Madrid, Madrid, here we come! Pope’s Message for JMJ 2011

“…we are looking forward to the next World Youth Day, to be held in Madrid in August 2011. … Now, at a time when Europe greatly needs to rediscover its Christian roots, our meeting will take place in Madrid with the theme: “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (cf. Col 2:7). I encourage you to take part in this event, which is so important for the Church in Europe and for the universal Church. I would like all young people – those who share our faith in Jesus Christ, but also those who are wavering or uncertain, or who do not believe in him – to share this experience, which can prove decisive for their lives. It is an experience of the Lord Jesus, risen and alive, and of his love for each of us,” said the Holy Father in his Message for the 26th World Youth Day

LET US PRAY A LOT for those participating in the WYD in Madrid, as well as for all those youths who, from their countries, will be one in spirit with them, to celebrate this wonderful time to deepen in one’s relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ!

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Related WYD links on this website:

• Official Web site
• Jornada Mundial de la Juventud [JMJ/WYD] Madrid 2011
• JMJ/WYD Schedule
• JMJ/WYD 2011 Theme and Theme Song
• Launch of Theme Song; Promotional Video
• Plaza de Cibeles and Cuatro Vientos vigil
• Virtual tour of Madrid

The official JMJ 2011 page, madrid11.com, is abuzz with information, updates and materials to prepare the youths from all over the world who shall converge in Madrid this August for the Jornada Mundial de la Juventud (JMJ)!

We’d like to highlight some important news and updates found on the website:

• Messages of Pope Benedict XVI to young people “These years of your life are the years which will prepare you for your future. Your “tomorrow” depends much on how you are living the “today” of your youth. Stretching out in front of you, my dear young friends, is a life that all of us hope will be long; yet it is only one life, it is unique: do not let it pass it vain; do not squander it.” Read the other messages.
• JMJ 2011 Theme Song: Download the different versions of the hymn, as well as the translations to various languages and the musical scores…
• World Youth Day Tips.

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Video “Days in the Diocese”, A Sneak Preview to JMJ

Video: The History of WYD

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Other JMJ posts on opusdeitoday.org:

• General Info on WYD/JMJ;
• JMJ places: Plaza de Cibeles (Pope welcome) and Cuatro Vientos (Vigil);
• Promotional JMJ Video;
• Announcement of JMJ 2011 Theme Song.

Last September 2, Matt Cutts, one of the higher executives with Google, wrote on his Twitter (read it here): I’ve decided my next 30 day challenge: 15 minutes a day of quiet meditation. More than 70,000 of his Twitter followers read this message.

Antonio, from whose Spanish language Opus Dei Al Dia forum page we are taking this post, says he immediately answered him: Good idea! Me too!

We Christians are very lucky, as Pope Benedict XVI makes this challenge easy. The Pope has written a Message for Madrid’s World Youth Day 2011, which I summarise as “learning to touch Jesus Christ, to see Jesus Christ and to talk to Him.”

Here is a short quote from the Message, which I think is quite graphic, and may help your quiet meditation. You may read the whole Message here (Vatican’s web page):

We too want to be able to see Jesus, to speak with him and to feel his presence even more powerfully. For many people today, it has become difficult to approach Jesus. There are so many images of Jesus in circulation which, while claiming to be scientific, detract from his greatness and the uniqueness of his person. That is why, after many years of study and reflection, I thought of sharing something of my own personal encounter with Jesus by writing a book. It was a way to help others see, hear and touch the Lord in whom God came to us in order to make himself known. Jesus himself, when he appeared again to his disciples a week later, said to Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” (Jn 20:27). We too can have tangible contact with Jesus and put our hand, so to speak, upon the signs of his Passion, the signs of his love. It is in the sacraments that he draws particularly near to us and gives himself to us. Dear young people, learn to “see” and to “meet” Jesus in the Eucharist, where he is present and close to us, and even becomes food for our journey. In the sacrament of Penance the Lord reveals his mercy and always grants us his forgiveness. Recognize and serve Jesus in the poor, the sick, and in our brothers and sisters who are in difficulty and in need of help.

Enter into a personal dialogue with Jesus Christ and cultivate it in faith. Get to know him better by reading the Gospels and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Converse with him in prayer, and place your trust in him. He will never betray that trust! “Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 150). Thus you will acquire a mature and solid faith, one which will not be based simply on religious sentiment or on a vague memory of the catechism you studied as a child. You will come to know God and to live authentically in union with him, like the Apostle Thomas who showed his firm faith in Jesus in the words: “My Lord and my God!”.

If you have the will to face this challenge of 15 minutes daily of quiet meditation, here are the links to some books online:

(so far, only in Spanish, sorry! Will try to find some in English and update this post later on; you might use some of the texts by Saint Josemaría Escrivá here, and maybe some of the texts and audiobooks here: Look for the English Audio Books and ebooks tab on the left)

• Que me ves, que me oyes – cómo hacer oración
• Orar con el Cura de Ars
• Orar con la Eucaristía
• Orar con Juan Pablo II
• Orar con poetas
• En la escuela del Espíritu Santo, Jacques Philippe
• Tiempo para Dios, Jacques Philippe
• La paz interior, Jacques Philippe
• La libertad interior, Jacques Philippe
• Caminando con Jesús, J González Lobato

At the close of the Year for Priests, the official JMJ (Jornada Mundial de la Juventud / World Youth Day) 2011 Madrid website tells us of the stories of 2 Priests who were helped by their attendance at the World Youth Day (WYD) to discern their vocation to the Priesthood.

• Oscar, from Costa Rica, had seen his calling when he was 8, but saw it confirmed on attending WYD preparatory activities in 1991 and the WYD in Denver in 1993.  ” ‘The theme that year “I have come to give life and to give it abundantly’ sealed this desire…”
• Edgard, from Nicaragua, had been moved by the work of an exemplary Priest when he was young, and was reminded of him in a meeting with young people.  This desire to follow the example of that Priest was strengthened on attending the WYD in Paris in 1997.

RomeReports.com video: interviews with Priests:

Related stories:

• WYD 2011 Madrid Theme Song
• 2 meeting points with the Pope in Madrid confirmed
• Conclusion of the Year for Priests

Update from the organizers of the World Youth Day 2011 Madrid:

The Vatican has just confirmed that WYD youth shall receive Pope Benedict at the Plaza de Cibeles on August 18, and that the youth Vigil shall take place at Cuatro Vientos airfield on August 20!

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Here’s a 30-second video, showing Pope Benedict donning the special WYD 2011 Madrid hat:

See previous post on World Youth Day 2011 Madrid.

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