This past week in Poland, thousands of youth came together for World Youth Day. If you don't know what WYD is, it is an event for young people organized by the Roman Catholic Church. It is a time where youth from all over the world come together to pray and talk about Our Lord. You come together and celebrate Mass, praise, and worship, and you get to do all of this with the Pope. World Youth Day was started by Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul II, in 1985 and since then the number of youth in attendance has only grown. It was said that there were 1.6 million people in attendance at the 2016 WYD which just took place from July 25th to July 31st. So why does everyone continue to say that the youth don't have any concern for the Church today or that we can't make a difference in this world today? I'm here to tell you that 1.6 million people can make a difference and the youth of the Church today are stronger than ever.
Pope Francis was in attendance at World Youth Day and he had a lot to say to the youth of the Church, but it was not only directed toward them. At the final mass on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke to the crowd and told them that "God demands of us real courage, the courage to be more powerful than evil, by loving everyone, even our enemies.People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centered or small-minded,"
After hearing these words, I feel called to think about what our world looks like today. Our world is plagued with violence and murder. It is filled with terrorism and destruction. It is filled with war and poverty. But it is also filled with people who care about these issues. It is filled with the 1.6 million people from all over the world who attended World Youth Day. It is filled with hearts that are on fire for Jesus and hands that want to go out into the community and make a difference. It is filled with people from all nations who want peace and love in the hearts of all people today.
People of all races, nationalities, and backgrounds came together for a week with one thing in common. Most didn't speak the same language as the person next to them at Mass, but one common thing united everyone in Poland; love. The love for Jesus and the love for one another united the 1.6 million people in attendance. It united them there and it will continue to unite us all as they all return home and share what they learned with their family and friends
The Church is not dead and I see a revival coming with the amount of youth who are on fire with the love of God. I see awakenings and worship coming from all parts of the world and a cease of hatred. I pray that youth have the courage to go out and be powerful and loving to everyone, just as Pope Francis called us to be. The youth of the Church are on fire and are going out into the world to make it a better place and as a youth of the Catholic Church, I can feel the love and peacefulness of the Church today.
