YOUTH MATTERS: World Youth Day Lisbon: From Fear to Martyrdom
By Sam Clear, Director of the Office of Youth Evangelisation
When Pope Francis encouraged the youth of the world to “have no fear” in their Christian journey, while we stood amongst 1.5 million joyful youth on the banks of the Tagus River in glorious Lisbon sunshine, it could have been seen as an ‘easy’ statement to a welcoming crowd, but it was precisely what each of us needed to reflect on.
The journey to that final Mass was paved with hardship, suffering, and challenges.
The 12-kilometre pilgrimage walk to the final Mass was through 38-degree heat, a near serious crowd crush that had everyone on edge, and an allotted sleeping space debacle that saw numerous groups without a place to even sit down in for hours after arriving (for those who attended WYD Madrid, you’d be having flashbacks about now!).
In the week leading up to the final Mass, we had to navigate our way to catechesis sessions and incredible talks (by the likes of Christopher West and Bishop Barron) and exhibitions (such as the life of Saint Teresa of Calcutta) stretched out across the city amongst an extra million people.
Patience was key. And prior to World Youth Day we visited Rome, and whilst a number of pilgrims have highlighted our Mass at the tomb of St Peter under St Peter’s Basilica as their highlight, I felt most challenged whilst walking through the underground third century catacombs – the 20km network of tunnels and tombs hewn out of rock, where both early Christians were buried and the still alive hid from Roman persecution.
There have been many moments where fear could easily dominate our decision making, and that’s what made the final Mass so special; to have made it and to genuinely celebrate that final day.
This is my fifth World Youth Day, and that final morning and Mass is by far the most joyful I’ve participated in. The fruit of perseverance, while learning so deeply along the way, was joy.
The sun rose over the expansive Tagus River as a priest woke 1.5 million youth by playing an upbeat techno version of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus from his DJ set-up on the main stage that had even the older priests dancing. The smiles were broad and there was excitement at celebrating the final Mass in just a few hours.
The reality is though, that the World Youth Day pilgrimage is just one page in a life-long pilgrimage.
As I write this, we are in Fatima on retreat, contemplating how the pilgrimage we have undertaken needs to be shaped by Our Lord and by the invitation of Our Lady of Fatima; we are all called to holiness, and it will likely hurt, but perseverance and trust produce immense joy!