Discussion on scientifically proving that an embryo has a soul, denying gays their true nature, and sex outside marriage

 On 14th September 2010, I posted my opinion on why Peter Tatchell's documentary lost my respect. It garnered the following comment from someone usernamed Mark, which I then respond to further below:


This is a long post, so I won't reply to everything, but will pick out a few points.

Richard Williamson is a sexist holocaust denier. It's easy to find evidence - he believes women shouldn't wear trousers or attend university: http://web.archive.org/web/20071102091508/www.sspx.ca/Documents/Bishop-Williamson/September1-2001.htm
Here's clear anti-semitism: http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000226.shtml
And he is a convicted criminal holocaust denier: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36595788

None of this was secret information, the Vatican were surely aware of his long held views, and would have been keeping an eye on the SSPX for years.

You said that:"The embryo is a living organism, and because it is destined to shapen into the human form, I believe it already has a soul, and is therefore a life with potential (not just a potential for life). This discovery is one way science has truly helped the Church. So... if I consider this embryo as a life already, wouldn't that make embryonic stem cell research look to me as though they're piercing and prodding and potentially killing a child that is... say... already born?"

The problem with this argument is that you state that you believe an embryo has a soul. You are entitled to your belief, but a problem arises when you use this as a basis to affect public policy, as it's a claim you cannot back up. It doesn't even have a strong internal logic - if this is the case why do 25% of pregancies result in a miscarriage (the majority in the very early days of embryo formation) - why would god create a soul that dies after a few days without any experience of human life?

I can't quite make sense of your argument about contraception. I assume you're not relying on Leviticus, as then you'd have to accept all the other restrictions the chapter sets out. Do you accept that people have sex outside marriage, whether you like it or not? That most people do not believe this to be immoral? If this is the case then surely it is only responsible to promote safer sex, to prevent the spread of disease? To expect the entire continent of Africa to abstain is not a realistic answer to the spread of AIDs. To call people selfish simply because they do not share your views on abstinance is somewhat judgemental isn't it?

Lastly, I think I abhor the 'hate the sin and not the sinner' approach of the church to homosexuality more than I do upfront homophobia. You are denying people their true nature, in quite a nasty way. By saying it's ok to be gay without living a gay life (ie avoiding 'the homosexual inclination' you are clearly saying that being gay is wrong, but using weasel words to avoid directly saying the person is evil. Would it be ok to say to a black person - I'm not racist, but I'd prefer it if you pretended to be white? Why would god create gay animals if this behaviour was wrong?

16/9/10 4:26 PM

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Upon attempting to reply, it seems my own comment exceeded the 4096 character limit, and thought instead to transform it into a blogpost instead...

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your comments, and I appreciate you sharing your opinions. It's taken me this long to respond, as it has been a pretty busy few weeks recently, and in all honesty, I needed to contemplate a response to your comment.

I think we digressed a little from the point of the thread - which was really to do with Peter Tatchell's attitude and arguments in his documentary. I know he he has much much more to argue about what us Catholics believe (which our Pope is the defender of) - but his delivery of those arguments in his documentary actually looked rather silly from my point of view, and also didn't satisfy the actual title 'The trouble with the Pope'.

I don't want to walk away without responding to some of the things you've picked out though.

Thanks for your references for Richard Williamson. I'll be doing some reading on that over the next few days.

About the embryo being a living organism: Perhaps this is where you can share with me some of your own expertise. We all know that we can measure knowledge - we can quantify it and it can be proven. The lie detector test is an example of this (even if it isn't always 100% accurate). So is the IQ test. But I don't know how human emotion is measured. We all know it exists - we feel it to the depths of our core. So what is our core? Our mind? Or something deeper? Human emotion to me, is something we both think and feel (both emotionally, and... spiritually?). Are our bodily chemical reactions (which probably can be measured) be the central foundation of our emotions in the first place? Do you have a conscience? Can our consciences be scientifically proven and measured? How can we back up the claims of our consciences? I would like to learn something from you on these matters - as I don't know the answers myself.

