Pope Benedict XVI - WYD Prayer Vigil Message (not the full text)

"How can a young person be true to the faith and yet continue to aspire to high ideals in today’s society? In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus gives us an answer to this urgent question: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (Jn 15:9).

Yes, dear friends, God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful. We are not the product of blind chance or absurdity; instead our life originates as part of a loving plan of God. To abide in his love, then, means living a life rooted in faith, since faith is more than the mere acceptance of certain abstract truths: it is an intimate relationship with Christ, who enables us to open our hearts to this mystery of love and to live as men and women conscious of being loved by God.

If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true happiness and joy. Faith does not run counter to your highest ideals; on the contrary, it elevates and perfects those ideals. Dear young people, do not be satisfied with anything less than Truth and Love, do not be content with anything less than Christ.

Nowadays, although the dominant culture of relativism all around us has given up on the search for truth, even if it is the highest aspiration of the human spirit, we need to speak with courage and humility of the universal significance of Christ as the Saviour of humanity and the source of hope for our lives. He who took upon himself our afflictions, is well acquainted with the mystery of human suffering and manifests his loving presence in those who suffer. They in their turn, united to the passion of Christ, share closely in his work of redemption. Furthermore, our disinterested attention towards the sick and the forgotten will always be a humble and warm testimony of God’s compassionate regard.

Dear friends, may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world."

“Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.” (St. Charles de Foucald)

A video from a good friend's facebook :)

Recap of an Italy Pilgrimage (2011)

"And only where God is seen does life truly begin. Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him." (Pope Benedict XVI)

WYD final mass, 8/21/11, Cuantos Vientos Air Base, Madrid

On faith and the person of Christ:

The Gospel we have just heard (cf. Mt 16:13-20) suggests two different ways of knowing Christ. The first is an impersonal knowledge, one based on current opinion. When Jesus asks: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, the disciples answer: “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”. In other words, Christ is seen as yet another religious figure, like those who came before him. Then Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter responds with what is the first confession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Faith is more than just empirical or historical facts; it is an ability to grasp the mystery of Christ’s person in all its depth.

Yet faith is not the result of human effort, of human reasoning, but rather a gift of God: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven”. Faith starts with God, who opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life. Faith does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation. So Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision in his regard. Faith in Christ and discipleship are strictly interconnected.

And, since faith involves following the Master, it must become constantly stronger, deeper and more mature, to the extent that it leads to a closer and more intense relationship with Jesus. Peter and the other disciples also had to grow in this way, until their encounter with the Risen Lord opened their eyes to the fullness of faith.

Dear young people, today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles: “Who do you say that I am?” Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own. Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me”.

Fulltext:http://bluepanjeet.net/2011/08/22/12123/full-text-wyd-2011-madrid-final-mass-homily-of-pope-benedict-xvi/

WYD homily, 8/18/11, Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid

"Dear young people, listen closely to the words of the Lord, that they may be for you “spirit and life” (Jn 6:63), roots which nourish your being, a rule of life which likens us – poor in spirit, thirsting for justice, merciful, pure in heart, lovers of peace – to the person of Christ. Listen regularly every day as if he were the one friend who does not deceive, the one with whom we wish to share the path of life. Of course, you know that when we do not walk beside Christ our guide, we get lost on other paths, like the path of our blind and selfish impulses, or the path of flattering but self-serving suggestions, deceiving and fickle, which leave emptiness and frustration in their wake." (Pope Benedict XVI)

http://bluepanjeet.net/2011/08/20/12071/full-text-pope-benedict-xvis-homily-welcoming-ceremony-plaza-de-cibeles/

‎"I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally...My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath."                                            
                                                                                     -  St. John Vianney                                                                       

The heart of the matter

Narrator: “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?” (Beauty and the Beast)

I may be exaggerating. Probably. But we girls are so hard on ourselves sometimes. Our response may at times resemble that of the beast, “Who could ever love me?”

What is beauty? Society says it means keeping up with the latest fashion trends. Buying overpriced beauty products. It looks at the exterior. Sometimes it almost seems as if beauty is measureable. And girls fall into this way of thinking. They begin comparing one person’s beauty with another’s. We begin to judge others around us and when we see through this lens, we ultimately fail to capture the picture of beauty that God intended when He created us.

We were made for beauty. But not Glamour magazine’s idea of beauty. Beauty is more than skin deep. The One who made us tells us that it’s not just about the body, the exterior. It’s about the heart.  

And sometimes when we girls look inside ourselves, we can’t help but think..."Nothing beautiful in there either." This struggle with feelings of inadequacy makes sense. There is a lot lacking in us and we know it. This is the hole every girl tries to fill. And we ask God, “God, do you see me flawed and sinful and still call me beautiful? Do you see the loneliness? Do you see me struggle? Do you see the unmet desires of my heart? Do you see me trying to manipulate and control? Do you see me yearn for the things I can’t have? Do you see me cry for time that is lost and the life I will not know? God, do you see me in all this mess and still think I’m beautiful? (Do You Think I’m Beautiful – Angela Thomas)”

The deeper beauty that a girl longs for is about complete acceptance. A girl wants to be known, desired, and pursued.

“When God looks into the eyes of a woman, He sees all the beauty He created there. He sees every potential and every gift. He sees what can be and redeems what has been. He loves the curly hair that you wish were straight. He is taken with your smile and the shape of your nose. He’s crazy about big feet and knobby knees and every curve that is particular to you. He is the One who loves the inside and the outside of you. You were all His idea, and you are physically and emotionally beautiful to Him. (Angela Thomas)”

The more I recognize my inadequacies, the more I must acknowledge His greatness. But I also have to remember that His plan for me is beautiful. He has made me beautiful. He is making me beautiful. He is the source of every good thing. And He tells me I am good. Why? Because I’m His. 

God had something beautiful in mind when He made me a woman. The devil is trying to use it for my destruction. He twists everything.  He’s trying to rob me of my identity, my dignity as a person created in the image and likeness of God. Help, holy spirit! 


As St. Rose of Lima once said, "Only beauty of the soul is worthwhile." May His Spirit enter our hearts and thus form us in the beauty God intended for us. All other pursuit of beauty leaves us tired, hurt, and deeply unsatisfied.