths learn a traditional concept the hard way #wyd #madrid11
VATICAN LETTER Aug-24-2011 (880 words) Backgrounder. With photo posted Aug. 22. xxxi
'Spiritual Communion': Youths learn a traditional concept the hard way
A priest distributes Communion to pilgrims during the closing Mass of World Youth Day celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid Aug. 21. Because of logistical problems, only 100,000 of the more than a million pilgrims at the Mass were able to receive Communion. (CNS/Paul Haring)
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than a million young Catholics learned the hard way about a venerable Catholic tradition: "spiritual Communion" or the "Communion of desire."
After a wild storm Aug. 20 at World Youth Day in Madrid left six people injured -- including two with broken legs -- Spanish police collapsed the tents where most of the unconsecrated hosts for the next morning's Mass were being kept.
Without the hosts in the tents, organizers had 5,000 ciboriums holding 200 hosts each; they were consecrated by the pope at Mass Aug. 21 and distributed to pilgrims in the section closest to the altar.
Distributing Communion to just 100,000 people wasn't a decision anyone took lightly, and apparently there were long discussions with World Youth Day organizers and Vatican officials trying to find a solution. In the end, it just wasn't possible logistically to locate another 1.5 million hosts.
A couple of hours before the Mass, organizers announced that most of the people present would not be able to receive; they asked the pilgrims to offer up that sacrifice for the pope's intentions and told them they could receive Communion later in the day at any church in Madrid.
The decision to cancel Communion for most Mass participants was reached "with the greatest pain," Yago de la Cierva, director of World Youth Day Madrid, told reporters Aug. 21.
Whenever there is a huge crowd for a Mass, whether in St. Peter's Square or at a World Youth Day, there always are some people unable to get to the Communion distribution point in time to receive. But in Madrid, de la Cierva said, "almost everyone" was among those not receiving.
Obviously, receiving Communion is the way to participate most fully in the Mass, but it's not always possible for everyone to receive at every Mass, nor do many Catholics in the world even have regular access to Mass.
The idea of "spiritual Communion" -- inviting Jesus into one's heart and soul when receiving the actual sacrament isn't possible -- is part of Catholic tradition.
In the 1700s, St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote a special prayer for spiritual communion: "My Jesus, I believe you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to receive you. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you."
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said it would be a huge mistake to believe the Mass had no value for those who were unable to receive Communion.
"Communion is always an extraordinary gift, and one must be in awe of being able to receive it," he told Catholic News Service Aug. 24.
"It is not something one can presume to have an absolute right to as if he'd bought a ticket for it by going to Mass. Someone who thinks that hasn't understood who is in the consecrated host and what the Mass is," the spokesman said.
The eucharistic adoration and benediction at the vigil in Madrid underlined that point, he said. Jesus is present in the Eucharist, which is why it is adored and why Catholics spend time in its presence, even outside of Mass.
The "eucharistic fasting" many of the young pilgrims in Madrid were forced to endure could also help them be in spiritual solidarity with other people who find themselves desiring the Eucharist, but unable to receive it, he said.
"I'm thinking of Catholics deprived of priests in many parts of the world for many reasons," he said, but there also are those "who would like to celebrate the Lord's Supper with other Christians, but don't have intercommunion out of respect for the norms of the church. Isn't it meaningful in these situations to know we can unite ourselves with Christ through love and desire?"
In an era when people are encouraged to receive the sacrament frequently, they don't hear the term "spiritual Communion" very often, but it is still mentioned in church documents.
The Vatican's preparatory document for the 2012 International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin said those who cannot receive the Eucharist can have spiritual Communion, declaring their desire to receiving the Eucharist and uniting "their suffering of that moment with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ."
The working document for the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in 2005 addressed the idea of offering up the sacrifice of being unable to receive Communion. It said: "Spiritual Communion, for example, is always possible for elderly persons and the sick who cannot go to church. In manifesting their love for the Eucharist, they participate in the communion of saints with great spiritual benefit for themselves and the church. By offering their sufferings to God, the church is enriched."
In "Sacramentum Caritatis," the document he issued in 2007 reflecting on the synod, Pope Benedict cautioned people against thinking they had "a right or even an obligation" to receive the Eucharist every time they went to Mass.
"Even in cases where it is not possible to receive sacramental Communion, participation at Mass remains necessary, important, meaningful and fruitful. In such circumstances it is beneficial to cultivate a desire for full union with Christ through the practice of spiritual communion," Pope Benedict wrote.
END
Copyright (c) 2011 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250
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Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Update : Repost - Question for the Pope at #madrid11 #wyd @wydenglish
During the WYD, I posted this, and got a few questions in reply . Perhaps I will try and tackle the questions based on my view and opinion another day.
If you have 1 question to ask the Pope, head of the Catholic Churc, Vicar of Christ.
What would that question be ?
( no i do not have an audience with the Pope! But hypothetically speaking....)
Here were some questions posted by my Twitter followers :
@lkclee Christine: why are you reverting to traditional music in church?
@lkclee Adrian: They r gonna revert to the old Mass rituals. Why are we going backwards in ritual?
@lkclee My Q: Reflecting on 2day's gospel, is there no salvation for those admitted 2 the banquet but banished cos of insufficient grace?
@lkclee XXX : Can you please ask the pope to pray for me ?(summarized and names removed)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
If you have 1 question to ask the Pope, head of the Catholic Churc, Vicar of Christ.
What would that question be ?
( no i do not have an audience with the Pope! But hypothetically speaking....)
Here were some questions posted by my Twitter followers :
@lkclee Christine: why are you reverting to traditional music in church?
@lkclee Adrian: They r gonna revert to the old Mass rituals. Why are we going backwards in ritual?
@lkclee My Q: Reflecting on 2day's gospel, is there no salvation for those admitted 2 the banquet but banished cos of insufficient grace?
@lkclee XXX : Can you please ask the pope to pray for me ?(summarized and names removed)
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Catechesis on the streets of @wydenglish @madrid11_en
Yesterday's catechesis at love and life centre was full and we couldn't go in. So the diocese of Chicago, decided to hold a session on the street. From the oirginal Chicago group' it swelled with pilgrims from Malaysia, New York , Washington, etc
Will post up more details of the catechesis soon. Running out for my 3rd day
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Will post up more details of the catechesis soon. Running out for my 3rd day
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The Homily at @madrid11_en #wyd Opening Mass - English Version
WYD: Entire Opening Mass and Homily
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord
1. Welcome to Madrid for the XXVI World Youth Day announced by our Holy Father Benedict XVI in Sydney three years ago and today begins with the solemn Eucharistic celebration at the central Plaza de Cibeles Madrid!
Welcome Reverend Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops! I greet all of you with fraternal affection in the Lord! We are joined by many priests, consecrated persons and a huge crowd of young people, hope and future of our Churches, our peoples and nations of the whole Church!
2. Allow me to speak them directly as Pastor of the Diocesan Church of Madrid and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and tell you with all my heart:
Dear young people of the world: Welcome to Spain! Many of you have experienced and appreciated the warm welcome and fraternal love of your fellow young people of Spain, their families, their communities and their pastors since the Days in the Dioceses. You could verify that this attitude of open arms and warm sympathy has very much to do with the fact that this is an old country formed by a community of nations: Spain!, whom main hallmark of his historical culture and his life style is the profession of Christian faith by their children in the communion of the Catholic Church. The historic character of Spain is formed with distinctive features about the Christian vision of man and life from the very dawn of his history, which began with the first journey of the apostolic preaching in Spanish almost two thousand years ago. One of the most brilliant writers and performers of contemporary Spain could say: "Spain has been moved through out history by its Christian identity”
3. Welcome to Spain and welcome to Madrid, the Capital! The Metropolitan Cathedral of Madrid with its members dioceses, Alcala de Henares and Getafe, open not only the physical doors of their parishes, schools, a wide variety of cultural buildings and sports facilities along with the generosity provided by public and private institutions for this unique event, but also they open those areas with the most humane and Christian warmth which their families and communities. In other words: They open the doors of their hearts!
May you feel as if you are in your own house, in your own home! The Church and the people of Madrid wanted-and want-this to be for all of you, during these always difficult times of arrival, in your accommodations and throughout all of World Youth Day, which culminates on Sunday, a favorable place to live in friendship and Christian fellowship in the framework of the Universal Church, at once human and divine, which is home and family for the children of God scattered throughout the earth. And just as Spain is not intelligible without being aware of its two thousand year old Catholic tradition, Madrid, the royal residence and capital since the second half of the 16th century, in the middle of modern world, is not either. The Christian roots of this city are ancient and as we begin the second millennium of Christianity, still very much alive and strong, influencing social life, both cultural and human, but above all, its soul, the soul of their sons and daughters! Madrid is a welcoming city and friendly to all who visit it, wherever they may come!
