Scottish Catholic Observer

Thankfully, Madrid woke up to a clearer sky this morning. I made my way back into Cuatro Vientos airfield around 9.15am, just as the Holy Father was completing his tour of the field and making his way on to the altar to celebrate WYD’s closing Mass. Once again, it was an amazing feeling to be present amongst the complete silence as everyone prepared for the beginning of the Mass. The whole park rising as one for the beautifully sung Gospel Acclimation was another very powerful moment.

In his homily, the Pope invited young people to ‘give a bold witness to Christian living’ to their friends, as they begin their journeys home from Madrid. “In this way, you will give birth to new Christians and will help the Church grow strongly in the hearts of many others,” the Pope said. He also reminded the young people, reiterating one of his earlier calls, ‘do not keep Christ to yourself’ and ‘share with others the joy of your Faith.’ (Read in full at http://sconews.co.uk/news/11544/pope-benedicts-xvi-wyd-homily/)

At the end of this morning’s Mass, Pope Benedict officially announced that the next international WYD celebrations will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in two years time. Although this was already widely known, it did not stop the many Brazilians in the crowd enjoying the moment. As they danced and waved their flags, the Brazilian pilgrims gracefully accepted the applause of their fellow pilgrims. I am sure they will not disappoint when it comes to putting on a fitting celebration in 2013.

As tiredness begins to set in I suppose it is a clear sign that six days of WYD celebrations are drawing to a close. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Madrid, which has been a fantastic host city, and I hope you have all enjoyed reading my blog updates half as much as I have enjoyed writing them. It has been a privilege to join so many young people from so many parts of the world in celebrating our Faith together and everyone will leave with so many great memories of their time in Madrid.

It had been mentioned at Tuesday’s WYD opening Mass, by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, that Faith is possible in today’s society, but he acknowledged that Europe is showing signs of being ‘very lost.’ It is, therefore, up to us, the young people of this continent, to bring the Pope’s messages from WYD alive in our day-to-day lives as best we can. We must also remember his words: ‘Do not be ashamed of the Lord,’ and ‘share with others the joy of your Faith.’

Viva el Papa!