THE SILVERSMITH COLLECTIVE
  • Home
    • About
  • Blog
  • Team
    • Speakers
  • THE COASTER - CATHOLIC PODCAST

To be blessed

7/30/2016

Comments

 
A few weeks ago Karen and I were talking about what it would be like to live north of the Arctic Circle. Karen is somewhat solar powered and the thought of the difficulties that months of darkness would cause her were pretty significant, but after a few moments of imagining the long winter night, the conversation turned to what the spring would be like. Each day getting a little longer, heading to the perpetual daylight of summer. We talked about how the summer would be amazing, but that it just wouldn't be the same as the building relief heading towards the days of the midnight sun.
 
That's what WYD has been like for me. Each day has been filled with blessings and experiences that in and of themselves are awesome. The cathedral carved into the salt mines, being blessed by relics of St. JPII, celebrating together with the other Canadians with relics of 5 Saints, including JPII, Sr. Faustina, and Maximilian Kolbe, a prayer service with 18000 Americans lead musically by Steve Angrisano, Sarah Hart, John Angotti, and Tony Melendez, adoration and an amazing talk by Bishop Robert Barron, seeing the blood stained cassock JPII was wearing when he was shot, praying before the original image of Divine Mercy and receiving reconciliation, welcoming Pope Francis to Kraków, the beautiful artistic meditations at the stations of the cross, praying before the relics of Pier Giorgio Frassati and receiving a relic from the Dominicans… and that list doesn't include Days in the Diocese!
Picture
As amazing as all these experiences have been, they have been separated by experiences of great difficulty. On Tuesday we spent hours trying to find food after the opening ceremonies. On Wednesday we were pressed, pushed, shoved, and overheated by throngs of pilgrims, and had to deal with the jarring mentality of ‘me first’ that seems inevitable of an uncontrolled mob trying to push their way to the front of a ‘line’ (I use that term very loosely) only moments after an hour and a half of peaceful meditation and reconciliation. On Thursday we waited for hours in the rain for the vigil, and of course today, during the vigil we've been hiding from the sun however we can along with 1,000,000+ others while we wait for the Pope.
 
Please don't get me wrong, these aren't complaints (and you WYD veterans, I know you have stories of what I'm sure were even more trials in other years). As difficult as much of this trip has been, especially for a not - really youth who likes solitude a lot more than crowds, the challenges and suffering have only increased the blessings. Having received mercy, I immediately had the chance to practice it in the mob at the Divine Mercy Sanctuary. The hour of peace and tranquility with the relics of Pier Giorgio were so much more peaceful because they were also an escape from the heat and the crowds. The waiting in the heat and rain has made the main events and national celebrations that much more exciting, kind of like how the waiting for Christmas morning is a defining part of the experience, or that first cold beer after a few days in the backcountry is the best and most refreshing one you've ever had.
 
So much as our discussion of how an experience of Arctic spring would be diminished without the darkness of the Arctic winter, the challenges frame, and ultimately add great meaning to the blessings. It seems especially fitting in this year of mercy to reflect on this. This year especially we are being called to be the rest at the end of the long walk, the tarp that shades the sunstroke, and the cold beer that relieves the weary traveller at the end of a hard journey. 

- Ryan Fox
Comments
    Follow

    Categories

    All
    Catholic Education
    Catholic Education Podcast
    Catholic Parenting
    Dating & Relationships
    Guest Articles
    Homilies
    Podcasts
    Product Reviews
    Real Life Faith
    SSC Announcements
    Videos
    World Meeting Of Families 2015
    World Youth Day 2016
    Youth Ministry

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Contributors

    Subscribe Today!

    RSS Feed

    Follow
The Silversmith Collective
Main
Home
About Us
Contributors
Blog
Resources
Blog
Videos
Catholic Education
​Catholic Education Podcast
Podcasts
Speakers
​The Coaster - Catholic Podcast
Inquiries
Book A Speaker
Submit Products for Review
Collaborate

Social
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Instagram
​Pinterest
Tumblr
YouTube

Top Catholic Blogs
Catholic Bloggers Network
Blog Directory & Business Pages - OnToplist.com
© SilversmithCollective.com 2018 |  A Catholic New Media Collective Answering the Call of the New Evangelization  |  All Rights Reserved.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Rod Waddington, EssamSaad, mikecogh, Robert Cheaib - Theologhia.com, mikecogh, Robert Cheaib - Theologhia.com, Robert Cheaib - Theologhia.com, Aramisse
  • Home
    • About
  • Blog
  • Team
    • Speakers
  • THE COASTER - CATHOLIC PODCAST