My pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2002
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During the week of World Youth Day I, along with hundreds of others from around
the globe became a pilgrim. In my earlier years I always associated pilgrims with the
Mayflower. As I have grown older I have discovered pilgrims who have endured all
sorts of hardships in order to reach their destination be it a hill, shrine, or some other
place of significant meaning.
Our pilgrimage was to see the Hoy Father in Toronto who had called the youth of
the world there for a meeting to give us encouragement and nourishment. Like
pilgrims of old we endured many hardships in order to arrive at our destination. Our
hardships began the day we made the choice to go to Toronto. We began to endure
the sacrifices necessary to fund the journey. We endured the ridicule from
unbelieving friends, co-workers, and the media. During the week of World Youth Day
we walked miles upon miles on feet that had blisters on blisters. We endured very
little sleep and still smaller portions of food. Blazing heat and stifling humidity greeted
us throughout our stay. Rain, bugs, poison ivy, and mud were our reward for
camping on the ground in order to receive Jesus in the Eucharist during Mass on
Sunday. So many hardships were endured for the opportunity to celebrate our faith
with the successor of St. Peter, John Paul II. Our hardships were nothing compared
to others who risked their very lives to go on this pilgrimage.
On Saturday and Sunday I began to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Too
often during our journey members of the diocese had decided to take shortcuts and
do things to cheat the system. For example, many of us took the subway to the
gathering place instead of walking one of the pilgrim routes. I followed blindly for a
time but Christ began to work in my heart. He reminded me that He did not take
shortcuts when He was on pilgrimage here on earth. Sunday after Mass with the
Holy Father, determined to make up in my body the sufferings I had skipped earlier in
the week, I separated myself from the group. It was an easy task in a crowd of
close to one million. As I walked the pilgrim route alone I thought often of Our Lord.
I thought of how his feet must have been blistered and bloody as mine were now
after close to fifty miles during the week. I thought of how His shoulder must have
hurt from the weight of the cross as mine did now from the weight of my backpack
and gear. Like Him I walked a long unfamiliar road. I too was thirsty, hungry, and
tired. Instead of looking for shortcuts like many ahead of me were doing I
determined to finish my walk no matter the cost. Like St. Paul I was determined to
run a good race. Although I could never see the end because of the hills, valleys, and
curves I kept faith that it was there somewhere. I continued onward offering and
uniting my sufferings to Christ for those in the body of Christ, the Church, who refuse
to suffer and take the shortcuts in life.
On this pilgrimage to Toronto I realized that I have been on a pilgrimage since the
day I was born. Toronto merely allowed me to step back and see the whole and not
just the moment I am living in.
We are all on pilgrimage. We are strangers and sojourners in a strange land. We
are on our journey to the Father and the heavenly Jerusalem. Though we cannot see
our goal we must travel on in faith. We must endure the hardships of our pilgrimage
and see them as gifts. The miles we walk are steps that bring us that much closer to
our Holy Father who is in Heaven. The blisters will heal. The heat we endure will
disappear in the shade of the shadow of His wings, the shadow of the Cross. The
rain of this life reminds us to wash ourselves of earthly desires and renew our
baptismal promises. Our hunger and thirst will only be satisfied and quenched at the
heavenly banquet and until then we must eat the bread from heaven given to us by
God in this vast desert wilderness, Jesus in the Eucharist, to sustain us on our
pilgrimage.
We are all on pilgrimage but because of free will we can all ride the subway. We
cannot cheat God but we can cheat ourselves. Only by following Christ will we arrive
at the destination he has prepared for us. On our pilgrimage we must look to the
saints who have walked the path before us for inspiration and we must remember
that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on.
We must also look behind us every now and then and shout encouragement to those
behind us making their own pilgrimage.
There is great un-harnessed power in redemptive suffering available for us and
others on our pilgrimage. We must not take shortcuts. We must carry our cross/
backpack and press on. We are called to do so by Christ and gently reminded by
the example of our Holy Father Pope John Paul II who is on the road ahead of us.
He leads by example and continues to turn and shout encouragement to us as we all
travel closer and closer to our goal, Jesus.
James M. Hahn - August 3rd, 2002 3am