I think that those of us who are touched by God's love, experience a connection that can only be proven and measured by the divine, by God Himself... just like a mobile device can measure the signal of wi-fi (which we can't see but can be backed up scientifically). Should God have implanted in our hearts that every human life is sacred, and His to Will as He pleases, and if we have been personally called by Him to live as He asks, isn't it then our right to state our arguments too - most especially if public policy is going to make us compromise our principles?
As to your question about God creating a soul and then taking it away, I have no answer to that. Things happen in God's time, and for reasons only He would know. Perhaps He could be calling the couple who miscarried to a baby already born, for maybe God sees in them the best upbringing the child could have with them. I don't know, but there are many possibilities. It is not my place as a human being to question God's authority, and neither do I ever wish to.

As for sex outside marriage: people clearly do have sex outside marriage. I overheard the Jeremy Kyle show the other day feature people from this broken society talking about cheating pregnant girlfriends, and the fact that they have to reduce trust to a lie detector test - which in the end doesn't convince the guy to take responsibility in the total upbringing of the child, but actually just chip in some finance every now and then. How unbelievably sad is that? That a guy has the opportunity to, but doesn't want to bring up his own flesh and blood? He practically doesn't want anything to do with his own seed.

And a sperm is a seed. If a sperm isn't there for the creation of human life, then what is it there for? It explains why masturbation is a sin in our religion: the spilling of a single sperm through masturbation is a wasted life. Most people aren't aware of this, and so wouldn't understand the true value of sex. From a non-religious point of view, take God out of the equation, and you are still left with sperms and eggs, and the whole purpose of them in the first place.

My calling people selfish is more to do with those people who know full well what they do, and simply don't care - and even flaunt it in the faces of those who do. An attitude of cumming for self-pleasure and wasting that opportunity for life is part of the reason why our overly-sexed society has the rates of STDs and STIs it does - which I can't see decreasing any time soon as more and more we see people become sexualised at even earlier ages due to all sorts of reasons. And all because 'it's OK to do so - don't worry... there's condoms about... it's all about the safe sex. If there's a pregnancy that happens despite the protection, then I'll just blame the protection for not working, and chip in 50 quid every month.' Of course, some people are not like that. I have many friends in very stable marriages who aren't Catholic and still use protection. They would already know my own stance on it, and therefore if they disagree, then that is their choice. I still love them, and would never judge them for that.

Lastly, regarding the homosexual nature... every homosexual is invited to live as God wishes (this whole para is my own Catholic point of view, and doesn't necessarily reflect the Church's or other fellow Catholics). Heterosexuals have been blessed with the same observances as homosexuals - we are asked here on this earth to promote life. As a single heterosexual person, I'm invited not to actively seek sexual pleasure as much as any of my single gay friends are invited not to actively seek sexual pleasure. I, like any gay person, could be be called to become a religious, or be called to live a single life. The only difference is that as a heterosexual, if I am called to marriage, I am also called to bear fruit in children, which naturally, a gay person can not do. It is not a case of approaching a black person, saying 'I don't mind that you're black but I'd prefer it if you're white' as you put it. Doesn't make a difference if the person is black or white. What DOES make the difference is in what you've said is the 'pretending to be white' bit - as that is an action one chooses to make as a result of who they are. Nobody ever said life was going to be easy. Nobody can ever prepare themselves fully for the trials and tribulations God gives to us. Nobody every told me that being celibate is going to be easy. Yet I don't see my abstinence as 'denying myself my true nature' in the words which you've used. God's creation of gay animals is different to that of the human homosexual development. Animals do not have the same level of consciences as humans do. Neither do they have souls.

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If you have any comments, you're invited to post them below.

PPD vanishes as youth buzz with the Benedict bounce @ Catholic Underground London

 

Ok, ok, ok...

So I keep repeating the term 'Benedict bounce'! So what! I like it ^_^ As Fr. Stan Fortuna says: GET OVER IT (video reference: 07:20)!

Saturday night was sick y'all. One week on from the Hyde Park vigil with the Holy Father, and our PPD (post-papal depression) melted away for one night! Without repeating what Catholic Underground London is all about (you can discover that yourself via my previous posts), I just wanna say that those who couldn't make it really missed out, and we hope you can make the next one - which we think will be on 10th December 2010 at Notre Dame de France Church in Leicester Sq! We'll keep you posted via our facebook group no doubt ;) And you can follow us on Twitter: @culondon.

