World Youth Day 2008

I was blessed to have been asked to accompany a group of youth from the United States of America to the 2008 World Youth Day held in Australia. In all the years of my Priesthood it is not often that I have had so many opportunities to BE A PRIEST!

There are aspects of the Priesthood that have a certain preeminence, First and foremoast the Celebration of the Holy Mass, (The Confection of the Holy Eucharist), bringing the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Living Jesus Christ to those who seek to know and love Him. To actually Con-Celebrate The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass with our Beloved Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI beckons the heart to the very dispositions of Christ, Priest and Victim, moving us to a humble awareness of the great gift that we Priests have been given of being an "Alter Christus", an "Other Christ".

Second only to the Mass, is the Reconciliation of the people of God, The Sacrament of "Confession". So many of the Priests I met, were overjoyed, not only to be a part of such a magnificent and life changing event, but having the opportunity to fulfill their Vocation by bringing the Peace of FORGIVENESS to so many souls, it was almost overwhelming!

While hearing confessions, often times into the early hours of the morning, just the knowledge that thier sins were not only forgiven, but forgotten moved many of the youthful penitents to tears of joy, and I must confess I saw many Priests moved as well.

World Youth Day is so much greater than the individual stories of conversion and fervor that are almost countless in number. The real miracle is the fact that our Beloved Holy Father Benedict XVI could draw so many youth from all continents of the earth to gather in one mind and one heart, that One Faith, One Church, One Spirit could witness to the world with such force and irresistibility the Truths of the Holy Gospel.

What are the Fruits of World Youth Day? Well, our youth are our future, they are the very hope of the Church and the World. For our Youth to experience the compassion of the Church, for them to know the forgiveness and Mercy of God our most Loving and Affectionate Father, is absolutely essential if they are to ever see the world in its proper perspective.

In this day and age, there are so many political liberal leaders as well as many so called "teachers" who seek to convince our youth that thier "salvation" comes not from God, but from a humanistic view of life. The "self" becomes, according to the progressive liberal agenda, the all encompassing purpose of exestence. Helping others has value because it "feels good" or they even goes so far as to try to convince us that Government must take the place of Religion thus mandating how we are to live as a people dedicated not to God but rather to the state. What ever happened to doing good simply because it is good?

Sometimes I wonder, why is it that politicians seem to have success mostly when they promise to feed us or to insure us from cradle to grave, even dictating who gets the right to live and die, based on ones usefulness or productivity!

Even our very principles and work ethic have suffered at the hands of so many who seem to foster class warfare rather than the unity of this great Nation. Why should anyone expect those who have struggled to make a life for themselves, once thy have achieved thier goals, to give what they have earned to those who have not?

Is not Charity a Virtue? Is it not something that we as individuals should strive to achieve? Is it really the job of the government to force us to give? Is that the kind of society we want? Was that the intention of our forefathers who established this great Country on Christian Principles? Should we be forced into a secularistic goodness? There is no virtue in "having to give", it is only in the true and free expression charity that it has its value. There was a time in this Country when people refused any kind of "hand out" simply because they had human pride, the dignity of working for the bread thay eat. Even in Sacred Scripture it states that one should earn the bread they eat, that one should be worth thier wages!

World Youth Day brought us back to the very roots of our humanity. It was a cry to People of good faith to re-evaluate what the "world" offers and to see what Christ Jesus offers us through His Passion, Death and Resurrection! It was an invitation to open the "self" to the true Spirit of Christ, not the spirit of Huminism and self indulgence, but to work for a world of self giving and sacrifice, a world that is just and humane, respecting the Rights of the Individual, a world that, imbued with the Love of Christ Crucified can fill the heart and mind of each and every Person with the True Perfection of Love, Divine Love!

World Youth Day was a cry of Love to the world to stand up and be counted as the People of a Loving and Affectionate God. Let us never allow any government to dictate to us the direction that Charity must take, for that is the job and duty of Faith! But what we can do for our Government and Beloved Country is to put those in public office who reflect our "Christian values" and ranther than get in the way of Religion, do what our Constitution mandates, PROTECT OUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION so that we may Profess and practice the Faith of our Founding Fathers, a Faith grounded on the very teachings of Christ our Lord!!