World Youth Day-2011-Hope From The Young

I looked in the secular press this morning and yesterday morning and in the two New York newspapers I read there was not an article, not even a small one in international news about World Youth Day. In today's Sunday NY Times, not a word (unless it was so small I missed it!) That's puzzling to me. A million or more young people from 193 countries from around the world gather in Madrid, Spain for an event and not a word. Incredible! On the front page of the Sunday NY Times there's a photograph of the turmoil in Libya, (a depressing photograph),which is, of course, important news, but not a word about one million young people gathering in peace to demonstrate faith, peace and hope. It's absurd that one million young people gathering in Spain is not news, (to some editors) no one should know about it, unless you read a Catholic newspaper, visit a Catholic website or blog or watch Catholic television??

On a more joyful note, I've been watching EWTN's coverage of World Youth Day and of Pope Benedict in Spain meeting and praying with the young pilgrims and I have been uplifted by their faith and joy. Smiling, faith-filled, joyful young people waving flags, jumping for joy and having a good time expressing their faith was cause for hope. I was particularly moved when I participated (from home) in the solemn praying of the Stations of the Cross on Friday evening. It was very moving. When the marginalized young people, with disabilities, picked up the cross and carried it so reverently I was moved to tears. (I noticed a young man with Down's Syndrome carrying the Cross so proudly, it was touching.)

It seems to me the Church gets this so right, WYD is planned with precision and it's amazing to watch it unfold thousands of miles away. What a great, inspiring Catholic event this is. This is something the Church can be proud of.

John Allen in an article called these faith-filled young people-Evangelical Catholics. I don't doubt that the future Church rests on their shoulders and others like them. Most have traveled from all parts of the globe, they are withstanding heat, discomfort and even a rainstorm on Saturday night. And still they wave their flags, they pray, and smile while giving a positive witness to us all.

From what I've observed so far on TV and from the blog posts I've read, these young people have given me hope, not only me but I'm sure all the bishops, priests, nuns and laypeople who are there as well. And of course the Pope himself. These young people are filled with the light of Christ, I'm grateful for their enthusiasm and faith. God Bless them all!

Seeing you gathered here in such great numbers, from all parts of the world, fills my heart with joy. I think of the special love with which Jesus is looking upon you. Yes, the Lord loves you and calls you His friends. He goes out to meet you and He wants to accompany you on your journey, to open the door to a life of fulfillment and to give you a share in His own closeness to the Father"..........Pope Benedict-Closing Mass-WYD-2011

**Update-Finally, on Monday, Aug. 22nd an article appeared in the New York Times about World Youth Day!

Parade of Fools-Believing in the May 21st Date

I was in Westbury, Long Island on Sunday afternoon and a parade of vans, cars and buses passed me on Old Country Road covered with signs and posters warning of the end of the world on May 21st, which happens to be this Saturday. I have to say they were getting attention. I've already written a blog entry titled, May 21st-The End of the World? Not! which explains why I think this whole thing is ridiculous, as do most others. These false warnings and the amount of media coverage they've received is absurd. I don't blame the media for covering the story. Yet, I'm concerned that this misleading, frightening information about the world coming to an end beginning with a catastrophic earthquake, is being placed on billboards, where it upsets and confuses people and disturbs children. All the money that is being wasted on this end time campaign could have been used for better purposes. Perhaps Harold Camping will one day acknowledge that before God. I imagine he'll be on his knees when he does so.

At a Communion Party I attended on Saturday, someone asked me what I thought about this latest apocalyptic scare. "I'm not worried," was my response. Firstly I said, "When the Pope tells me that things don't look good and we're in for some rough times and perhaps living through the end times, then I'll start to worry. Until then, I'm not concerned." Someone at the table, (who happens to be Jewish and related to me through marriage) replied, "I agree with that!" Of course it says in the Bible, that no one knows the day or hour of the end of this world as we know it or Jesus' return in glory. As one professor pointed out, "If Jesus didn't know the date of his return, when he was questioned about it, why would Harold Camping have that information? Does Harold Camping know more than Jesus?" Of course not! What I find fascinating is how many people believe in this absurd warning and feel they have to join this "movement", and invest large sums of money in it. Camping has done this before and incorrectly chosen an apocalyptic date on which nothing happened.

There is a website I found titled, "Refute Camping," which you can check out. I don't understand why he was able to put up billboards of this type. I think it's wrong that he was "allowed" to pay to put up this type of inflammatory, frightening, misleading information which makes people nervous. That doesn't make sense to me. Why should he be allowed to mislead the public, because of his erroneous thinking and calculations?

The Church should realize that next year in the year 2012 these end time scenarios and warnings will be everywhere. The Church should address this and help people deal with all these end time scares, as children are talking about this stuff and it's unnerving some of them. Some people are taking the 2012 date more seriously. People are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the building of underground shelters and making millions selling "equipment" and life saving gear for the end time.

NJA

Writing, The Heat and Celestine

Today I did something I've always wanted to do, but was too busy to make time for. It was the first day of a creative writing course I'm taking at a local university. The last time I took a creative writing course was in high school. I'm hoping to deepen my creativity and get motivated to spend more time writing each day. The classroom was air-conditioned or it would have been unbearable. It was a hellish day in New York City and the suburbs. Was it really 104 degrees? It certainly felt that hot. 

I read with interest an online article by David Gibson at Politics Daily titled, "Pope Pondering Resignation? Benedict Visits Tomb of Pontiff Who Stepped Down." Everyone knows Pope Benedict would never step down (unless God suggested it, which is highly unlikely). The Pope has no reason to step down in my humble opinion, but I read the article because it's an interesting question. And I was fascinated to read that Pope St. Celestine V was canonized a saint, even though he did resign from the papacy in the year 1294. He was Pope for only five months.  Pope Benedict visited his tomb recently in central Italy, on the 800th anniversary of Celestine's birth and spoke about his holiness and his love of silence, before a crowd of 25,000 people. He didn't mention that Pope Celestine resigned from the papacy.

Pope Benedict did mention the following which I think is very important, "Silence became the element that characterized his daily life. And it is precisely in external silence, but above all in internal silence, that he succeeded in perceiving God's voice, a voice that was able to guide his life."

I love quiet and solitude, I've developed an appreciation for it, over the years. It's a great vehicle to holiness as many spiritual writers suggest.  Christian meditation and contemplative prayer are deep, fruitful and healing forms of prayer. 

I can see why Celestine didn't think the demands of the papacy were for him. It's a very demanding position as is being a Cardinal or Bishop. I'm glad the Church canonized Celestine even though he resigned from the papacy. Sometimes we have to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and walk in "darkness" for a while and then God lights the way. Celestine had previously been a hermit, he probably spent many hours in contemplative prayer and quiet, and I would guess he yearned to go back to that peaceful life.

NJA