With about 120 Catholic youths from all over London hitting our entertainment sesh, the night began promptly at 19:30 with a very chillaxed Eucharistic Adoration session during our Holy Hour. Everyone joined in the worship with the booklets provided, which afterwards, were put aside as the lights were turned down , and the candle-lit atmosphere warmed all attention to the altar where our Lord Jesus Christ was exposed in the Blessed Sacrament, which finished off with Benediction (video above). The queue for confession was much longer than usual and we loved that! Good times. People felt that Pope Benedict XVI's words of returning to silence and silent prayer opened up greater opportunities to listen to God. At the end of the night, some described the Holy Hour to me as 'simply beautiful'. Couldn't have put it better myself, quite frankly.

The night continued just next door at the primary school hall of Holy Ghost where the crowd was greeted by a media-savvy, talented rapper by the name of Baliva (video above, and check out his site). Infusing such tracks as 'This little light of mine' into an infectious hip-hop beat, his motto of 'making Christ known so all might hear and believe' doesn't get any truer than that.

The headlining act, Crossbeam, went down a storm with the crowd, as the energy generated was almost to the level of 'call and response'. The band played, the crowd fed, the crowd responded, the band fed. It was an amazing atmosphere. With the teens and avid Crossbeam fans remaining largely n the crowded hall, the 20 somethings enjoyed some social time in the 'canteen classroom' for a catch-up and some affordable hot dogs. I even bumped into Hal from Ooberfuse, which was a very pleasant surprise ;) The 6-man-band of Crossbeam enlivened the audience with tracks from their album 'A time for everything', which is available to purchase from their site now, and more videos of them will be going up on youTube very soon! In the meanwhile, here's a sample of their performance.

 

So... we think the crowd AND the performers really enjoyed the night, which finished off with the beautiful prayer of the compline (full compline video viewable from my youTube channel). Plus news just in: we run on donations, and we raised just £3 short of covering the costs of our overheads ^_^ I guess this is where I ask you to come along next time, and bring all your mates, so that we can continue the work that God wills of us here at Catholic Underground London. Leaving y'all with some audience and performer feedback for the night ;) Peace.

Rollin' with the 'Benedict bounce'

 Rollin' 

wid 

da 

whaaat?!

What the heck is a 'Benedict bounce'?

At Birmingham's Oscott College, Cardinal Keith O'Brien thanked our beautiful leader Pope Benedict XVI with a message that,

"Already in Scotland we are talking about the ‘Benedict bounce’. Be assured, Holy Father, that we are bouncing back. You are reassuring us that Christianity is alive and well in our countries." Quote extracted from this Catholic Herald article.

Believe it or not, the 'Benedict bounce' was already in existence before it was brought to the limelight by Cardinal Keith O'Brien. Used back then as a term to describe the healthy and growing state of the Catholic priesthood in Scotland (a 400% rise in ordination this year from last), it's now also a motto for the ordinary Catholic to express our joy at every single treasure we have found from Pope Benedict XVI's visit, and our desire to spread that joy in all our true colours. Boys and girls, we truly are experiencing the wave of enthusiasm now known as the 'Benedict bounce'.

Who on this planet is doing the Benedict bounce?

Well... clearly the Scottish Catholics are living up the Benedict bounce - after all, they created it! And Catholics all over the rest of the UK are living it up too. 

Congregations are throwing thanksgiving masses and parties to celebrate this historic and successful visit bringing bounce back into the parish community.

All over the country, clergy and seminaries are looking forward to a bounce in applications to join the priesthood.

Lapsed Catholics are attributing part of their rediscovery of their faith and/or the Catholic Church to the Benedict bounce. 

The Telegraph are pretty sure the Benedict bounce will bounce Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church.

Catholic clothing organisation Catholics with Attitude are producing a range of 'Benedict bounce' items to go on sale on their website.

Borders weavers and Ingles Buchan, the St. Ninian tartan makers are experiencing massive demand for their limited edition tartans according to the Southern Reporter due to the Benedict bounce.

Catholic Youth workers are on a mission to bring World Youth Day to a UK city! How major is that y'all? Proof that 'Youf' are truly rollin' with the Benedict bounce!

On twitter, people from all the way in Singapore are wanting some 'Benedict bounce' to hit their side of the world!

Birmingham businesses benefited when Benedict bounced to Cofton Park with an impact worth £12.5mill to their local economy.

Why are people doing the Benedict Bounce?

