Arriving at the Madrid airport, I felt my spirit rise at the sight of the thousands of young Catholics. Many were wearing World Youth Day T-shirts and holding banners. I met so many people while waiting for the bus that would take us to the Youth Arise International (YAI) festival in Gibraltar.
YAI, a three-day festival was a one of a kind experience. The Mass, adoration, talks, and praise and worship were amazing. It was also a good primer for what was to come next. After YAI in Gibraltar, we went back to Madrid for WYD. One of the greatest blessings I had was being able to participate in the opening Mass, celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI. The next few days were filled with morning catechesis, spirit-spirit filled subway rides, long walks through Madrid, and much joy and laughter. The catechesis, which was a great learning experience, took up the first half of the day and we occupied our evenings with sightseeing and absorbing Spanish culture.
The morning of August 20th, we made our way to the Cuatro Vientos Air Base, where the vigil and final Mass was held. It was amazing to see Catholics from all over the world walking together with their national flags. The surrounding roads within 2 km were closed, and we walked for two hours in the 104-degree heat to get to our allocated sites. It was the hottest day in Spain in 2011. Relief came in the form of fire trucks that sprayed us with cool water, while we relaxed and let ourselves be soaked by the large hoses. We reached our spot and set up camp, which consisted of tarpaulin and sleeping bags, singing songs and chatting while waiting for the Pope to arrive.
After a while, there was a commotion as people raced toward the partitions that separated each site: “He’s coming!” people shouted. The pope’s arrival was followed by the rain… a rain which quickly escalated to the level of a full out storm. The ground which only hours ago was so dry to the point of looking baked was muddy, and the nice layout became a mass of people huddling together to shield themselves from the storm. Still people continued to sing and smile and praise God. A few minutes after everything stopped, and among the cheers of the crowd, the pope cried out, “Young people, thank you for your joy! Thank you for your resistance! Your strength is greater than the rain!”
Every moment of WYD, from the amazing adoration to the standing with a million Catholics from all over the world in a rainstorm, was incredible. There are no words that can truly express what was going on at all levels, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and the joy that came with it. I can only encourage everyone to experience it for themselves.