World Youth Day, already with its long history of more than a quarter century, is inseparable from that Blessed man, whose memory we celebrate the Eucharist this evening in the Plaza de la Cibeles, very close, in fact, to the place where he presided over three major celebrations in the years 1982, 1993 and 2003. I'm talking about the unforgettable, venerable and beloved John Paul II. The Pope of the youth! With John Paul II begins a new historical period, unprecedented!, with respect to the Successor of Peter ́s relationship with the youth, and, consequently, a relationship that until then did not exist between the Church and her young: direct, immediate, heart to heart, imbued with a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, enthusiastic, hopeful, joyful, contagious. Since that first convocation of World Youth Day 1985 in Rome all the way to World Youth Day Madrid, a beautiful story of faith, hope and love has been unfolding for three generations of young Catholics and non- Catholics who have seen how their lives are transformed in Christ and how countless vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, Christian marriage and apostolate have emerged from them. The personal holiness of John Paul II shines with a unique appeal when it comes to the evangelization of our contemporary youth. On May 1st in St. Peter ́s Square at his beatification ceremony, our Holy Father Benedict XVI did not hesitate to highlight John Paul II's special love for the youth.
5. The secret of that brilliant personality, shaped by perfect charity, is easily revealed under the light of God's Word which has been proclaimed. The key to explaining his life, consecrated to the Lord, the Church and man, is nothing other than his burning love for Jesus Christ, from whom, like St. Paul, he never wanted to stray. In his life, John Paul II also suffered sorrow, anguish, and persecution, lacking the most basic of necessities during the years of World War II, watching the implacable and cruel occupation of his homeland and the inhuman deprivation of his people ... He suffered the pain of those that are persecuted for the cause of Christ, both before and after his election to the Holy See of Peter, literally, to the point of shedding his own blood. Indomitable witness of the truth and of Christian hope, he believed in the truth of the phrase, "If God is with us, who can be against us?", and did not fear any of the internal or external enemies of the Church. He was a brave soldier of Christ! Nothing could separate him from his love.
How exciting it is to imagine and relive the moments of his intimate dialogue with the Lord when he asked him if "he love Him more than these!" How many times did he answer during the most critical, decisive and painful circumstances of his years as Pastor of the Universal Church: "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you!" The Pope knew very well that to graze the sheep meant to “surrender” himself for others and go he did not want to go.
This passionate love of Jesus Christi is precisely what fascinates and catches young people. They were able to understand that in this way they were truly loved and liked by the Pope: without flattery, dissimulations, interest, cheating or superficiality, but with complete authenticity from someone who desired their good, the good of their lives: their happiness, their eternal salvation. And he looked for it by giving his own life without saving himself. They understood intuitively more with their heart than their
brain. It does not come as a surprise, that they saw in the Pope the messenger of Jesus Christ`s grace and peace, announced by the prophet Isaiah, when he said, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Thy God reigns!” (Is 52:7). Whoever experienced the World Youth Day of Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto ...you can confirm that the way in which the Pope was welcomed, with that mixture of joy and respectful tenderness, young people showed that they recognized him as the one who came to meet them in the name of the Lord.
7. Since the fourth World Youth Day in Santiago de Compostela in 1989, no matter where the celebration has taken place, they have been designed and lived as the end of a joyful pilgrimage, conforming with this appealing Christian tradition. When inviting us to participate in this 26th World Youth Day in Madrid, the Pope is calling us to place ourselves on the path towards a new encounter with the Lord, friend, brother, Jesus Christ! He is the only one who can understand you and lead you to the truth; give everlasting life, happiness and true love! Yes, the youth of World Youth Day since Santiago de Compostela until now and forever are pilgrims of the Church. They walk in communion with her on an exceptional spiritual journey of decisive consequences for the future of their lives. They verify that the path indicated by the Successor of Peter indeed leads to Christ and no human power can prevent it; the path for their search, but above all, the way to meet Him. He is taking the initiative. John Paul II reminded us at the Vigil on the "Monte del Gozo" in Santiago de Compostela on the 19th of August, 1989 that "the spiritual tradition of Christianity not only underlines the importance of our search for God but also it highlights something even more important: it is God who seeks us. He comes to meet us." Christ is, dear young people, the one that is looking for you and is coming to meet you at World Youth Day Madrid 2011! The key to the success of any World Youth Day is to let yourself be found by Him and, of course, it is the key to this one, as well. It will be your success!
8. Benedict, our Holy Father has presided over WYD in Cologne in August 2005 and Sydney in July 2008 in creative continuity with John Paul II. Both were unforgettable! The day after tomorrow, August 18, the Holy Father will arrive in Madrid, to preside over what we are beginning today with Thanksgiving and the Eucharistic Prayer this evening in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid. His appeal addressed to you, young people of the Third Millennium, resonates with new and charming accents but the same paternal request and the same love that moved Blessed John Paul II when he instituted World Day of Youth. You, the young people that are here, and many others who have wished to participate in our WYD in Madrid but were unable or unwilling to be here, you are the generation of Benedict XVI. It is not the same as that of John Paul II. Your "place in life" has its peculiarities. Your problems and life circumstances have changed. Globalization, new technologies in communication, the economic crisis, etc., has been a determining factor in your life sometimes for better and often times for worst.
The youth of today, with weakened existential roots due to a rampant spiritual and moral relativism, "imprisoned by the dominant power" (Benedict XVI. Message for WYD 2011, 1), and can find no solid foundation on which to build your life in today ́s culture and society, even sometimes, in the family ... you are tempted to your absolute limit to lose your way in life: How could your faith not be sometimes shaken? Youth of the 21st century need, even more than previous generations, to find the Lord through the only path that has proven spiritually effective: that of a humble and simple pilgrim seeking God ́s face. The youth of today need to see Jesus Christ when He comes to meet them in the Word, the sacraments, "as well, and most importantly, in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance, the poor and the sick, in those brothers experiencing difficulty and in need of help "(Benedict XVI. Message, 4). They need to see and enter into an intimate dialogue with Him, who loves them without asking anything in return except that you answer with your own love. The intention of the Pope who loves you so much, is to guide you in this very way: that you may experience in the Communion of the Catholic Church the truth and the urgency of making the theme of World Youth Day 2011your life: "rooted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith "(cf. Col 2.7).
9. John Paul II conceived World Youth Day as a valuable instrument of the new evangelization. Our Holy Father Benedict XVI as well.
Dear young people: you need to live this Eucharistic Celebration of the World Youth Day, saying thanks to the Lord, for being called from this moment to become his disciples and witnesses! Do not doubt it! Jesus Christ shows you the way and the aim of the real happiness. Not only to you; but also to your fellows and friends who moved away from religious practice and, even, from their faith or who do not have any knowledge about it. Jesus is searching you to put down roots in the heart of young people of the Third Millennium. Live the celebration as the great Prayer of the Church, which offers the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected to the Father as your own, for the salvation of all people ; and in the Eucharistic Communion of his Body and Blood do not reject that he will make you as part of himself. Keep in mind during these days that the Lord, through the Pope, is going to ask you:
Do you accept the wonderful and beautiful challenge of “the new evangelization” of your young peers?
Answer him yes, remembering that vibrant and brave call of John Paul II in the Homily on Monte del Gozo on the 20th of August, 1989:
“Do not be afraid to be saints”! “Let Christ reign in your hearts”! Answer him yes with a complete hope and a generous opening to the big life’s goals, as it is typical to young people. Answer the renewed call of Benedict XVI with a clear and coherent engagement of life! You can evangelize with words and works, today more then ever. John Paul II said to young Spanish people on the Vigil of Mary at “Cuatro Vientos”, the 3rd of May, 2003, that the new evangelization is everyone’s task in the Church: “Lay people have a leading role in it, especially married couples and Christian families, nevertheless, the evangelization today requires priests and consacrated people with urgency. Therefore, if these days you hear God’s calling “that is saying to you: «Follow me!» (Mc 2, 14; Lc 5.22), do not silence it. Be generous, respond as Mary did offering your joyful yes of your person and your life”.
10. We entrust ourselves to the maternal protection of Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord and the Mother of the Church at the beginning of the World Youth Day 2011. People in Madrid call on her as their Patron with the name of “Saint Mary, Royal of the Almudena”. Mary has always watched over the strength of faith, the certainty of hope and burning charity of all her sons and daughters of Madrid. I pray that, especially, these days she will watch over all of you, young people of this World Youth Day 2011, pilgrims to Madrid, the town that is devoted to Mary, in particular, to celebrate the meeting with the Holy Father. I pray that she will take care of you as only she can do, as well as our Holy Father Benedict XVI, the Bishops and priests, all your Pastors and those accompanying you. I pray that she takes care and protects your families. Remembering the prayer of John Paul II, said at the end of the unforgettable Rosary Vigil, already mentioned −the perfect end− I invite you to implore to Mary tonight with his own words:
“Hail Mary, full of Grace.
Tonight I beg for the young people
Who came to Madrid from all other the World, Full of dreams and hopes.
They are the guards of tomorrow,
The people of the Beatitudes:
They are the living hope of the Church and of the Pope. Holy Mary, the Mother of the young people,
Please intercede so that they are witnesses of Risen Christ,
Humble and brave disciples of the Third Millennium, Generous heralds of the Gospel.
Holy Mary, Immaculate Virgin,
Pray with us,
Pray for us”. Amen.
Saint Patrons of the WYD 2011 −Saint Isidro Labrador and Saint Mary de la Cabeza, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John of Avila, Saint Francisco Javier, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Rosa of Lima, Saint Rafael Arnáiz− pray for us!
Blessed John Paul II pray for us, pray for all young people of the WYD 2011 so that they open their hearts wide to the saving grace of Christ, the only Redeemer of human kind, these extraordinary days of the Holy Spirit during which we want to “count the wonders of the Lord to the nations”!