We, as Catholics, are excited at the prospect that our Christian mission has been re-fueled and reinvigorated with the visit of our Holy Father. With as much joy as we can muster, we're here to profess our faith, and live as a witness to Christ's purpose here on earth. Having said that - our enthusiasm for the Benedict bounce ought also to help those who are in need of our love and compassion - people such as sexual abuse victims, as well as other vulnerable and disadvantaged souls in our society... like the elderly, disabled and the homeless.

Behind the 'Benedict bounce' is a serious message that “God created me to do Him some definite service” - PBXVI, and that we must actively commit ourselves to the service  and become witnesses to the Christ's gospel in which God has called us to be the bearers of. Still, that's not going to stop us from rollin' with the Benedict bounce in style and with enthusiastic conviction! We're living it because we want to!

What does the Benedict bounce mean to you?

Comments welcome ^_^

Catholic youths gathering this Saturday @ Catholic Underground London

• Missing PBXVI already?
• Feeling inspired by all the weird-looking but wonderfully peaceful moments of prayer you saw on tv?
• Have an urge to learn more about how other young Catholics celebrate their faith?

Then this Saturday evening, make your way to:

Our beautiful Pope may have left us to return back to his home, but he left behind a legacy of words, images and precious personal moments that we shall never forget. And that's not all he left us. He left us with his hopes for our salvation, and his wish for us young Catholics to bask in the mystery of Christ's precious Body and Blood in the Eucharistic sacrifice.

"Faithful to Christ's command to "do this in memory of me" (Lk 22:19), the Church in every time and place celebrates the Eucharist until the Lord returns in glory, rejoicing in his sacramental presence and drawing upon the power of his saving sacrifice for the redemption of the world. The reality of the Eucharistic sacrifice has always been at the heart of Catholic faith." Pope Benedict XVI @ Westminster Cathedral on 18 September 2010.

I recently returned from a pilgrimage to Fatima, and there, I was enraptured in my learning of the beautiful and holy child of 10 years old, Jacinta. Jacinta, being only 10 years old, and never having received Holy Communion, ardently desired with all her heart to receive the 'hidden Jesus'. She had seen, with her own eyes, the Blessed Virgin Mary appear to her, yet, during her time and by her village's traditions, she wasn't able to receive her first Holy Communion; and so, Jesus remained hidden to her - even to her death. How fortunate are we! We have only to go to our local Roman Catholic Church, and see Jesus face to face, through the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Oh, how we take that for granted! We have only to look to organisations like Catholic Underground, who bring us the experience of our Lord Jesus Christ exposed before our eyes all around the world.

Adoring Christ isn't a difficult or strange thing, my fellow young Catholics. 'Adoration' is one of the most beautiful ways to open your hearts, and let yourself be flooded with God's love. When Pope Benedict XVI addressed us for the first time with "The Kingdom of God is very near to you!" (Lk 10:9), he was not joking.  Every single word that you are about to read, which is his address to the young people outside Westminster Cathedral, is the absolutely truth, and we must listen, and transform these words into actions, if we are to find the love we so earnestly yearn for:

"I ask you to look into your hearts each day to find the source of all true love. Jesus is always there, quietly waiting for us to be still with him and to hear his voice. Deep within your heart, he is calling you to spend time with him in prayer. But this kind of prayer, real prayer, requires discipline; it requires making time for moments of silence every day. Often it means waiting for the Lord to speak. Even amid the "busy-ness" and the stress of our daily lives, we need to make space for silence, because it is in silence that we find God, and in silence that we discover our true self. And in discovering our true self, we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for the building up of his Church and the redemption of our world." Pope Benedict XVI outside Westminster Cathedral on 18 September 2010.

So, I'm inviting all my young Catholic friends, to join us in celebrating Jesus' presence face to face, at Catholic Underground London. There will be time for silence in adoration, as well as a little bit of evening prayer, compline, confessions and vespers at our unique Holy Hour, complete with Benediction led by Fr Augustus.

And to top that all off,  we've got Christian rapper Baliva, and our headlining act Crossbeam - one of the hottest Christian bands on the circuit, providing entertainment for the rest of the evening. What makes Catholic Underground London so unique is the ability to bring the latest and greatest local Christian musicians, performance artists, and creatives to the live stage on the same night as experiencing the silence we experience through Holy Hour. Here's a taster of what Catholic Underground is all about.

