WYD 2008 Sydney: Benedicto and the “Generation Y”

One Pope – Benedict XVI. One City – Sydney. One gathering. 300,000 pilgrims from 172 Countries. 3.5 million meals were served to pilgrims. 8,000 volunteers took part in organizing the gathering. And I was there!

My coming to Sydney Australia for the 2nd time to help facilitate the MAGiS (the Jesuits’ pre-WYD program) has changed my idea of what pilgrimage is. Traditionally, pilgrimage is a journey of a group of people we call “pilgrims” to a well known holy or sacred place in their desire for renewal of spirit and healing as well. But the World Youth Day gave us a new idea of a modern pilgrimage. The Pope calls the youth to go to a very secular city like Sydney to gather together and the place becomes a sacred place. What specific reason and theme for the gathering? Nobody knows. The Pope’s invitation is like Jesus’ words to the new followers, “Come and see.” And so from all corners of the world, more than 300,000 youth and “young at heart” converged into the bustling city of Sydney and literally conquered all its streets and public places. The business district becomes a place of encounter, worship, singing and catechism, workshops, dancing, and informal sharing of life experiences. The Sydney CBD becomes a holy ground; a holy place because of the gathering of youth who were initially feared by the police will give a security headache, monstrous traffic, and chaos to a city known for its order and cleanliness. It turned out the other way, the thousands of youth who ruled the city for a week became a welcome sight to Sydneysiders who suddenly found a wonderful sight to behold … youth in action, praying together, smiling, welcoming, warm, full of positive energies, and loving. There is power in the youth. Youth are not misguided souls just waiting for an opportunity to create problem or mess everything. What they need is a direction from someone who can lead them, who can trust them, who can listen and understand them, who can love them, and believes in their capacity to lead. But all these things should begin in the spirit of love … in the spirit of gathering. If there is a gathering… there is love.

The spirit of the WYD was felt by everybody. Even the police, who seriously prepared for any untoward incidence that the youth may create, found the young pilgrims very orderly, cooperative and warm. The joyful spirit that ruled the city created an inward wave to many Sydneysiders and to the non-WYD tourists. Conversions took place. An old Aussie lady approached a Filipino priest and thank God for the WYD. She was so touched with the spirit of the celebration that she decided to return to the fold of God after being a prodigal daughter for many years. A WYD participant who suddenly revealed that she is not a Catholic but joined the WYD just to see Australia, was enlightened and had a new positive concept of Catholicism. A spirit-filled young Irish teacher eagerly returned to Ireland to do something to the marginalized and the poor. The Filipino community in Chatswood Parish who led a Magis Experiment had seen their potentials to do greater things for God and the value of allowing the Spirit to lead them. Food and hospitality overflow from the Sydneysiders. Muslim communities and schools provided shelters and food. Even the homeless from Canices’ Kitchen offer tea and biscuits. Unlimited free train rides to all pilgrims. Public parks and schools became venues for catechism and faith sharing. The Sydney CBD for a week had shed-off its business atmosphere and became a loving and welcoming host for all the pilgrims. The Australian government spent 160 Million dollars for the affair. Plus the fact that even nature cooperated well throughout the week by giving us a sunny day in the middle of winter.

In the midst of all the informal and spontaneous street celebrations like dancing, praying, singing and chanting, catechisms, the traditional Catholic liturgies like the Stations of the Cross all over the city, confessions at Hyde Park, and Holy Masses, the Pope lovingly delivered his message of hope to the youth. The world the Pope is seeking is one in which, “love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of dignity, seeking their good, radiating their joy and beauty. In God, we find the answer we are seeking, we find the goals that are truly worth living for, and we find the strength to pursue the path that will bring about a better world.” The pilgrims then realized that any spiritual pilgrimage should end in finding the will of God. Real happiness is in finding and doing the will of God.

The Final Mass on July 20, Sunday at Randwick racecourse, was a Catholic display of great faith in the Eucharist. Approximately 400,000 faithful attended the Mass including the 3,000 priests who concelebrated with the Pope, the biggest gathering in the history of Australia.

But all gathering must come to an end, after all the celebrations and fellowship, time will come to go home and spread the Good news. Pope Benedict reminded the youth, “Dear young friends, the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of His love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.”

By this time, everybody should be home, brought with them their pictures of the picturesque Sydney, its lovely people, and its tourist spots. But like me, most of the pilgrims went home with memories of newly found friends from different cultures who broke bread with them for a week, as they shared their own stories of faith and how God touched them in different ways.

World Youth Day celebration is a planting moment. The seed has been planted throughout the celebration, catechisms, immersion and workshops. Nobody knows what really happened to each pilgrim. But our role is just to plant the seeds of faith, hope and love to the “Generation Y”. Pope Benedict did it well. We should do our part also.

Everybody is filled with the Holy Spirit and they received the power to do something for the world. It’s not an easy task for the youth, but to know that there is somebody like Pope Benedict who trusts them, it becomes challenging and worth the risk…for there is power and hope in the youth.

If you wish to be young, seek Christ.
See you in Madrid in 2011.

________________________

If you want to see pictures of WYD and MAGiS 08 experiment in Sydney:
Visit my multiply site at : http://willysamson.multiply.com/


Fr.Willy Samson,SJ
Spiritual Director
Magis 08 – NSW2 – Amazing Race

The Seed

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 13:1-23 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears,
because they hear.”