Amen
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My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord
1. Welcome to Madrid for the XXVI World Youth Day announced by our Holy Father Benedict XVI in Sydney three years ago and today begins with the solemn Eucharistic celebration at the central Plaza de Cibeles Madrid!
Welcome Reverend Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops! I greet all of you with fraternal affection in the Lord! We are joined by many priests, consecrated persons and a huge crowd of young people, hope and future of our Churches, our peoples and nations of the whole Church!
2. Allow me to speak them directly as Pastor of the Diocesan Church of Madrid and President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference and tell you with all my heart:
Dear young people of the world: Welcome to Spain! Many of you have experienced and appreciated the warm welcome and fraternal love of your fellow young people of Spain, their families, their communities and their pastors since the Days in the Dioceses. You could verify that this attitude of open arms and warm sympathy has very much to do with the fact that this is an old country formed by a community of nations: Spain!, whom main hallmark of his historical culture and his life style is the profession of Christian faith by their children in the communion of the Catholic Church. The historic character of Spain is formed with distinctive features about the Christian vision of man and life from the very dawn of his history, which began with the first journey of the apostolic preaching in Spanish almost two thousand years ago. One of the most brilliant writers and performers of contemporary Spain could say: "Spain has been moved through out history by its Christian identity”
3. Welcome to Spain and welcome to Madrid, the Capital! The Metropolitan Cathedral of Madrid with its members dioceses, Alcala de Henares and Getafe, open not only the physical doors of their parishes, schools, a wide variety of cultural buildings and sports facilities along with the generosity provided by public and private institutions for this unique event, but also they open those areas with the most humane and Christian warmth which their families and communities. In other words: They open the doors of their hearts!
May you feel as if you are in your own house, in your own home! The Church and the people of Madrid wanted-and want-this to be for all of you, during these always difficult times of arrival, in your accommodations and throughout all of World Youth Day, which culminates on Sunday, a favorable place to live in friendship and Christian fellowship in the framework of the Universal Church, at once human and divine, which is home and family for the children of God scattered throughout the earth. And just as Spain is not intelligible without being aware of its two thousand year old Catholic tradition, Madrid, the royal residence and capital since the second half of the 16th century, in the middle of modern world, is not either. The Christian roots of this city are ancient and as we begin the second millennium of Christianity, still very much alive and strong, influencing social life, both cultural and human, but above all, its soul, the soul of their sons and daughters! Madrid is a welcoming city and friendly to all who visit it, wherever they may come!
World Youth Day, already with its long history of more than a quarter century, is inseparable from that Blessed man, whose memory we celebrate the Eucharist this evening in the Plaza de la Cibeles, very close, in fact, to the place where he presided over three major celebrations in the years 1982, 1993 and 2003. I'm talking about the unforgettable, venerable and beloved John Paul II. The Pope of the youth! With John Paul II begins a new historical period, unprecedented!, with respect to the Successor of Peter ́s relationship with the youth, and, consequently, a relationship that until then did not exist between the Church and her young: direct, immediate, heart to heart, imbued with a faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, enthusiastic, hopeful, joyful, contagious. Since that first convocation of World Youth Day 1985 in Rome all the way to World Youth Day Madrid, a beautiful story of faith, hope and love has been unfolding for three generations of young Catholics and non- Catholics who have seen how their lives are transformed in Christ and how countless vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, Christian marriage and apostolate have emerged from them. The personal holiness of John Paul II shines with a unique appeal when it comes to the evangelization of our contemporary youth. On May 1st in St. Peter ́s Square at his beatification ceremony, our Holy Father Benedict XVI did not hesitate to highlight John Paul II's special love for the youth.
5. The secret of that brilliant personality, shaped by perfect charity, is easily revealed under the light of God's Word which has been proclaimed. The key to explaining his life, consecrated to the Lord, the Church and man, is nothing other than his burning love for Jesus Christ, from whom, like St. Paul, he never wanted to stray. In his life, John Paul II also suffered sorrow, anguish, and persecution, lacking the most basic of necessities during the years of World War II, watching the implacable and cruel occupation of his homeland and the inhuman deprivation of his people ... He suffered the pain of those that are persecuted for the cause of Christ, both before and after his election to the Holy See of Peter, literally, to the point of shedding his own blood. Indomitable witness of the truth and of Christian hope, he believed in the truth of the phrase, "If God is with us, who can be against us?", and did not fear any of the internal or external enemies of the Church. He was a brave soldier of Christ! Nothing could separate him from his love.
How exciting it is to imagine and relive the moments of his intimate dialogue with the Lord when he asked him if "he love Him more than these!" How many times did he answer during the most critical, decisive and painful circumstances of his years as Pastor of the Universal Church: "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you!" The Pope knew very well that to graze the sheep meant to “surrender” himself for others and go he did not want to go.
This passionate love of Jesus Christi is precisely what fascinates and catches young people. They were able to understand that in this way they were truly loved and liked by the Pope: without flattery, dissimulations, interest, cheating or superficiality, but with complete authenticity from someone who desired their good, the good of their lives: their happiness, their eternal salvation. And he looked for it by giving his own life without saving himself. They understood intuitively more with their heart than their
brain. It does not come as a surprise, that they saw in the Pope the messenger of Jesus Christ`s grace and peace, announced by the prophet Isaiah, when he said, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Thy God reigns!” (Is 52:7). Whoever experienced the World Youth Day of Buenos Aires, Santiago de Compostela, Czestochowa, Denver, Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto ...you can confirm that the way in which the Pope was welcomed, with that mixture of joy and respectful tenderness, young people showed that they recognized him as the one who came to meet them in the name of the Lord.
7. Since the fourth World Youth Day in Santiago de Compostela in 1989, no matter where the celebration has taken place, they have been designed and lived as the end of a joyful pilgrimage, conforming with this appealing Christian tradition. When inviting us to participate in this 26th World Youth Day in Madrid, the Pope is calling us to place ourselves on the path towards a new encounter with the Lord, friend, brother, Jesus Christ! He is the only one who can understand you and lead you to the truth; give everlasting life, happiness and true love! Yes, the youth of World Youth Day since Santiago de Compostela until now and forever are pilgrims of the Church. They walk in communion with her on an exceptional spiritual journey of decisive consequences for the future of their lives. They verify that the path indicated by the Successor of Peter indeed leads to Christ and no human power can prevent it; the path for their search, but above all, the way to meet Him. He is taking the initiative. John Paul II reminded us at the Vigil on the "Monte del Gozo" in Santiago de Compostela on the 19th of August, 1989 that "the spiritual tradition of Christianity not only underlines the importance of our search for God but also it highlights something even more important: it is God who seeks us. He comes to meet us." Christ is, dear young people, the one that is looking for you and is coming to meet you at World Youth Day Madrid 2011! The key to the success of any World Youth Day is to let yourself be found by Him and, of course, it is the key to this one, as well. It will be your success!
8. Benedict, our Holy Father has presided over WYD in Cologne in August 2005 and Sydney in July 2008 in creative continuity with John Paul II. Both were unforgettable! The day after tomorrow, August 18, the Holy Father will arrive in Madrid, to preside over what we are beginning today with Thanksgiving and the Eucharistic Prayer this evening in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid. His appeal addressed to you, young people of the Third Millennium, resonates with new and charming accents but the same paternal request and the same love that moved Blessed John Paul II when he instituted World Day of Youth. You, the young people that are here, and many others who have wished to participate in our WYD in Madrid but were unable or unwilling to be here, you are the generation of Benedict XVI. It is not the same as that of John Paul II. Your "place in life" has its peculiarities. Your problems and life circumstances have changed. Globalization, new technologies in communication, the economic crisis, etc., has been a determining factor in your life sometimes for better and often times for worst.
The youth of today, with weakened existential roots due to a rampant spiritual and moral relativism, "imprisoned by the dominant power" (Benedict XVI. Message for WYD 2011, 1), and can find no solid foundation on which to build your life in today ́s culture and society, even sometimes, in the family ... you are tempted to your absolute limit to lose your way in life: How could your faith not be sometimes shaken? Youth of the 21st century need, even more than previous generations, to find the Lord through the only path that has proven spiritually effective: that of a humble and simple pilgrim seeking God ́s face. The youth of today need to see Jesus Christ when He comes to meet them in the Word, the sacraments, "as well, and most importantly, in the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance, the poor and the sick, in those brothers experiencing difficulty and in need of help "(Benedict XVI. Message, 4). They need to see and enter into an intimate dialogue with Him, who loves them without asking anything in return except that you answer with your own love. The intention of the Pope who loves you so much, is to guide you in this very way: that you may experience in the Communion of the Catholic Church the truth and the urgency of making the theme of World Youth Day 2011your life: "rooted and built up in Christ, firm in the faith "(cf. Col 2.7).
9. John Paul II conceived World Youth Day as a valuable instrument of the new evangelization. Our Holy Father Benedict XVI as well.