 

I am one of the organising members of Catholic Underground London. So let me know your thoughts, let me answer your questions, and let me reach out to you by inviting you to come along to Catholic Underground London @ Holy Ghost RC Church in Balham this Saturday evening. 

http://catholicundergroundlondon.co.uk

Celebrating the Papal Visit online: My pilgrim social media journey

 The "evangelization of culture" is upon us!

"I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of faith in public, but also to put the case for the promotion of faith's wisdom and vision in the public forum". Pope Benedict XVI @ Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, Scotland, on 16 September 2010.

God, through the Holy Spirit, grant me Your precious gifts of fortitude and good counsel, that I may always do what is pleasing to You, and fulfill the mission of discipleship to which I have been called. I pray that those whose time it is to hear Your message, are hearing it now. And I pray that my heart will never ever shut itself away from Your eternal and merciful love. I fervently ask all the holy angels and saints, to pray for me in my journey of spreading the Gospel message through the gifts and talents You have so graciously bestowed on me. You know I am not worthy, but Lord, with all the zeal and passion that burns in my heart and in the depths of my soul, for You and Your son, my Lord, Jesus Christ, accept my offering to try and live according to Your will, and proclaim your Good News through embracing today's culture of social media. Be with me always, as I bring myself to the public forum which the Holy Father addresses, and forgive me any sins that I commit along the way - moments when I would not have been close to You. I ask this blessing, through the Holy Trinity. Amen

_____________________________________________________________

This blogpost isn't intended to be my reflection of Pope Benedict XVI's messages. This shall come later :) Instead, this is just the beginning of my journey with you (my reader), and my faith. Before I publicize my internal spiritual thoughts and feelings about what the Holy Father has shared with us during his wonderful visit, I wish to share with you my experiences inspired by my fellow pilgrims...


He called himself 'a pilgrim'. Just like I call myself a pilgrim. I'd never felt as close to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, as I did the moment he addressed other religious leaders, and the world, at the Ecumenical Celebration in Westminster Abbey as "a pilgrim from Rome". I shall never forget the way my heart skipped a beat when he used that very, very special and personal title.

I was called to embark on this pilgrimage of the Papal Visit with the Holy Father - to deepen my understanding of the faith I so dearly love, and to become witness to that faith with my presence at the pastoral events where thousands and thousands of other pilgrims (probably you!) shared the immense joy of my belief - except... I was also called to do something a little more than that.

My role in this momentous and historic event was to 'share the joy and generate positive noise' about the visit as a communications officer for the Papal Visit. And boy, did I do this as best I possibly could; by throwing myself into a 'lion's den' and targetting areas where negativity over the papal visit was spreading fastest and loudest: the world of social media. After identifying that so many of my Catholic friends had a strong voice to proclaim their faith with, but felt it wasn't being heard, I learned how best to bridge various social media tools to ensure our joy was spread as effectively, and as far as possible. A 'blog' (what you are reading now) was the answer to my question of connecting different social media tools into one dedicated space - easy for any user to really engage in the pilgrim experience of Pope Benedict XVI's visit interactively. Short for 'web log', a blog, which is like a personalized website, is one of the easiest ways to establish dialogue and conversation in the social media world; which in our ever increasingly secularist society is already the next best way to spread the joy of the Gospel with… if today's growing 'blogosphere' and Christian new media avenues are anything to go by! Hundreds are doing it – and so could you – you don’t need a degree in computing to set up your own blog!

After I’d built the foundations of my blog, I became a ‘social media pilgrim’, and having managed to garner 2000 hits to this blog before the Holy See arrived, I’d already had a small collection of regular visitors. The Catholic Communications Network arranged for a media pass for me to be able to follow his holiness around the country with my little HD Flip camera, Panasonic Lumix stills camera, and my HTC Desire smartphone – to Bellahouston, Hyde and Cofton parks; and so Bellahouston was where it all seriously kicked off. Whilst the Holy Father was being driven around his Popemobile through the streets of Edinburgh, I was at Glasgow Central station meeting other pilgrims, and sharing that encounter with the world directly from the station itself via my blog, then twitter. :) Documented forever, this blogpost can be found on my archive.

