MADRID, August 24, 2011—A Catholic prelate said that the long, tiring and exhausting pilgrimage of the Filipinos who have attended the World Youth Day (WYD) here is part of the graces of the event.
Aware of the inconveniences experienced by Filipino WYD delegates mostly on their accommodation and the effects of the busy WYD schedule in their health, Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon said the pilgrims’ difficult journey is part of the blessings of WYD.
“The pilgrims’ journey is tiring and expensive. But I reminded our pilgrims that the WYD is a part of a very important journey that the Lord wanted our young people to experience. Part of God’s gift is the journey itself,” he said after presiding over the Closing Mass that capped the activities of the ECY-Philippines delegation in Spain.
The chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY), Baylon said “woe” to those who will miss the point of experiencing sore feet because of long walks, aching bodies because of heavy luggage, uncomfortable sleep on floors of classrooms, gyms and sports centers, and uneasy bathing on communal showers.
“It is important for our pilgrims to realize what is their experience for and what is teaching them. The need to help our WYD delegates to process and to fully realize what happened to them during the WYD is the very essence of us holding a re-entry session for them,” he said.
Baylon said Filipinos who attended the WYD has the responsibility to share his faith experiences to his peers in their parishes, schools, communities and in their own families when they return to the Philippines.
“When our pilgrims return, they bring the grace and blessing of the WYD home. This blessing is intended to be shared to their parishes, communities and schools,” he added.
The prelate said those who intend to attend the next WYD in Brazil should not only prepare materially for the pilgrimage but more importantly, be spiritually fit to be sensitive to Gods’ encounter with the youth.
“I am encouraging young Filipinos to join the next WYD in Brazil. I would only remind them that spiritual preparedness is most essential than physical and financial preparedness. In WYD, you will receive an important gift and you have to prepare well for it,” he added. (YouthPinoy)