Dear young people: you need to live this Eucharistic Celebration of the World Youth Day, saying thanks to the Lord, for being called from this moment to become his disciples and witnesses! Do not doubt it! Jesus Christ shows you the way and the aim of the real happiness. Not only to you; but also to your fellows and friends who moved away from religious practice and, even, from their faith or who do not have any knowledge about it. Jesus is searching you to put down roots in the heart of young people of the Third Millennium. Live the celebration as the great Prayer of the Church, which offers the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected to the Father as your own, for the salvation of all people ; and in the Eucharistic Communion of his Body and Blood do not reject that he will make you as part of himself. Keep in mind during these days that the Lord, through the Pope, is going to ask you:
Do you accept the wonderful and beautiful challenge of “the new evangelization” of your young peers?
Answer him yes, remembering that vibrant and brave call of John Paul II in the Homily on Monte del Gozo on the 20th of August, 1989:
“Do not be afraid to be saints”! “Let Christ reign in your hearts”! Answer him yes with a complete hope and a generous opening to the big life’s goals, as it is typical to young people. Answer the renewed call of Benedict XVI with a clear and coherent engagement of life! You can evangelize with words and works, today more then ever. John Paul II said to young Spanish people on the Vigil of Mary at “Cuatro Vientos”, the 3rd of May, 2003, that the new evangelization is everyone’s task in the Church: “Lay people have a leading role in it, especially married couples and Christian families, nevertheless, the evangelization today requires priests and consacrated people with urgency. Therefore, if these days you hear God’s calling “that is saying to you: «Follow me!» (Mc 2, 14; Lc 5.22), do not silence it. Be generous, respond as Mary did offering your joyful yes of your person and your life”.
10. We entrust ourselves to the maternal protection of Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord and the Mother of the Church at the beginning of the World Youth Day 2011. People in Madrid call on her as their Patron with the name of “Saint Mary, Royal of the Almudena”. Mary has always watched over the strength of faith, the certainty of hope and burning charity of all her sons and daughters of Madrid. I pray that, especially, these days she will watch over all of you, young people of this World Youth Day 2011, pilgrims to Madrid, the town that is devoted to Mary, in particular, to celebrate the meeting with the Holy Father. I pray that she will take care of you as only she can do, as well as our Holy Father Benedict XVI, the Bishops and priests, all your Pastors and those accompanying you. I pray that she takes care and protects your families. Remembering the prayer of John Paul II, said at the end of the unforgettable Rosary Vigil, already mentioned −the perfect end− I invite you to implore to Mary tonight with his own words:
“Hail Mary, full of Grace.
Tonight I beg for the young people
Who came to Madrid from all other the World, Full of dreams and hopes.
They are the guards of tomorrow,
The people of the Beatitudes:
They are the living hope of the Church and of the Pope. Holy Mary, the Mother of the young people,
Please intercede so that they are witnesses of Risen Christ,
Humble and brave disciples of the Third Millennium, Generous heralds of the Gospel.
Holy Mary, Immaculate Virgin,
Pray with us,
Pray for us”. Amen.
Saint Patrons of the WYD 2011 −Saint Isidro Labrador and Saint Mary de la Cabeza, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint John of Avila, Saint Francisco Javier, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Rosa of Lima, Saint Rafael Arnáiz− pray for us!
Blessed John Paul II pray for us, pray for all young people of the WYD 2011 so that they open their hearts wide to the saving grace of Christ, the only Redeemer of human kind, these extraordinary days of the Holy Spirit during which we want to “count the wonders of the Lord to the nations”!
Amen
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Location:Calle de Fuencarral,Madrid,Spain
Monday, August 15, 2011
Christ's Mercy Endures Forever in #madrid11 #wyd
Pope Benedict grants indulgences to those who take part in World Youth Day
Benedict XVI has granted indulgences for those who take part in World Youth Day, and who fulfill the prescribed conditions for the Indulgence
• The plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who devotedly participate at some sacred function or pious exercise taking place during the XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid, including its solemn conclusion, so that, having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and being truly repentant, they receive Holy Communion, and devoutly pray according to intentions of His Holiness.
• The partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, wherever they are during the above-mentioned WYD, if, with a contrite spirit, they will raise their prayer to God the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life.
What are indulgences? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1471 et seq)
• An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sin, whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the actions of the Church which, as the ministry of redemption, disposes and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the Saints.
• All Christian faithful can apply the indulgence to themselves or to the souls of the deceased.
• To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church it is necessary to remember that sin has a double consequence:
o Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the 'eternal punishment’ of sin.
o On the other hand, every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified, either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin.
Conditions for gaining Indulgences
• To be baptized
• To be in a state of grace
• To want to gain the indulgence
• To fulfill the other prescribed conditions determined by the Church for the Indulgence that one wants to gain:
Plenary Indulgence: to be repentant of one’s sins, to carry out the action required to gain the indulgence (in this case participate in WYD) as well as sacramentally confessing one’s sins, receiving the Holy Eucharist and praying for the intentions of the Pope (one Our Father, one Hail Mary, for example). One must also be free from all attachment from sin, even venial sin.
Partial indulgence: to be repentant of one’s sins and to carry out the required action to gain the Indulgence (in this case participate in WYD).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Benedict XVI has granted indulgences for those who take part in World Youth Day, and who fulfill the prescribed conditions for the Indulgence
• The plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who devotedly participate at some sacred function or pious exercise taking place during the XXVI World Youth Day in Madrid, including its solemn conclusion, so that, having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and being truly repentant, they receive Holy Communion, and devoutly pray according to intentions of His Holiness.
• The partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, wherever they are during the above-mentioned WYD, if, with a contrite spirit, they will raise their prayer to God the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life.
What are indulgences? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1471 et seq)
• An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sin, whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the actions of the Church which, as the ministry of redemption, disposes and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the Saints.
• All Christian faithful can apply the indulgence to themselves or to the souls of the deceased.
• To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church it is necessary to remember that sin has a double consequence:
o Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the 'eternal punishment’ of sin.
o On the other hand, every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified, either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin.
Conditions for gaining Indulgences
• To be baptized
• To be in a state of grace
• To want to gain the indulgence
• To fulfill the other prescribed conditions determined by the Church for the Indulgence that one wants to gain:
Plenary Indulgence: to be repentant of one’s sins, to carry out the action required to gain the indulgence (in this case participate in WYD) as well as sacramentally confessing one’s sins, receiving the Holy Eucharist and praying for the intentions of the Pope (one Our Father, one Hail Mary, for example). One must also be free from all attachment from sin, even venial sin.
Partial indulgence: to be repentant of one’s sins and to carry out the required action to gain the Indulgence (in this case participate in WYD).
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Location:Calle de Fuencarral,Madrid,Spain
Thursday, August 11, 2011
"Come As You Are" a hymn for #wyd #madrid11
I feel this song calls out to all the pilgrims of WYD. This is how Jesus wants you.
COME AS YOU ARE
Come as you are, that's how I want you
Come as you are, feel quite at home
Come to my heart, loved and forgiven
Come as you are, why stand alone?
No need to fear, love sets no limits
No need to fear, love never ends
Don't run away, ashamed and disheartened
Rest in my love, trust me again
I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous
I came to bring peace, not to condemn
Each time you fail, to live by my promise
Why do you think, I'd love you the less?
Come as you are, that's how I love you
Come as you are, trust me again
Nothing can change, the love that I bear you
All will be well, just come as you are.
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COME AS YOU ARE
Come as you are, that's how I want you
Come as you are, feel quite at home
Come to my heart, loved and forgiven
Come as you are, why stand alone?
No need to fear, love sets no limits
No need to fear, love never ends
Don't run away, ashamed and disheartened
Rest in my love, trust me again
I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous
I came to bring peace, not to condemn
Each time you fail, to live by my promise
Why do you think, I'd love you the less?
Come as you are, that's how I love you
Come as you are, trust me again
Nothing can change, the love that I bear you
All will be well, just come as you are.
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Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Faces of Malaysia's #Madrid11 #WYD Pilgrims from Assumption Church Petaling Jaya Malaysia
Petaling Jaya, 7 August 2011 - The Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya Malaysia has one of the largest groups of Pilgrims representing Malaysia at this year's Madrid WYD. The contingent from Assumption Church makes up approximately 20% of the Pilgrims registered from Malaysia.
Malaysia has the 3rd largest contingent of pilgrims from ASEAN attending the world youth day this year, after Philippines and Indonesia.
The pilgrims from the Assumption Church began their spiritual preparations early in 2011, with weekly gatherings and retreats to prepare the pilgrims for this great event.
In an effort to build up the excitement for the World Youth Day, the pilgrims developed many different T-shirt designs and themes linked to the world youth day. Aside from the official contingent T-shirt, 5 major T-shirts were designed with specific themes and colors, representing various parts of the Human Body.
Red - Hands
Green - Lips
White - Body
Black - Eyes
Yellow - Feet
Here is a video of the the various excited faces of the Assumption Church pilgrims in their bright colored T-shirts, ready to STORM Madrid.
Malaysia has the 3rd largest contingent of pilgrims from ASEAN attending the world youth day this year, after Philippines and Indonesia.
The pilgrims from the Assumption Church began their spiritual preparations early in 2011, with weekly gatherings and retreats to prepare the pilgrims for this great event.
In an effort to build up the excitement for the World Youth Day, the pilgrims developed many different T-shirt designs and themes linked to the world youth day. Aside from the official contingent T-shirt, 5 major T-shirts were designed with specific themes and colors, representing various parts of the Human Body.