Bellahouston

I can’t emphasize enough how uncertain the build-up to the Holy Father’s visit made me feel – fearing for my beloved Pope’s life, and nerve-wrackingly concerned for the safety of my fellow pilgrims at Hyde Park corner on Saturday. But all my anxieties dissolved, the moment I was in the presence of the Holy Father at Bellahouston Park. No words can explain the elation of my soul at this very moment.

 

It was so fierce and strong that I burst into pure tears of joy – not because the Holy Father was there, but because the people loved him so openly. I was brought to my knees in thanksgiving at the sight and sound of the Scots (and the Irish!) proudly waving their country's flag, alongside the Vatican's, and my heart truly rejoiced - for Pope Benedict couldn't have received a more heartwarming welcome anywhere else in the world at that moment. When he spoke, everybody listened - nobody moved. His messages were so profound and so vital, that I had to tweet his messages as soon as I’d heard them, in small tidbits. I just needed to spread God’s love manifested in the words of the Holy Father as soon as I’d heard them, through Twitter.

Other than the event being broadcast live, it was my intention to get onto the internet, photos and videos as they are happening. The Popemobile tour was one of these things I knew I had to capture and upload directly onto the worldwide web. So, I set up my HD Flip Camera, and my mobile phone to record the same thing. With the mobile phone, I uploaded the video to my youTube account as soon as it had happened, and then later uploaded my HD footage. You can find the two videos on my youTube channel.
After the Mass, I managed to interview some of the pilgrims. How often can a young Catholic describe a particular occasion as "life-changing", "fantastic", and "brilliant"?! Not often! But as you can see, here are some pilgrims that felt that way!

As a young person myself, I rejoiced at their happiness, and thanked God for the opportunity for these youngsters to experience the love of God with the rest of their countrymen.


Twickenham & Lambeth
I returned back to London (with much difficulty!!!) on a complete and utter high, in the meanwhile writing my blog whenever I possibly could. My blog was as live as I could make it – being only one person, and wanting to capture as much of the pilgrim’s journey as possible. Unfortunately, I had lost my phone charging cable in Glasgow somewhere, so I lost all phone-tweeting capabilities for the majority of Friday. :( Considering I wanted to know what was going on whilst I was travelling, I considered this to be a mini-disaster, but when I got to Twickenham on the Friday morning, my spirits were reinvigorated the moment I spoke with Moira and Kay from St. Margaret's in Twickenham and St. Francis de Sales of Hampton Hill, who were such witnesses to our faith, and true admirers of the Holy Father - things that touched me deeply. Standing just outside of gate D of St. Mary's University college, Moira shared with me exactly how she was feeling at that moment.

How glorious that she would say "It's as if Jesus Christ has come to this country. To me, he is Jesus' representative on earth"! Amen to that Moira.
Later at Lambeth bridge, I encountered the beautiful family of a friend, Chris. His nephews, in all their smiles and joy, demonstrated to me how they waved their Vatican flags!

Until that moment, I hadn't encountered anybody I knew. At times, it felt quite physically lonely not to have a colleague, or a friend accompanying me during this wonderful time. But when I bumped into Chris and his family, this loneliness disappeared, and I was reminded of my mission, to share the joy with the world. God works in mysterious ways, and it was a blessing that I would bump into them at that particular moment in time.
Not long after that, I encountered some BXVI fans, who'd come over all the way from Italy :) They were singing, and dancing with such happiness and gusto that I  just had to capture some of them.

I suspect that I'm going to be saying the same thing next year at Madrid for World Youth Day - except I'll be exclaiming 'from the UK!!!' For the rest of the evening, I focused on capturing more images with a stills camera, which were later uploaded onto my flickr channel, and then embedded into my blog gallery for the day.


Westminster
This day was a very interesting day in terms of social media! Not only were anti-Pope and Protest the Pope supporters out on the streets in full force, but they were also on twitter in full force! I can't quite find the article that was mentioned to me about a twitter battle between the Catholics and the protesters, but I was told early the next morning, that the Catholics won that battle. Apparantly something was written about it on one of the major newspapers, but I'm not sure which one, and I had never seen it myself. There was a fairly strong community of Catholics tweeting throughout the whole day. One pilgrim, @Bordeaux8 was tweeting from the Piazza, and so I was retweeting certain things she had written so that the online world may receive the pilgrim's view from on the ground itself. Catholic Herald tweeters @LukeCoppen and @AnnaArco were tweeting and live blogging - which was an absolutely fantastic service - as now there is a timestamped record of exactly what happened and when. Working so hard for the glory of God, they, and the other catholic pilgrims tweeting away on the #papalvisit became such inspiration for me, and brought me to a profound sense of togetherness, and unity within the Catholic Church.

