Our Sweet Christ on Earth

This April, several students from Vandy+Catholic went on a mini-pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. and New York City to see our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, during his historic Apostolic journey to the United States. Thanks to some dedicated planners and luck with getting tickets, we had the privilege to send students to the Papal Mass at Nationals Stadium in D.C. and the Youth Rally at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, NY. We quickly got used to intricate travel plans, waiting in line, standing for hours outside in the sun, getting lost on the subway—all your classic assets of a true pilgrimage!

Having been personally present at the Youth Rally, it was so fun to travel with some of my closest friends, all leading up to an absolutely incredible encounter with the Vicar of Christ on earth, Pope Benedict XVI. There were two amazing things about this day. First: how truly unbelievable it was to be in presence of "our sweet Christ on earth," as St. Catherine of Siena called him. His presence! You could feel the hope of Christ pouring from his heart as he spoke, as he smiled, as he laughed, looking out on us like a proud grandfather as we screamed "Benedetto!" and "we love you Papa!" with great affection to our Chief Shepherd. The Holy Father's words penetrated so deeply into my soul, calling us to a life of "opting-in" through the authentic freedom bestowed upon us by Truth Himself: the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might "be drawn into Christ's very being for others." Pope Benedict spoke to us cor ad cor loquitur, heart speaks to heart. It was profoundly intimate.

Yet, the other wondrous thing about the day was to be in community, among 30,000 of my generation, who were inflamed with love for Christ and His Church—a generation tired of a watered-down, relativistic view of faith and of Catholicism; a generation ready to rise up, stand for Truth, and tell the world the reason for the hope that is within us. Present at the rally were hundreds of America's seminarians, our future priests: all young, excited, and ready to change the world. Most of them were in cassocks, even in the intense heat of the day. We asked one if he was hot in his cassock; he replied that he was offering his discomfort to the Holy Father! It was such a beautiful example of the future of our Church, ready to offer our every detail of our lives for our Dear Lord and the benefit of His Kingdom.

It was a great joy to be among the Mystical Body of Christ: both in its members of our fired-up generation and the Vicar of its Head, our dear Papa!

"Dear friends, truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One who never fails us; the One whom we can always trust. In seeking truth we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ. That is why authentic freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in; nothing less than letting go of self and allowing oneself to be drawn into Christ’s very being for others." ~Pope Benedict XVI