Red - Hands
Green - Lips
White - Body
Black - Eyes
Yellow - Feet
Here is a video of the the various excited faces of the Assumption Church pilgrims in their bright colored T-shirts, ready to STORM Madrid.
Mass of Sending & Commissioning of #wyd #Madrid11 Pilgrims at Assumption Church Malaysia.
Petaling Jaya, 7 August 2011 - Fr Jean Claude, Assistant Parish Priest of Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya Malaysia, today commissioned over 80 pilgrims heading to Madrid to attend the World Youth Day.
In his announcement to the parish, Fr Jean called the youths the current and future of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. Linking to today's Gospel reading, he called upon the youths to be the storm at the world youth day, and to storm Madrid (mistakenly mentioned as Rome by Fr Jean) with our faith. Together with Fr Patrick Massang, Fr Volle and the parishioners of the Assumption Church, he showered his blessings upon the pilgrims; for their safe journey to Madrid.
In the previous week Sunset Mass, animated by the Assumption Church WYD Pilgrim, Parish Priest, Fr Patrick Boudeville advised the pilgrims to make full use of this spiritual journey and to encounter Christ, as well as the many Catholics around the world.
The Parish of Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia has a contingent of over 80 pilgrims, making up approximately 20% of the pilgrims registered from Malaysia attending the Madrid World Youth Day 2011
Similar Mass of Sending & Commissioning were held in the Parish of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya and Parish of St Thomas Moore, Subang.
The World Youth Day is the single largest gathering and expression of faith by Catholics in the world organized every 3 years. The World Youth Day event runs for 7 days and ends with the closing Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The 2011 World Youth Day will be held in Madrid, Spain and is expected to receive 1,000,000 pilgrims.
In his announcement to the parish, Fr Jean called the youths the current and future of the Catholic Church in Malaysia. Linking to today's Gospel reading, he called upon the youths to be the storm at the world youth day, and to storm Madrid (mistakenly mentioned as Rome by Fr Jean) with our faith. Together with Fr Patrick Massang, Fr Volle and the parishioners of the Assumption Church, he showered his blessings upon the pilgrims; for their safe journey to Madrid.
In the previous week Sunset Mass, animated by the Assumption Church WYD Pilgrim, Parish Priest, Fr Patrick Boudeville advised the pilgrims to make full use of this spiritual journey and to encounter Christ, as well as the many Catholics around the world.
The Parish of Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia has a contingent of over 80 pilgrims, making up approximately 20% of the pilgrims registered from Malaysia attending the Madrid World Youth Day 2011
Similar Mass of Sending & Commissioning were held in the Parish of St Francis Xavier, Petaling Jaya and Parish of St Thomas Moore, Subang.
The World Youth Day is the single largest gathering and expression of faith by Catholics in the world organized every 3 years. The World Youth Day event runs for 7 days and ends with the closing Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The 2011 World Youth Day will be held in Madrid, Spain and is expected to receive 1,000,000 pilgrims.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
A Prayer for the travelling Pilgrims of #Madrid11 #WYD
Merciful and Ever Living God,
You are the Master of Heaven and Earth, The Sea, The Sky, and of all beast and creature.
Like Isaac, Abraham, Moses and Israel, whom you've called to journey with you in distant lands, we the pilgrims of Madrid WYD 2011 answer your call, and begin our journey to meet you. Watch over us throughout this journey. Keep us safe from harm, calamity and distress. Guard us from all anxiety and temptations. Protect us from evil. Grant us safe and peaceful rest in our tiredness.
Fill our hearts with your Holy Spirit, burn in us the joy of being Your beloved children. May we sing out in One Voice, One Heart and One Song our joy for you. Open the eyes and the ears of our heart and soul, so that we may hear your voice within us.
And as we travel, protect our loved ones and our homes. Keep them safe and be with them always. Watch over them and bless them.
We thank you for calling us on this journey , and we thank you for granting us the means to make this journey.
We Praise you and Glorify you.
Amen
You are the Master of Heaven and Earth, The Sea, The Sky, and of all beast and creature.
Like Isaac, Abraham, Moses and Israel, whom you've called to journey with you in distant lands, we the pilgrims of Madrid WYD 2011 answer your call, and begin our journey to meet you. Watch over us throughout this journey. Keep us safe from harm, calamity and distress. Guard us from all anxiety and temptations. Protect us from evil. Grant us safe and peaceful rest in our tiredness.
Fill our hearts with your Holy Spirit, burn in us the joy of being Your beloved children. May we sing out in One Voice, One Heart and One Song our joy for you. Open the eyes and the ears of our heart and soul, so that we may hear your voice within us.
And as we travel, protect our loved ones and our homes. Keep them safe and be with them always. Watch over them and bless them.
We thank you for calling us on this journey , and we thank you for granting us the means to make this journey.
We Praise you and Glorify you.
Amen
Friday, August 5, 2011
Novel New Confessionals Erected for #madrid11_en #wyd
Novel New Confessionals Erected for World Youth Day
August 5, 2011 8:23 am SBrinkmann Breaking News, Church news
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Young people who want to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at World Youth Day will be able to do so in ultra-modern portable confessionals that resemble a sailing ship and will sport the pope’s logo.
Round Town News is reporting that 200 portable confessional boxes are being
erected along the Paseo de Coches in Madrid to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of youth who will be attending World Youth Day on August 16-21. The new boxes are white and resemble small sails with Pope Benedict XVI’s logo on the top.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be made available in 20 languages throughout the festivities, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on every day except Saturday when confessions will be heard from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.
A small army of 2,000 priests will be manning the confessionals throughout the event, which will conclude with an open-air Mass with the pope on Sunday, August 21.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
August 5, 2011 8:23 am SBrinkmann Breaking News, Church news
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Young people who want to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at World Youth Day will be able to do so in ultra-modern portable confessionals that resemble a sailing ship and will sport the pope’s logo.
Round Town News is reporting that 200 portable confessional boxes are being
erected along the Paseo de Coches in Madrid to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of youth who will be attending World Youth Day on August 16-21. The new boxes are white and resemble small sails with Pope Benedict XVI’s logo on the top.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be made available in 20 languages throughout the festivities, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on every day except Saturday when confessions will be heard from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.
A small army of 2,000 priests will be manning the confessionals throughout the event, which will conclude with an open-air Mass with the pope on Sunday, August 21.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
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Monday, July 25, 2011
Pilgrims walk for #wyd #madrid11 closing mass
On saturday 20th August, there will be a pilgrims walk to the venue of the closing mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Benedict. It will be a hot afternoon walk, and here are some tips for the walk
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
What you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto Me. #madrid11 #wyd #bersihstories
This week I took a stand. I decided to make a stand for my principals, beliefs and for my human rights, to take an active interest in the recent happenings in Malaysia with regards to the rally for electoral reforms.
This week I took a stand against abuse
This week I made a choice to help a friend in need.
It is not easy to take a stand on any of these issues. Like those who had the courage to partake in the Bersih Rally in Kuala Lumpur, found themselves up against tear gas and water cannons. Now those who take a vocal stand online and in the community, face potential persecution for our beliefs.
It is not easy to take a stand on abuse, for in my mind, I wonder if it is genuine. It is easier to turn away for who am I to interfere. Isn't it easier to ignore the problem, as it is someone else's problem.
It is not easy to trust if somene is genuinely in need of help, nor can i help but wonder if I am being taken for a ride.
But I will take this stand, for my faith as a catholic has thought me the sanctity of basic human rights. To stand for what is right, and to fight what is wrong. I believe that corruption, electoral role rigging, gerry mandering and such acts are wrong and goes against the basic fundamentals of social justice. I believe that oppressions and violence agaisnt peaceful people is an act of social injustice.
But I will take a stand agaisnt abuse, like my earlier posting. No one should ever live in fear of abuse. As a Catholic, how can i turn my back on someone I know who is being abused. Who will help if not me. Change must begin with me first.
But I will take the stand to trust in the sincere plea for help. To trust that people who ask for help are truly in need for help. Who am I to judge if they have ulterior motives or intentions. The point is that i have been approached for help, and hence i should and must assist in anyway i can. For if I turn my back, lives may be destroyed and trust in humanity gone. I stand as an ambassador for Christ despite my doubts
I trust that despite my doubts and fears in all these points, that these events happened for a reason , and they cross my path for a reason. I trust that God in His almighty wisdom brought these challenges to me. Despite anything that may happen, I will stand knowing that i did what was right. If anything happens, or if I have been cheated, then it will be their own conscience with God. At least i know I did the best I can, as how I should.
I hope that when I am being tested, I will be found worthy
I apologise for the cryptic writting for I need to protect the privacy and identities of those involved.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This week I took a stand against abuse
This week I made a choice to help a friend in need.
It is not easy to take a stand on any of these issues. Like those who had the courage to partake in the Bersih Rally in Kuala Lumpur, found themselves up against tear gas and water cannons. Now those who take a vocal stand online and in the community, face potential persecution for our beliefs.
It is not easy to take a stand on abuse, for in my mind, I wonder if it is genuine. It is easier to turn away for who am I to interfere. Isn't it easier to ignore the problem, as it is someone else's problem.
It is not easy to trust if somene is genuinely in need of help, nor can i help but wonder if I am being taken for a ride.