The parable of the sower is the first of the seven parables placed at the center of Matthew’s gospel. In this parable, the generous sower sows a great amount of seeds in the field. For many reasons, much of the seeds did not bear a good harvest. But the seeds that fell on rich and good soil produce an extraordinary harvest.

The disciples then ask Jesus why he speaks in parables. Jesus simply replies, “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.” Many of us, even though we hear the words of God and his teachings, refuse to recognize the voice of divine wisdom calling us to conversion and to healing of our hearts.

Our gospel for today is a reminder for us that the seeds of God’s love and His kingdom have been abundantly and generously sown or planted everywhere. Despite the violence around us, the spiralling increase of the price of oil, ecological crisis around the world, and our own experience of despair, pain and loneliness, we can live in hope because the seeds are already planted or given to us. We have in our hearts the seeds of faith, hope and love. Henry David Thoreau said, “Convince me that you have the seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.”

This coming week, Pope Benedict XVI will be here in Sydney for the 23rd World Youth Day. The Pope believes that the youth has the potential and power to change the world. They are potential good soil, just waiting for the good seeds. This week, the Pope Benedict will definitely plant the seeds by challenging the youth to go beyond themselves and be persons for others - to do something for the world and to their own respective country. Sufferings, poverty, war, ecological problem, and hopelessness are universal experience but also hope, faith, and love.

At a certain stage, we do need to convince our youth that the seed is already there… that they have the potential to love and go beyond themselves. But part of convincing them is to trust them, let them be, and allow them to be more responsible persons. Let them be themselves after giving them the right Christian values to uphold. Then we will see wonders and miracles in our lives.

The call of our gospel for today is to be like the generous sower. He did not hesitate to throw the precious seeds to the field. He knows well that some seeds will surely go to the rocks and be wasted but he knows also that some seeds will surely fall to the good grounds and bear much fruit. That’s part of the whole planting process. As parents, teachers, and leaders, we are called not to hesitate to throw generous amount of hope, faith and love to our youth – to trust them and let them be more responsible, let them be bearers of hope and keepers of faith. Let’s allow them to grow in Christian maturity. We may experience small failures in the process, but we will surely gain more than what we have given. The secret is to trust them and let them be themselves.
Saint Ignatius gave us a beautiful advice in his Prayer for Generosity: “Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous” … like the sower.

Coming Home

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 11:25-30


For almost two weeks now, an inter-island ship in the Philippines, MV Princes of the Stars sunk near Romblon province and carrying more than 800 passengers. Everybody prayed for more survivors but unfortunately, less than 200 survived from this tragedy. On its first few days, the families of the passengers were all praying that their father, mother, children, relatives and friends were able to survive. But after week, they changed their prayers. They just want to find the body of their loved ones. They want to them to be found and bring them home for a descent burial. They want them home.

A friend of mine, after staying for more than 8 years in Blacktown, Sydney, have decided to go home and visit his family and relatives in Bohol. For the Boholanos, when their town feast comes, all roads lead to Bohol. They want to go home.

When all of us are tired and weary from all our works...when everything seems falling apart ... we want to go home and just spend some quality moments with our families. Home is where we are true to ourselves and where we find solace in this difficult world. Home is when one is truly welcomed and accepted without any condition and prejudices.

The word home in Pilipino, the language in the Philippines is “Tahanan” which means “Tahan na” … and can be translated “Wipe away your tears... Do not be afraid. I am here beside you”

Our gospel for today is call for us to go home and return to God, Our Father when Jesus said. “Come to me all of you who are tired and heavy burden, and I will give you rest.” We have sailed and journeyed a lot in this world called life. And that’s part of our life and or our being, but we need to rest also once in a while for us to know that all our journeys should lead us to God. There is a God who sees us in all our journeys and who sees all our sufferings and tears. He is just waiting for our return. And for us to realize that a journey without God is lonely and meaningless journey. We need God in our journey because we are part of God’s family.

I realized that in all my journeys outside the Philippines, the first thing that I want to do is to find a Filipino family or community. I feel happy every time I hear somebody talking in our native language. In spite of my love for Japanese and French food, I feel happier to eat Filipino food. I feel home away from home and all my fears in any foreign land disappear.

Surely, we are all citizens of heaven, God the Father is our real Father and heaven is our real destiny. But we are not yet there, we are still journeying and this wonderful world God has created for us. But the challenge being posted by our Gospel for today is our family our “little heaven away from Heaven?” Coming from a very tiring work or busy school schedule, are we excited to go home everyday because our home is place of tranquillity and love, where all my fears, tiredness, and hopelessness ceases?

Today, we begin the MAGIS 08 Immersion Program all over Australia in preparation for the World Youth Day Celebration with Pope Benedict, the Father of the Church. The Chatswood Parish here in Sydney welcomes all the participants, especially the Germans, Irish and Singaporeans. We hope that this community will allow you to feel that this is your home away from home for the next 7 days. Let’s journey together as one family and experience God from one another as we share our life, time and talents together. We pray that our stay here in Sydney be a moment of knowing God in our midst and resting in his loving presence with one another. For the Magis participants, “Maligayang Pagdating … Welcome Home.”