One of my Vice-Presidents for the Catholic Student Association at my college is over at World Youth Day. Stephanie Prisland is blogging about her experience:
August 16, 2011: A rough start to a great beginning
This morning started off with breakfast at a cafe that we will continue to eat at the rest of the week. It was churros and coffee…strong, strong coffee. And then it was off to tour the city. My ankle was still pretty swollen. The thought of going on another bus ride concerned me.
Madrid is an old city consisting of thousands of stories only resembled through the architecture. Many battles, decisions, and restorations later, Madrid has become a hotspot for people to travel to. It was only 2 hours of explanation, but we all felt like our tour guide was very informative of the history of Madrid. My favorite stop was the one at the bull fighting stadium.
The only thing left on the itinerary for the day was the opening Mass. We left more than 2 hours prior to the Mass to get a decent spot in the Plaza de Cibeles. When we got there, we picked out a spot that was not yet crowded, but it was extremely far from the altar. A few people from the group decided that it would be cooler if we could sit closer. So, we moved up. We picked a spot that was very crowded, and I think we all knew at that point that it was going to be an interesting Mass. We couldn’t see the altar still. This time it was because there was a wall-like structure in front of the altar. but we knew we were close!
As we waited, the people got closer and closer to us, making us more and more uncomfortable. People walking through the crowds, started to split our group up to get to the other side. We were afraid that we would lose part of our group. It became a feud to try to tell people to walk around. Personally, I did not participate in this. I was trying to keep my head on straight about why I was here at this Mass. It was hard to because not only were the people trying to get under your skin, but it was hot as blazes out there. You would think that at a Catholic event you wouldn’t have the difficulty of fighting with others, but I found it to almost be a prime place for it. Aside from this, a gypsy woman started to stalk our group and even touch some of us on the shoulder or our pockets. It was frightening. And I couldn’t forget my own personal problem that my ankle was causing me. From across the group, I noticed some of the girl start to say the Rosary. I prayed with them as much as I could because I felt like this was the best I could do. What’s better than to pray to God in your moment of fear?
When the Mass finally started, the Archbishop of Madrid presided. Of course, I didn’t really understand anything, but I still knew where we were in the Mass (like I said before: same Mass, different language). When it came time for Communion, we were unable to get to receive. We tried to get to a priest, but decided to just leave after that. We were all frustrated and tired.
Somehow, in the middle of it all, I was informed that if my ankle did not get better that I might have to sit out the Vigil. I was able to control myself until I heard that. All I could think of then was “I can’t let the devil win. He’s trying to stop me from serving God. I won’t let him win. I can’t.”
By the end of it all, I realized how much influence evil has on our world. This day was rough, and it definitely is clear to me that we are still a struggling people. But if we all continue to try our best and continue to gather in union with the Church, how can we go wrong for eternity? One day we will understand what it all means, and I am excited for that day!
No comments:
Post a Comment