But I will take this stand, for my faith as a catholic has thought me the sanctity of basic human rights. To stand for what is right, and to fight what is wrong. I believe that corruption, electoral role rigging, gerry mandering and such acts are wrong and goes against the basic fundamentals of social justice. I believe that oppressions and violence agaisnt peaceful people is an act of social injustice.
But I will take a stand agaisnt abuse, like my earlier posting. No one should ever live in fear of abuse. As a Catholic, how can i turn my back on someone I know who is being abused. Who will help if not me. Change must begin with me first.
But I will take the stand to trust in the sincere plea for help. To trust that people who ask for help are truly in need for help. Who am I to judge if they have ulterior motives or intentions. The point is that i have been approached for help, and hence i should and must assist in anyway i can. For if I turn my back, lives may be destroyed and trust in humanity gone. I stand as an ambassador for Christ despite my doubts
I trust that despite my doubts and fears in all these points, that these events happened for a reason , and they cross my path for a reason. I trust that God in His almighty wisdom brought these challenges to me. Despite anything that may happen, I will stand knowing that i did what was right. If anything happens, or if I have been cheated, then it will be their own conscience with God. At least i know I did the best I can, as how I should.
I hope that when I am being tested, I will be found worthy
I apologise for the cryptic writting for I need to protect the privacy and identities of those involved.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, July 11, 2011
Blessed are those prosecuted in the name of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven #wyd #madrid11
Todays first reading was of the pharoahs of Egypt enslaving the children of Israel, to oppress them in everyway, and to supress them incase the rise up against the egyptians. Further on in the Gospel acclaimation, we are reminded that the kingdom of heaven is promised to those who are prosecuted in the name of righteousness.
This recent saturday, 9th July 2011 was a historical date in Malaysia, whereby the people took to the streets never seen before, in a rally called Bersih 2.0. This rally essentially called for Electoral reforms in the Malaysian election process. Many Malaysians, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion took to the streets in downtown KL to stand for their rights for clean and fair elections.
The organizers insisted that it will be a peaceful rally. However the police and the government took a heavy handed approach in clamping down on the this said rally. Despite the Supreme Ruler allowing the blessings to be organized in a local stadium, the government refused the organizers the fundamental right to a peaceful gathering. Riot police were deployed throughout the city, and roads into the city center were closed.
During the rally, many protestors were arrested. People wearing yellow colored t-shirts were detained - as many as over 1500 were detained by the police. Riot police responded to the rally with tear gas and chemical water cannons despite no signs of provocation.
Worst still, the despicable act of tear gas was shot into a local hospital and water cannons aimed at people taking refuge within the hospital compound. Government politicians claimed these actions were necessary, and insisted that those attended taking part were limited to 5000 people. Organizers believe that at least 50,000 people were at the rally, based on pictorial evidence
Although we are no longer in the days of the Pharoahs of Egypt, but oppression continues to exist today, even in a country like Malaysia. the rally was an apolitical rally, proclaiming the basic rights of fair and transparent elections, so that our basic rights of voting is not tarnished.
As a catholic, i realize that it is my catholic duty, not only to stand up for my own right, but that of my fellow human beings to ensure that basic human rights are protected and exercised. Despite the potential repercussions of supporting such rallies, it is my duty to fight for the weak and oppressed.
Jesus himself warns that those who stand for righteousness will be prosecuted, and truly enough many of those attending the rally suffered at the heavy handedness of the government actions.
However i also realise that this not only exist in Malaysia, but in many countries around the world today. Pilgrims coming from africa, middle east, south america, and asia face differing sorts of prosecution in their own countries.
When we gather in Madrid, we thus stand united in Christ, hence we stand against such prosecution and oppression happening not only in our own countries but in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world. We will share a common promise to us, that the kingdom of heaven awaits us and we will be witness to this as we together form the Body of Christ.
Blessed Saviour
I pray in communion with my brothers and sisters around the world, especially those who face all sorts of prosecution for their ethnicity, religious belief. Those that face oppression and denial of their basic fundamental rights, those who stand in danger of their dignity as human beings.
Grant us the strength and will, to stand for our beliefs. Give us the courage to voice out agaisnt all forms of injustice, prosecution, and oppresion. Comfort those who suffer in silence, those who have been denied their rights to live as your beautiful creation.
Lord, bless our leaders today, despite their actions they have taken. Touch their hearts with your whispers of truth and mercy. Allow them to make a stand for justice and for your mercy. Destroy the barriers of fear, hatred and selfishness.
Blessed Comforting Mother,
Cuddle us like how you comforted your belived son in His time of fear and distress. Stand by us, like how you stood by Him at his crucifixion. May your loving presence prompt us to stand against the Pharoahs of today's world.
Amen
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Tuesday, July 5, 2011
412,000 pilgrims registered for #madrid11 #wyd
As of today, over 412,000 pilgrims have registered for the world youth day. It appears the numbers registering is accelerating closer to the date, as people are now surer of their calendar and hence able to commit to this great event.
It is still a far cry from the 1 million expected pilgrims, but then again it is usual for unregistered pilgrims to turn up. There will also be other groups of tourist and locals who will participate in the wyd as well as the army of volunteers locally and from abroad who will be there.
With the grace of God, the organizers of the wyd will hitbtheir expected target. They are already expecting 20,000 priest to attend this event. This brings to mind todays Gospel reading, where Jesus saw the large crowd and took pity on them for He said the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the labourers for his harvest.
Let this wyd be testimony that the harvest is indeed plenty, not only through those present at Madrid in person but also those present spiritually. In this testimony of faith, may the Lord of the harvest increase his laborers many folds through the calling of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Lord of the Harvest,
The harvest is abundantly plentiful, but your labourers are indeed few. Grant Lord that you may touch the hearts of your people, to open the ears of their heart to hear your gentle calling to be your true servant
Dear Lord, in todays mordernized and secular environment, the need for sincere shepherds of your flock is even more pressing. The sheep of your flock today faces many difficult challenges in our own spiritual pastures.
I also pray for those whom you have called to be priest and religious, as well as those in the seminary, that you strengthen their love and resolve in serving you. Guide them through their own journey and sturggles, so that they may continue to serve you with a faithful and sincere heart through the care of your sheep.
Lord, for those whom you are calling, help them to discern your quiet whispers in your heart. Silent the fears they have, open the path for them and guide them in their discernment.
Blessed mother, watch over those who serve your Son. These limited edition shepherds are invaluable to us. Guide them to always be faithful to your beloved Son, protect them form all harm, and comfort them in times of distress, so that they may always serve for the greater glory of your son,
Amen
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It is still a far cry from the 1 million expected pilgrims, but then again it is usual for unregistered pilgrims to turn up. There will also be other groups of tourist and locals who will participate in the wyd as well as the army of volunteers locally and from abroad who will be there.
With the grace of God, the organizers of the wyd will hitbtheir expected target. They are already expecting 20,000 priest to attend this event. This brings to mind todays Gospel reading, where Jesus saw the large crowd and took pity on them for He said the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the labourers for his harvest.
Let this wyd be testimony that the harvest is indeed plenty, not only through those present at Madrid in person but also those present spiritually. In this testimony of faith, may the Lord of the harvest increase his laborers many folds through the calling of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Lord of the Harvest,
The harvest is abundantly plentiful, but your labourers are indeed few. Grant Lord that you may touch the hearts of your people, to open the ears of their heart to hear your gentle calling to be your true servant
Dear Lord, in todays mordernized and secular environment, the need for sincere shepherds of your flock is even more pressing. The sheep of your flock today faces many difficult challenges in our own spiritual pastures.
I also pray for those whom you have called to be priest and religious, as well as those in the seminary, that you strengthen their love and resolve in serving you. Guide them through their own journey and sturggles, so that they may continue to serve you with a faithful and sincere heart through the care of your sheep.
Lord, for those whom you are calling, help them to discern your quiet whispers in your heart. Silent the fears they have, open the path for them and guide them in their discernment.
Blessed mother, watch over those who serve your Son. These limited edition shepherds are invaluable to us. Guide them to always be faithful to your beloved Son, protect them form all harm, and comfort them in times of distress, so that they may always serve for the greater glory of your son,
Amen
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Lords Promise - a message to #wyd @madrid11_en pilgrims
"And I will be your guardian wherever you will journey, and I will bring you back into this land. Neither will I dismiss you, until I have accomplished all that I have said.” ~ Genesis 28:15
God's message to Jacob, as he journeyed is very appropriate to the pilgrims heading to Madrid for the 2011 World Youth Day. It promises his protection from harm, to bring us back home and that he will always be with us.
How glorious is this message that affirms those who will make this journey from their home lands. The world youth day will not only be a physical journey, but also a journey of faith. While many will see it as a testimony of our Catholic faith, perhaps we should view it as a testimony of God's promise to all of us.
This is His promise to Jacob, as well to us, for those who walk in faith with Him. Never will He will abandon us.
My Faithful Lord,
I pray today for those whom you have called upon on this journey of faith with you. Any path taken will always be filled with dangers, obstacles and distraction. Likewise, any journey that we take with you, will be one of dangers and obstacles.
Lord, as you have promised Jacob, be with us on our journey with you. Grant us your protection and strength, and most importantly Lord, when we are tired, hurt and in distress, teach us to always seek you as our faithful companion on our journey.
