DREADPILGRIMS: World Youth Day 2008, Pilgrim Report Update, Pope Benedict XVI, Popemobile, Erotic Love, SSA & Theology Of The Body - Live From Sydney

:: Pilgrim Report - The Pope Is Here! ::

During World Youth Day 2008, DREADNOUGHT has featured on-the-ground reports from DREADPILGRIM Greg. As Pope Benedict's time with young people draws to a close, Greg writes the following:

...We began our Thursday with an amazingly powerful, thoroughly insightful catechesis session with the same Archbishop Thomas Collins! What a welcome and pleasant surprise! He lectured on the topic: "The Holy Spirit: Soul of the Church." A scholar of the book of Revelation, he reflected on what it means to be the Church by using the three major symbols of the Church in that book: the lampstand (shining for all to see), the Bride ("the Spirit AND the Bride say, Come!"), and the Heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God.

We are a family, he said, and explained, wonderfully, the intimate link between Spirit and Church by walking through the final section of the Apostle's (and Nicene) Creed: the Church is One (united under the Papacy-- Peter's office of unity), Holy (in a human way-- we must become saintly precisely where we are), Catholic (Universality and the Catholic "and": Faith AND Reason, Faith AND Charity, etc.) and Apostolic (concretely rooted in the past so that the modern "branches" are alive and supported). His homily during Mass... (On) Love of Christ.

He finished his homily with a moving recitation of one of his favorite prayers by St. Francis Xavier, which is worth giving to DREADNOUGHTERS at length:

My God, I love Thee; not because
I hope for Heav'n thereby,
Nor yet because who love Thee not
May eternally die.

Thou, O my Jesus, Thou didst me
Upon the cross embrace;
For me didst bear the nails and spear,
And manifold disgrace.

And griefs and torments numberless,
And sweat of agony;
E'en death itself; and all for man
Who was Thine enemy.

Then why, O blessèd Jesus Christ
Should I not love Thee well?
Not for the hope of winning Heaven,
Nor of escaping hell.

Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Nor seeking a reward,
But as Thyself hast lovèd me,
O everlasting Lord!

E'en so I love Thee, and will love,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Solely because Thou art my God,
And my eternal King.

That afternoon, we headed to Barangaroo to meet the Pope.

We were originally rather pessimistic as to our prospects of seeing the Holy Father on his entrance, seeing as we were in section H4 (which sounds awfully out-of-the-way). But upon arriving, we realized that we had been granted prime Pope-watching real estate. We leaned eagerly on our fence--hoping he would ACTUALLY pass our area. (When queried, each of the many police officers standing in our area unconvincingly mumbled something like "I'm not at liberty to say." Which fed the excitement.)

And, sure enough, the Pope-Mobile approached slowly and surely carrying the successor of Peter himself--in the flesh!--giving me and those around me an even more concrete awareness of our ties with the Redeemer.

His homily was broad and sweeping, clearly laying out the vast world of problems which our generation must face (the current state of the environment, entertainment...), but then delivering the hope that is so characteristic of him: He reminded us that the God of which all of creation speaks is not foreign and distant, but that "God has a human face" and that He loves us! When we realize this in an encounter with Jesus Christ, it cannot help but permeate every facet of our existence. We then become witnesses of the Word which has become flesh.

Thursday and Friday evenings we attended lectures by theologian Christopher West, both strongly grounded in the Theology of the Body. The title of the first lecture was "The Love that Satisfies: An Introduction to Pope Benedict's teaching on Erotic and Divine Love." This lecture and his lecture on Friday, "Male and Female He Redeemed Them: Finding Sexual Redemption in a Pornographic World," are--I'm told-- available via podcast on the World Youth Day networking site Xt3.

Each one was magnificently delivered and incredibly insightful...He mentioned SSA only in passing both nights, but mentioned that SSA could itself be "redeemed," or "untwisted." I got the feeling he was almost saying it could be "cured," but it may have just been me.

Friday was a day of catechesis and prayer. We began with catechesis from Archbishop Mark Coleridge which was rather entertaining. He emphasized that we do not believe in a "Good boy or Good girl Christianity" in which each of us have to simply try harder and harder in order to make it to our Heavenly Reward. Rather, we have to realize that it is God who takes the initiative. He comes down off His "high mountain" and carries us up, becoming bruised and beaten in the process.

We must open ourselves to encountering Him and being touched by Him.

He reminded us that, if you've really met the real Jesus, you'll always be left with a job, a vocation. Any true encounter with Christ sends us outwards, as missionaries, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. In his homily, he beautifully linked this notion to that of martyrdom (Greek for "witness").

We must love Christ with our whole beings, with our whole lives and--if necessary--even shed our blood for His sake.

But in the midst of this, the Archbishop reminded us to "be not afraid!" for Christ has traversed to the utter ends of darkness and of death and has conquered them all! We must trust Him.

The Stations of the Cross were movingly performed. The actors who played Jesus and Mary were spectacular. (And the Roman Guards get a very honorable mention!) The Taize music and the Mozart was lovely, but the spirituals performed--"Were You There" and "Amazing grace"(both which I usually love)--sounded...off. The musical accompaniment and the general demeanor of the singers seemed slightly off-putting seeing as they were singing AS the crucifixion took place. Also of note was the dance performance titled "The Kiss of Judas." It was so dynamic and so expressive of the torments of Judas that it stuck with me for many of the other stations. A very moving piece.

The pilgrims are still in good spirits and full of Joy and enthusiasm, that's for sure...I'm confident that during the vigil on Saturday night that the Holy Father will be able to grip all of our attention and draw us deep within a full, reverent participation in the Mysteries we celebrate.

Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

Pax,

- DREADPILGRIM Greg

:: The Upshot ::

DREADNOUGHTERS everywhere have followed the DREADPILGRIMS' progress. All of us, same sex attracted or otherwise, are united with the Holy Father - as he brings this vast island continent, and the assembled mass of Catholic youth, to its knees before Christ.

:: Resources ::

- Sydney 2008 Home Page;

- USCCB Virtual Pilgrimage;

- DREADNOUGHT on the New York Times "Pope Benedict XVI" topic page;

- DREADNOUGHT speaks to Spanish Pilgrims (in Castellano and English);

- DREADNOUGHT on what to expect from the Holy Father during this visit;

- DREADNOUGHT on the homoactivist behind a priest's complaints about World Youth Day 2008;

- DREADNOUGHT in Sydney's largest newspaper: Benedict XVI is "the Pope the world needs";

- DREADNOUGHT answers questions on "gay" priests and "homogenital acts" for World Youth Day 2008 pilgrims;

- DREADNOUGHT on Triple J national radio on "gay" priests, Catholic teaching, and young, same sex attracted men;

- DREADNOUGHT's media availability, World Youth Day 2008;

and- Pope Benedict XVI, Message For World Youth Day 2008.