The pilgrimage has begun - World Youth Day 2013, Rio de Janiero, Brazil

One year and two days ago, we had our first meeting with potential pilgrims for this year's World Youth Day.  It's amazing to think that we've been planning and preparing for this pilgrimage for over one year now!  And, although we haven't gotten on a plane yet, and we still have a long way to go until the actual event, the pilgrimage has definitely begun.

Pilgrimages are intended to help the pilgrim reflect on the fact that their entire life is a pilgrimage.  We are always journeying from the unholy "world" to holy Heaven.  And so our pilgrimage is to reflect that journey.  We are to leave our comfortable homes and travel to a holy place.  And what holy place are we traveling towards in World Youth Day?  We are going to Mass, which is a sampling of Heaven itself!  

Of course, we aren't going to any ordinary Mass.  We are going to Mass with thousands - NO! millions - of Catholics from all over the world!  And who will celebrate that Mass with us?  The Pope, of course!  A modern day apostle.  That is quite a pilgrimage!

Now, the pilgrimage doesn't start once we get on a plane, or once we start the walk to the site where vigil and Mass will be held.  It begins once a person has decided to go, or, rather, once that person has responded to God's call for them to go with a "yes!"  It takes a great deal of faith, trust, and work just to get on that plane that will take us part way around the world to Rio de Janiero, Brazil!  We have to trust that God will show us a way to get the money to go.  We have to trust that our passports will be delivered safely to the Brazilian consulate to get our travel visas, and that it will be returned promptly and safely back to us!  We have to trust that we will be able to pack everything that we need (and that the things that we can't pack due to space issues aren't really needed), and that all of our luggage will arrive safely.  We have to trust that we will have safe travel, and that we won't get sick while we are there. We believe that God is in control.  We have faith that He is good!  And if we do all that we are supposed to do (all that He asks of us, that is), we will arrive at our destination, and experience His love in ways we can only imagine right now!

The hard part of OUR journey to World Youth Day is complete.  All of the money is turned in, passports and visas have been obtained.  Plane tickets are on their way.  The rest of the preparations are more for convenience than necessity.  Soon, we will be on our way to Rio de Janiero, Brazil.  But more importantly, we will be on our way to Heaven!

The 375 invites we sent out to parishioners, to invite them to attend World Youth Day with us!