You call the tired and weary to you for your yoke is light. As we exhaust ourselves in this journey with you, grant us your healing rest, that we may refresh ourselves in you.
Mary, blessed mother of God, teach us to be faithful companions of your beloved son Jesus. As we walk this path with Him, through the brightest of days or the darkest of nights, grant us your guding light on this path of our.
Amen
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Friday, July 1, 2011
Why I am going to #wyd @madrid11_en
Some people have asked me why i am going to Madrid for the world youth day, and many have asked what i hope to achieve out of the wyd.
Honestly i do not know what i hope to achieve. I know 3 years ago, i wanted to go to the sydney wyd, but i was unable to, as it was avery busy year for Choice, and i did not have that many days of leave.I followed the wyd very closely online, reading blogs and news artciles, watching videos of the event, and really wishing i was there. It was then that i decided that i would attend the next wyd, where ever it may be held, and started my planning since then.
Hoever i still do not know why i am going to the wyd, and i can only answer that i am going there for the experience. Many people have testified to great miracles at the world youth day, including finding thie life direction and vocation at the wyd. For me, i do not even know what i am seeking , or what i hope to achieve
I know that the wyd is the single largest expression of our catholic faith, and the largest gathering of catholics from aroudn the world. It is definately more then a large picnic for rowdy youths, but actually an event that shows the world that our catholic faith is alive, relevant and happening!
Despite not knowing why i am going to madrid, i know that i felt called to it, and that ive been planning this for 3 years. Although i can't say that i am jumping up and down in excitement, there is a growing anticipation for the event building in my heart. I have been further blessed with a job in Malaysia Airlines, enabling me to travel to the wyd at a fraction of the price that most pilgrims will have to pay.
So i guess, i will go to the wyd with simple objective, to encounter Christ in all the pilgrims that he has called to Him in Madrid. That i will partake in this expression of faith, to meet like minded catholics from around the world, and to grow spiritually through the sessions held.
What can i expect? Well i decided to set expectations to a minimum, but i hope to have a prayerful week in Madrid. I look forward to adoration of the blessed sacraments around the city, to learn more about my faith and at a very minimum, a break from my hectic busy life.
Todays reading from Deutreronomy struck me as very relevant .
"For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you so that you would be his particular people out of all the peoples who are upon the earth."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Honestly i do not know what i hope to achieve. I know 3 years ago, i wanted to go to the sydney wyd, but i was unable to, as it was avery busy year for Choice, and i did not have that many days of leave.I followed the wyd very closely online, reading blogs and news artciles, watching videos of the event, and really wishing i was there. It was then that i decided that i would attend the next wyd, where ever it may be held, and started my planning since then.
Hoever i still do not know why i am going to the wyd, and i can only answer that i am going there for the experience. Many people have testified to great miracles at the world youth day, including finding thie life direction and vocation at the wyd. For me, i do not even know what i am seeking , or what i hope to achieve
I know that the wyd is the single largest expression of our catholic faith, and the largest gathering of catholics from aroudn the world. It is definately more then a large picnic for rowdy youths, but actually an event that shows the world that our catholic faith is alive, relevant and happening!
Despite not knowing why i am going to madrid, i know that i felt called to it, and that ive been planning this for 3 years. Although i can't say that i am jumping up and down in excitement, there is a growing anticipation for the event building in my heart. I have been further blessed with a job in Malaysia Airlines, enabling me to travel to the wyd at a fraction of the price that most pilgrims will have to pay.
So i guess, i will go to the wyd with simple objective, to encounter Christ in all the pilgrims that he has called to Him in Madrid. That i will partake in this expression of faith, to meet like minded catholics from around the world, and to grow spiritually through the sessions held.
What can i expect? Well i decided to set expectations to a minimum, but i hope to have a prayerful week in Madrid. I look forward to adoration of the blessed sacraments around the city, to learn more about my faith and at a very minimum, a break from my hectic busy life.
Todays reading from Deutreronomy struck me as very relevant .
"For you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you so that you would be his particular people out of all the peoples who are upon the earth."
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Ministry of St Peter and St Paul #wyd @madrid11_en
Today we celebrate the feast of St Peter and St Paul, the 2 great founding leaders of our Catholic church. The readings from today was somewhat interesting to note the differences of Gospel used , one on telling peter to feed and tend to His's sheep and the other giving the keys of heaven to Peter. Then we also have of Paul telling us how bad he was before his eyes was opened by God.
Together with the fact that we are all part of the Royal Priesthood, tells me the calling of our ministry in our lives today. Like Peter , we are called to pastoral care, one of caring, tending and feeding the sheep, spiritually as well as physically. Little do we know , we too like Peter are given the keys to heaven as well. Not in the form of the Office of the keys (commonly known as the Sacrament of confession - which is passed on from pope to pope, and from pope to bishop to priest) but by the virtue of being God's chosen people and as His temple of the holy spirit.
This further leads to St Paul, who was a great prosecuter of the church and hunted down christians in his time , only to become one of the greatest evangelizers of the Church, despite his past.
Put this together, and we have our simple mission, to bring the message of Jesus through our actions, thoughts and deeds. Little do we know, but we actually have a major impact on the various lives that crosses our own life. This is human nature, we live in a society and what we do have a ripple effect into society, through the people that we meet.
Hence we have a choice, do we bring the light of Christ into people's lives or do we choose to propogate our own personal agenda in society. As His royal priesthood, we have that calling in our daily lives to reach out to all (for every one faces some form of oppresion and desolation) , and hence through our actions, we bring the message of Christ to the world, like Paul. When we have successfully conveyed Jesus's message through our compassion, wisdom and love, and people know this because you are a Christian, then we too hold the keys to heaven. For through these actions and examples that we set as christians in our daily lives, it may bring someone back to seek the mercy of our Lord Jesus.
Furthermore, Peter and Paul shows us that we do not have to be high achievers or literally saints to achieve this. Remember , Peter was only a simple fisherman, and Paul, was this sinner who did not believe in Jesus. All we need is to have faith in Him, and He will do the rest through us. If we think deeper of Peter and Paul's life, it also tells us that we need not be perfect gentle people to bring the light of Christ to the world. How many times did Peter doubt and betrayed Jesus. In Pauls letters, he is often strong and chastising in his words.
Essentially , we do not need to be perfect , to be God's instruments on this earth, for He uses our imperfection and will make it perfect. Only thing is , we must allow Him to use us.
Dear Merciful God,
Like St Peter and St Paul, use me as your instrument messenger in this world. My own failings, doubts and sins makes me an imperfect instrument, unworthy of your great glory, yet i feel called to be your servant and only through you, can I be made perfect for your glory. Teach us go tend to your sheep, to spread your word, and to open the doors of heaven to all those we meet
Lord I pray for us your chosen people, your Royal Priesthood, especially those you have called to be your Priest and Religious, that we may be guided and used for your greater glory. Fill our imperfection, strengthen our resolve and fill us with your fire, so that we may bring your bburning light into this world
May the World Youth Day , bring your loving and merciful message far and wide across this world. May you use all of us at Madrid, as an example of your love for the world to experience.
Blessed Mother, as Jesus placed his disciples in your care at his crucifixion, watch over us, guide us and teach us the loving ways of your beloved Son.
Amen
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Together with the fact that we are all part of the Royal Priesthood, tells me the calling of our ministry in our lives today. Like Peter , we are called to pastoral care, one of caring, tending and feeding the sheep, spiritually as well as physically. Little do we know , we too like Peter are given the keys to heaven as well. Not in the form of the Office of the keys (commonly known as the Sacrament of confession - which is passed on from pope to pope, and from pope to bishop to priest) but by the virtue of being God's chosen people and as His temple of the holy spirit.
This further leads to St Paul, who was a great prosecuter of the church and hunted down christians in his time , only to become one of the greatest evangelizers of the Church, despite his past.
Put this together, and we have our simple mission, to bring the message of Jesus through our actions, thoughts and deeds. Little do we know, but we actually have a major impact on the various lives that crosses our own life. This is human nature, we live in a society and what we do have a ripple effect into society, through the people that we meet.
Hence we have a choice, do we bring the light of Christ into people's lives or do we choose to propogate our own personal agenda in society. As His royal priesthood, we have that calling in our daily lives to reach out to all (for every one faces some form of oppresion and desolation) , and hence through our actions, we bring the message of Christ to the world, like Paul. When we have successfully conveyed Jesus's message through our compassion, wisdom and love, and people know this because you are a Christian, then we too hold the keys to heaven. For through these actions and examples that we set as christians in our daily lives, it may bring someone back to seek the mercy of our Lord Jesus.
Furthermore, Peter and Paul shows us that we do not have to be high achievers or literally saints to achieve this. Remember , Peter was only a simple fisherman, and Paul, was this sinner who did not believe in Jesus. All we need is to have faith in Him, and He will do the rest through us. If we think deeper of Peter and Paul's life, it also tells us that we need not be perfect gentle people to bring the light of Christ to the world. How many times did Peter doubt and betrayed Jesus. In Pauls letters, he is often strong and chastising in his words.
Essentially , we do not need to be perfect , to be God's instruments on this earth, for He uses our imperfection and will make it perfect. Only thing is , we must allow Him to use us.
