"Take a picture in your mind....and remember..."

So it's been almost a week since we returned from the Land Down Under.....I've recovered from my jet-lag, told my stories, and posted my pictures on Facebook.....in pretty much all respects, the pilgrimage is over.....and yet very much is still with me. I'm reminded of Bishop Flores' words at the end of the Detroit Mass. He said "Many of you are taking pictures on your cameras, but I also want you to take a picture in your mind, of all that goes on this week.....and remember!" (Star Trek pose...) I took his words to heart.....and this is what my picture would look like....

My picture is of thousands of youth from countries across the world, marching through the streets waving their respective flags, praying and singing out loud, cheering, hugging and high-fiving each other, united in faith.....it's of camping out on a cold and windy night and rising in the morning to celebrate Mass in the middle of a racetrack, praying with as much fervor as if I were in a cathedral.....it's of beautiful scenes of Australian cities and countryside and the smiling hospitality of everyone we met....it's of my 8 beloved brothers and sisters in Christ journeying with me, all of us sharing buses, boats, trains, planes, adventures, jokes, prayers, and songs.....it's of the overwhelming grace and power of the Holy Spirit that was poured out, and a change in my own heart, as God showed me things that I sort of knew all along but needed to go away to really see.


So I'm back home, things are "back to normal," and World Youth Day is over for another 3 years. But, as the Holy Father said, this is just the beginning of the mission. I do feel like a part of me is permanently changed, and I'm just a little bit stronger, happier, and more ready to "be a witness" in every part of my life. I hope and pray that this experience will be a jump-start to a closer walk with God, and that all the seeds that were sown will bear fruit one hundredfold....for me and for everyone who took part in the pilgrimage. So goodnight all, God bless, and REMEMBER!:)
~Anna