Thursday, July 17, 2008

Journey to the Heart of Jesus

Woo hoo....we're halfway through the pilgrimage and I'm finally posting! (Tony, it's your turn now.....;-) I'll try to keep this short since the places we've gone, the adventures we've had, the crazy inside jokes that we've created could fill a lot more than an entry that anyone would want to read in one sitting. So I'll take a bit more spiritual of a turn I guess as I share my testimony of what this trip is meaning for me....

The Cardinal at Catechesis yesterday talked about our identity as beloved sons and daughters of God. He gave a very deep and moving talk on the subject, a lot of which was very meaningful to me, but what struck me most was when he said that this pilgrimage experience should be a "journey into the heart of Jesus....find your dwelling place there as you find God in your own heart." That line spoke to me the most because God has been showing me throughout this trip that it's all about Him and me. I'm not here to see Australia, make friends, or even to see the Pope....I'm here to draw closer to Christ, and throughout this trip He's put a hunger in my heart to know Him more, to be transformed by the Spirit and to let Him consume more and more of who I am. And He's been meeting me as I seek Him. Through the Masses, the prayer, the singing, and the silence, I feel like I am journeying into the Lord's heart....and what have I found there? LOVE. Ever since the WYD events started I've been feeling such a great outpouring of His love into my heart. Even though I already knew it in my head, He's been letting me feel how He does dwell in me and that I belong to Him. As I sit with that, and realize what it means it leads to such peace that I feel like nothing can shake me or ever make me afraid. It brings me so much joy I want to shout from the housetops (or at least sing, dance, and play the maracas in the streets and on the train as my fellow pilgrims would testify ;-) I feel like I'll never be the same, and I keep praying that this experience will transform my life, that I'll never forget this grace, and that I'll only draw closer to God through it.

In other news, the Pope arrived today!! It was sooo cool....we had a great spot where we could see the boat coming in at the harbor, and we could even see Papa Benny on the stage (he was teeeny tiny but we could see him!:) It was so great to be there with all the pilgrims too. The city is completely overtaken by red and yellow backpack-wearing, flag-bearing youth from across the globe, and even though this is kind of a nuisance for the Sydney locals, it is such an awesome experience....everyone is filled with so much joy and enthusiasm.....it's hard to not catch the energy! I've never waved at and high-fived so many perfect strangers in my life!:) But it's so neat because you can feel that here, we're all brothers and sisters. I get a whole new sense of what the Catholic (ie Universal) Church is all about, and I can't help but think that this must be part of what Heaven's like too....to feel such harmony and peace and joy with everybody. It's definitely something to look forward to!:)

OK, well it's time for me to get off my cloud (can you tell I'm on a major spiritual high???) and get to bed. Tomorrow we have catechesis again (and Rakhi, Sandra and I have decided that it's time to bite the bullet and go to Reconciliation, heheh) and then a city-wide Stations of the Cross and a Hillsong concert in the evening (I'm waaay pumped for that!) So goodnight all....I may post again....or just keep bugging Tony to post....either way God bless and peace out!:)
~Anna

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