Dear Merciful God,
Like St Peter and St Paul, use me as your instrument messenger in this world. My own failings, doubts and sins makes me an imperfect instrument, unworthy of your great glory, yet i feel called to be your servant and only through you, can I be made perfect for your glory. Teach us go tend to your sheep, to spread your word, and to open the doors of heaven to all those we meet
Lord I pray for us your chosen people, your Royal Priesthood, especially those you have called to be your Priest and Religious, that we may be guided and used for your greater glory. Fill our imperfection, strengthen our resolve and fill us with your fire, so that we may bring your bburning light into this world
May the World Youth Day , bring your loving and merciful message far and wide across this world. May you use all of us at Madrid, as an example of your love for the world to experience.
Blessed Mother, as Jesus placed his disciples in your care at his crucifixion, watch over us, guide us and teach us the loving ways of your beloved Son.
Amen
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, June 25, 2011
My Sprirtual Preparations for #WYD @madrid11_en
For this Madrid WYD 2011, i decided not to join any groups or parishes,but instead to attend it alone. Because of this decision, i am not part of any preparations, that are being undertaken by some parishes. Although ive been invited to join the Assumption Church's group in their preparations, i've not been able to due to conflicting schedules
I beleive that it is important to do some spiritual preparations for the WYD , otherwise it will just be another holiday. Due to our busy lives, it is important to undertake some form of spiritual preparations to open the heart, mind and soul to the softer promptings of the Holy Sprit.
So i decided that in preparation for WYD, starting , 60 days before I will do the Following :
1. To say a decade of the rosary daily
2. To read the daily readings used at Mass each day, and to reflect on it.
3. To share my reflections on the daily readings
4. To offer a prayer each day for different needs and people
5. To document my thoughts, reflection, peparations and etc onlie, to be shared with the pilgrims and those who aspire to attend, but are unable to do so.
As i get closer to WYD, i plan to add on to my spiritual preparations, including
1. Attending daily mass when possible
2. To fast - no breakfast and lunch
3. To abstain from meat everyday
If you are reading this, can i humbly ask for your prayers for me in my preparation and journey. To strengthen me in my resolve and to protect me from distractions
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I beleive that it is important to do some spiritual preparations for the WYD , otherwise it will just be another holiday. Due to our busy lives, it is important to undertake some form of spiritual preparations to open the heart, mind and soul to the softer promptings of the Holy Sprit.
So i decided that in preparation for WYD, starting , 60 days before I will do the Following :
1. To say a decade of the rosary daily
2. To read the daily readings used at Mass each day, and to reflect on it.
3. To share my reflections on the daily readings
4. To offer a prayer each day for different needs and people
5. To document my thoughts, reflection, peparations and etc onlie, to be shared with the pilgrims and those who aspire to attend, but are unable to do so.
As i get closer to WYD, i plan to add on to my spiritual preparations, including
1. Attending daily mass when possible
2. To fast - no breakfast and lunch
3. To abstain from meat everyday
If you are reading this, can i humbly ask for your prayers for me in my preparation and journey. To strengthen me in my resolve and to protect me from distractions
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
“He took our infirmities, and he carried away our diseases.”
I am the Lord that Healeth thee.
That is the promise given to us by Jesus , and it is widely affirmed in the Gospel that Jesus heals us. Todays reading tells us that as we call upon God's healing power, we need to have faith. It also shows that no matter how impossible the circumstances maybe, like Sarah being unable to conceive, anything is possible through the will of God, amd with a little faith.
It is impotant to remember that the healing of Jesus is not only of the physical nature from diseases but His mission on earth was to heal us from our sins.He came to die for us on the cross, and through his painful death, He bought for us the key to salvation from our sins.
Many of us are healthy physically free from diseases, but i believe that all of us will still need the healing power of Jesus. All of us suffer from emotional and spiritual diseases, brought about by painful experiences in our lives and by the sins we commit. It is these diseases that only the divine mercy of Jesus can bring about through healing
However when we are in these level of distress , despite asking for healing, how many of us truly open our hearts for Jesus to do his work. Do we actually have the faith that God's healing power will work through us? Do we actually allow Jesus to move within us? And how many of , when asking for healing, actually want to take our own steps to change
It is like when you have been diagnose with cancer and the doctor tells us to stop smoking, avoid stress, and live a healthier lifestyle, we readily accept the advice and change our lifestyle. But in the case of emotional and spiritual Jesus, do we actually change our lifestyle so that healing can take place in our hearts. Do we open our spiritual ears to hear His advice?
Anything is possible through Jesus, and His mercy is abundantly overflowing. All he ask is for us to have faith, and to embrace Him completely.
If instead you know of someone in dire need for the impossible to happen, like Sarah - Abraham's wife , or the centurion's servant, the we should have faith on behalf of our friend that God's healing graces will still work. Have faith for your friend instead.
It is also important to remember that when asking for His graces of mercy, it will be done in His time and in His way, according to His plans. Not by our plans ( or instructions). Do not be dissapointed if the cripple doesnt walk immediately or if the cancer doesnt dissapear, or if depression conitnues on. Everything happens for a purpose and reason. At our level in our time , it is hard for us to see the will of God , but know that your prayers are heard and there is a greater plan at work. We just have to turst in him.
Dearest Divine Mercy of Jesus,
I pray for those who are suffering , physically, emotionally, from diseases and wounds of all forms and kind. Lord , i ask for your healing grace over all of them, to heal the scars, wounds and sicknesess that they carry, Grant them the faith and knowledge that your with them, suffering with them like how you suffered for us on the cross. Relieve them of their pain, and comfort them in this difficult and challenging time. Give the the grace of patience and endurance, to carry out your holy will.
Lord, i too ask for your healing graces , for the suffering and pain that i carry in my life through the crosses that i bear. May i have the strength to endure and the strength to change myself. Teach me dear Lord, to allow your your graces to work within me. Soften my stubborn ways, so that i too can change more and more to be like you.
Blessed Mother, please continue to intercede in my prayers. May i learn to emulate you in your faith, despite the impossible, to allow the will of God to work within me. Just like the immaculate conceptioon of Jesus, you allowed the impossible to happen, which bore us Jesus. Teach us to be like you, to be a vessel of Gods will so that His greater glory be done.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
That is the promise given to us by Jesus , and it is widely affirmed in the Gospel that Jesus heals us. Todays reading tells us that as we call upon God's healing power, we need to have faith. It also shows that no matter how impossible the circumstances maybe, like Sarah being unable to conceive, anything is possible through the will of God, amd with a little faith.
It is impotant to remember that the healing of Jesus is not only of the physical nature from diseases but His mission on earth was to heal us from our sins.He came to die for us on the cross, and through his painful death, He bought for us the key to salvation from our sins.
Many of us are healthy physically free from diseases, but i believe that all of us will still need the healing power of Jesus. All of us suffer from emotional and spiritual diseases, brought about by painful experiences in our lives and by the sins we commit. It is these diseases that only the divine mercy of Jesus can bring about through healing
However when we are in these level of distress , despite asking for healing, how many of us truly open our hearts for Jesus to do his work. Do we actually have the faith that God's healing power will work through us? Do we actually allow Jesus to move within us? And how many of , when asking for healing, actually want to take our own steps to change
It is like when you have been diagnose with cancer and the doctor tells us to stop smoking, avoid stress, and live a healthier lifestyle, we readily accept the advice and change our lifestyle. But in the case of emotional and spiritual Jesus, do we actually change our lifestyle so that healing can take place in our hearts. Do we open our spiritual ears to hear His advice?
Anything is possible through Jesus, and His mercy is abundantly overflowing. All he ask is for us to have faith, and to embrace Him completely.
If instead you know of someone in dire need for the impossible to happen, like Sarah - Abraham's wife , or the centurion's servant, the we should have faith on behalf of our friend that God's healing graces will still work. Have faith for your friend instead.
It is also important to remember that when asking for His graces of mercy, it will be done in His time and in His way, according to His plans. Not by our plans ( or instructions). Do not be dissapointed if the cripple doesnt walk immediately or if the cancer doesnt dissapear, or if depression conitnues on. Everything happens for a purpose and reason. At our level in our time , it is hard for us to see the will of God , but know that your prayers are heard and there is a greater plan at work. We just have to turst in him.
Dearest Divine Mercy of Jesus,
I pray for those who are suffering , physically, emotionally, from diseases and wounds of all forms and kind. Lord , i ask for your healing grace over all of them, to heal the scars, wounds and sicknesess that they carry, Grant them the faith and knowledge that your with them, suffering with them like how you suffered for us on the cross. Relieve them of their pain, and comfort them in this difficult and challenging time. Give the the grace of patience and endurance, to carry out your holy will.
Lord, i too ask for your healing graces , for the suffering and pain that i carry in my life through the crosses that i bear. May i have the strength to endure and the strength to change myself. Teach me dear Lord, to allow your your graces to work within me. Soften my stubborn ways, so that i too can change more and more to be like you.
Blessed Mother, please continue to intercede in my prayers. May i learn to emulate you in your faith, despite the impossible, to allow the will of God to work within me. Just like the immaculate conceptioon of Jesus, you allowed the impossible to happen, which bore us Jesus. Teach us to be like you, to be a vessel of Gods will so that His greater glory be done.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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