Thursday, August 18
Today (in my opinion) has been the most exciting day so far. After our usual routine of waking up at 7, praying our morning prayers, and getting breakfast at the university, we hopped on the bus to head to Palacio de Deportes for the English catechesis and mass. However, upon arriving around 10: 00 there were lines of people outside the doors and crowds gathered. We soon learned that the doors were closed because of the quantity of people and that if we wanted to get in we should have arrived at 8:30 when the doors opened. While we waited for the possible chance of making it in at least for the mass, we took the opportunity to talk to people around us, especially the many priests, sisters and other religious who were also waiting.
Parenthesis: Why are we talking to people with vocations?
Several years ago, our school started a club called “Ancora”to support the Holy Father and vocations. We launched it during the Toronto WYD and ever since then it has been growing internationally and spreading awareness about praying for vocations. As Ancora members we have cards that we ask people with a vocation to sign. We take these cards to our 15 minutes of adoration every week. We have spoken with an abundance of priests, sisters, seminarians, bishops, and consecrated people present here and asked them to sign our Ancora cards. Of course, seeing young people talking to a priest or a sister during WYD has some kind of magnetic attraction for all those with cameras and microphones in their hands. So, if you turn on the TV to EWTN and see a group of girls asking a priest to sign a card, that’s us!
No English? What about Spanish?
In the end, someone came out and told us that there was no hope of us getting in for the mass. This created a little wrinkle in our plan for the day. Luckily we found a mass in a parish a few metros away. Unbeknownst to us, it was actually the mass for the Spanish catechesis. We sat in for a few testimonies and the pre-mass songs. It took me by surprise because I had never experienced the vigor and all-participative (arms, legs, and all) charismatic music, especially characteristic of Latinos. During the mass, the presiding bishop made sure that all twenty or so priests and the congregation participated at every chance possible. The gospel was about the birth of Jesus, namely how the angel told Mary to call him Emmanuel, “God is with us.” In the sermon, the bishop asked people to come up and tell everyone the significance of their names. Then, after he gave his own sermon, he invited the concelebrants to give their own reflections on the gospel. Finally, before he gave the final blessing, he asked all the concelebrants to give the blessing with him (something I had never seen done by a bishop). It was a beautiful and lively mass; a little different from what I am used to, but still the same Eucharist that we participate in everyday.
Taste-bud Immersion
Immersion into the culture of Spain cannot be mentioned without the food. Today, we had our first taste of authentic Spanish cuisine. We went to a place called Canas y Tapas, where we ordered traditional salads, calamari, potatoes topped with eggs and ham, and other authentic Spanish foods.
While waiting for the Pope, we met the Brazilian
precandidates, who, like us, are discerning their vocation to consecrated life.
Viva el Papa
When we arrived into Madrid this morning, we heard that people had camped out the night before to get a good spot for the Pope’s arrival this evening at 7:30. By the time we arrived at 4:30 people had already occupied the first 4 or 5 rows behind the barriers. We claimed our spot behind a group of people from Idaho along with a small group of girls from Manila. 
We got to know each other right away and began to trade American flags for little fans made from bamboo! When we realized that it would be 3 more hours until Pope Benedict came by, two of us left in search of a small store where we could buy a deck of cards. The directions we received from Spaniards took us 8 blocks away; we lost our sense of direction, and like every American kid knows, we went to the police man for help. 
He set us in the right direction and, hearing the crowds cheering and thinking that the Pope had arrived earlier, we ran back to our spot. Little did we know that he wouldn’t arrive for another 2 hours. The people in front us started to stand on chairs, completely blocking our view.
I had been looking forward to seeing the Pope ever since we found out we were going to WYD. Knowing that (as I am slightly vertically challenged) I would never see the Pope behind all those people, I took my camera and ran about a block down the route to a place that was less crowded. I climbed over a few Italians lying on the ground and lodged myself between a group from France and one from Honduras. At 7pm the crowds pushed me in and I found myself sideways squished between two people, but within arm’s length of the barrier. Thinking (again) that the Pope was coming, I stretched my arm up to take a video. It wasn’t him and my arm was stuck upright. I was so squished that I couldn’t even put my arm down.
15 minutes later, the crowds began to cheer again but this time it was real. First came the police, then a pick-up truck with camera men, and finally, the Pope Benedict XVI! Everyone started cheering, “Esta es laz juventud del Papa” “This is the youth of the Pope!” I was about 10 feet away when he passed. It’s something you always see on TV, but you never actually imagine yourself there. I quickly ran back to my group and found them standing on the edges of chairs. I gave my camera to two of my friends (who are both fairly tall). 
We were ecstatic! We saw him greet the people representing each continent and then they set off red, yellow, and white balloons.
Next, we watched the Pope on a large screen as he addressed the youth in several languages. He told us to always remain firm in the faith and to root our lives in God alone. 
At the sound of his words, I could feel (and hear) a rush excitement run through the crowds. I think his presence as the Vicar of Christ on earth has filled the youth with great hope. Hopefully, we too can be ambassadors of that same hope to the rest of the world.
I could write 5 more paragraphs about my experiences today alone, but I know I have written a little too much already. As I said before, the experience exceeds the words (by far). Stay tuned for another adventure tomorrow!
