God's voice was audible at WYD during silence of adoration

By Katie Mahl
St. John the Baptist Parish, Folsom

This, as my first World Youth Day, was a very spiritual experience. The theme was “Arise and Go in Haste,” just as Mary did.

Sightseeing, shopping and food are all part of traveling as a tourist, which is a given, but traveling as a pilgrim has opened my mind and heart to a different feeling. This pilgrimage was based on sacrifice, from walking place to place for miles and sleeping outside before Mass with the pope.

This trip was physically demanding. Despite the hard part, the feeling of sacrifice felt so much better than the sore legs the next day.

Our day trip to Fatima was beautiful. There was not one cloud in the sky. Mary had a strong impact on those three children who saw the Blessed Mother’s appearance and on the people of Fatima. That impact has carried on through today, and now people come and feel that reverence and peace.

Walking to the homes of the children, I had silent time to think. In those moments I thought, “Most people come to see first and then believe. But as Catholics, we have believed even before seeing.”

Small parish, big world
I am 18 and I come from a small church, St. John the Baptist in Folsom. I’ve always grown up with a small group of Catholics. Participating in this world event gave me the realization that there are so many religious youth in our world. The feeling of us all together is more powerful than any words can describe.

I met a handful of youth from around the world, including Australia, South Korea, Spain, Italy and Portugal. In our interactions, we traded items and shared testimonies.

One of the struggles we had was the language barrier. Multiple times we had to ask people to repeat themselves or we relied on Google translate, but once we got into a spiritual connection, the language barrier collapsed, and we were having a genuine conversation without the confusion. As much as languages divide us, we were all one when it came to God.

Bonded quickly
A bond was also formed with the pilgrim group from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. We all connected in different ways. We learned from each other, between our lives, our spiritual journeys and our experiences. We grew close through this one week. We felt like a family even though we had only known each other a few months before.

Each pilgrim brought a piece of joy to light up a room. Along with the youth, we had two priests – Father Francis Offia and Father Jeremy Lambert – as part of our group. They brought spiritual guidance to help us stay focused and united. They also got us all squeezed into one hotel room for the celebration of Mass.

Bishop Robert Barron spoke at a “Rise Up” event in the morning before we celebrated Mass with him. One thing that caught my attention – and I will carry out into the world as a personal mission – was when he said: “People see Jesus, then he disappears. Jesus disappears into the mission of the church, into us. He disappears into our mission. When Jesus comes into your heart, you know and understand who you are. What will make you happy is finding your mission and going in haste. We are meant to carry his love.”

One moment that impacted me the most was during the vigil when we had adoration with Pope Francis. Before they brought out the Eucharist, everyone was praying and singing, and the noise from 1.5 million Catholics was loud. Everyone was praying and speaking, wanting God to hear their voice.

But, once adoration started, a silence fell upon everyone. It was as though the roles had reversed. We were speechless, savoring, listening, waiting to hear God’s voice. From the silent field of pilgrims, you could hear a pin drop.

Words from Bishop Barron echoed in my head from earlier in the day: “The silence of prayer is savoring the absolute good of God.”

The volume of people increased the closer we got to Sunday Mass. People from all over the world packed into Campo da Graça.

You are not a number
Pope Francis said: “Friend, if God calls you by your name, it means that, for him, none of us is a number but a face and a heart.”

Hearing this showed me that each of the 1.5 million people who gathered for God in this moment were more than a number. God knows every single one of us personally, and he put us on this earth for a reason. As a large group of people, we were described as “1.5 million,” but we are not just a number, really and truly, we are a face that God has made.

God knows all the people who were gathered for World Youth Day, but imagine that he knows the rest of the world, the unborn, the deceased. God knew all of us before we even knew him.

Before I left for this trip, everyone was telling me how I would come back lit on fire by the Holy Spirit. Bishop Barron said in one of his speeches that “when you preach the Gospel, it lights hearts on fire.”

Boy, was he right!

I will “Rise and Go in Haste” out of Lisbon to spread the love of God while attending college in a few days. The Holy Spirit has caught me on fire. Lisbon’s World Youth Day 2023 was an experience I will never forget.