So, this is the World Youth Day post. I apologize for the lack of a Catholic New Media Celebration post…perhaps that will come when I get back. Suffice to say that CNMC was a great day for me. I loved hanging out with Rebecca and meeting wonderful people like Lisa, Marc, Popple, Greg, Dr. Paul, and Steve and Pat. And having people actually know who I am was a shocker every time!

Now, I’m packing for World Youth Day. I’ll be leaving San Antonio Intntl Airpt, meeting the rest of my group in L.A., flying to Seoul (South Korea), and flying to Sydney. My group will spend a week in Sydney preparing for the actual World Youth Day week.

I am not traveling with my archdiocese. Instead, I am going with the Christian Life Movement, a Society of Apostolic Life begun in Peru by a holy man named Luis Fernando Figari. The CLM is “committed to the evangelization of the world with four main emphasis: youth, culture, families and the most needy.” I know the CLM through my youth minister, who is a consecrated lay woman of the Marian Community of Reconciliation, the laywomen’s branch. I love the CLM and their spirituality: “through Christ to Mary, through Mary more fully to the Lord Jesus,” and their focus on overcoming the separation between our faith and our everyday lives.

I am the only young person representing San Antonio, Texas, with the CLM. My youth minister (who is young herself) will also be coming with me, as well as a girl from Laredo, Texas. We will be meeting the rest of the CLM’s United States group in L.A. who are from Colorado.

Check out the cool jacket everyone gets:

Preparing spiritually for World Youth Day is always highly encouraged. To be honest, I didn’t do very much of that on my own initiative. Rather, I found God leading me on a path of preparation. I’ve had many changes in my life in the past seven months, learned about my strengths and weaknesses, and come to terms with the fact that I must abandon my will to the Lord’s, wholeheartedly trusting in Him.

Reasons for Going to WYD

My boyfriend and I had another interesting conversation about spirituality last night, with a focus on World Youth Day. Here are my reasons for going to World Youth Day.

1. Going to “Meet the Pope”

Josh gave me wonderful insight into this reason. Originally, when I wanted to go to WYD, I was swept into the whole idea of seeing the Pope because he’s the ultimate celebrity of the Church. He’s the one everyone wants to see, to take pictures of, etc. But especially after talking with Josh, I realized how much of an honor it is to be in the presence of the successor of Peter. No one is worthy of such an honor. Yet, the Pope comes to us, to be the presence of Christ to us.

The Pope is also the Holy Father. I want to go be with him because he is my spiritual grandfather of sorts. That’s one of the reasons why people cried when Servant of God John Paul II died — the familial connection between Pope and Church.

2. Being with Thousands of Catholics from Around the World

One of the unique characteristics of the Catholic Church is the sheer diversity of its members. There are literally Catholics in every part of the globe. I can just imagine how amazing it will be, how encouraging it will be, to witness the presence of the entire Church in one place at one time - all colors, languages, nations, cultures. I expect it to help me actually SEE that I have a role in the universal Church, and that I am struggling to live a holy life with brothers and sisters all over the world. Right now, that’s just an image in my head. To experience that…

3. Growing

I have come to realize, with the help of God, that I am at a huge turning point in my life. I’m truly entering adulthood. With that, come so many changes…and I’ve never been good with change. I’m not saying that people need to travel across the world to grow into adulthood. At the same time, now that I’m actually going to do that, I know that it’s going to be a time of real maturing, of growing in self-confidence and independence, and faith.

4. Encountering God

I am certainly not a weakling in faith, and I say that in all sincerity with humility. At the same time, I’ve been wanting to really encounter God in a big way. When you’re at a point in your life that includes so much change, you need the Lord. I want to come to Him anew, give Him myself, and pray, “THY WILL BE DONE!”

And a definite perk to this whole experience is that I’m going to Australia. Although, I know I would have done this even if it were in my own hometown.

Please pray for WYD pilgrims — that the trip is truly a pilgrimage for each one of us! Thanks be to God for everything.