My day started off by following the Westminster Diocese young school and parish representatives from their meet-up point to the moment they passed the security area. They were the really lucky ones to be honoured with being in the presence of the Holy Father just outside the Cathedral, at the piazza. The videos of their early momrning are all available on my youTube channel.

I was in the Media Centre the moment Pope Benedict XVI "expressed deep sorrow to the innocent victims of [clerical sexual abuse] unspeakable crimes". As I was already privy to the words that Papa Bene would share with us, the admission of shame he felt, I was able to tweet some of it live. Any of my followers would have received his words as they were said. Funnily enough, I was sitting opposite Fr. Tim Finnigan, the author of the very popular 'The Hermeneutic of Continuity' blog. Funnily enough, I was privileged enough, the night before, to meet tweeter @mulierFortis who also writes her own blog. Very, very profound moments when Papa Bene talked about the crimes - that I had to concentrate so hard not to burst into tears and wail away in front of all those cynical reporters in the media centre, making an utter and complete fool of myself! Alas, I managed to reign in my emotions, and focus on the joyful aspects of the visit - and Hyde Park was about to be the highlight of my pilgrim experience.


Hyde Park
From the media, I rushed over to Hyde Park, in time for the first performance of RISEtheatre. Another mini-disaster, as whilst I was running through the park, I'd lost my media pass! I'd had a fantastic idea to blog and tweet about RISEtheatre. Originally, it was my plan to interview and blog about the choir that would perform... but this wasn't possible as I didn't get any reply back from the contact I'd left my details with. However, Fiona O'Reilly of Catholic Voices had mentioned that Charley Pinfold, co-director of RISEtheatre wanted to get in contact. God obviously had plans - for if a choir sings on stage, it's quite difficult to tweet what the symbolisms of their singing is about, since the lyrics are usually a direct message. However, with lyrical movement and acting, this is not the case. Without speech, a stage performance portrays messages indirectly, and so must usually be interpretted by the viewer. Here is where I came in with the live twitter commentary. As the company were about to hit the stage, I released an overview blogpost, introducing the performances, and inviting people to monitor my tweets as I described what the performers were portraying on stage – which people retweeted, thus spreading the good news of the Gospel instantly around the online world. I hoped I was successful in explaining a little about what was happening on the stage, to help viewers with that interpretation.

After the RISEtheatre performances, I remained largely off offline, so that I may spend time with my parish - the second time I was able to encounter familiar faces, and celebrate my joy with people I knew!

 

My tweeting died down, whilst my HD Flip camera livened up! I captured many videos of my parish's reactions to certain parts of the Hyde Park vigil, and even managed to capture the whole of Pope Benedict's address in full, from the pilgrim point of view. All those videos, are on my youTube channel. Again, I was privy to Pope BXVI's speech, and so that evening, I uploaded the video, and his exact address to my blog, as soon as the event was over. It was a truly emotional ride - as I broke down once again during adoration and benediction - brought to my knees in the presence of Jesus, and feeling the breath of the Holy Spirit upon my soul. This isn't the post for me to talk about the spiritual things I felt though, so I will leave that all out for now.


Cofton Park
Believe it or not, people were tweeting at silly o'clock in the morning, like I was - all describing their journeys to Cofton park in their coaches! All throughout the journey, I was taking photos during our service station stops, and tweeting that out live.

 

Before the Mass had begun, I was lucky enough to discover that the groups I was standing by, were from Catholic retreat centre Soli House. I was moved at their joy - their singing, their passion, and their obvious devotion to praising our Lord! Compare this joy, to the 'joy' that one sees out on the streets of any large city on a Friday or Saturday night. You tell me which is the truer joy!

Once again, my phone went into my pocket, and the stills camera came out as the Mass was about to begin. I'd like to thank the Volunteer minister (Stephen), and my parish friends who were kind enough to give up their space so that I make take some of the shots I did.

That evening when I got home, I uploaded all my photos and videos onto a 'gallery-style' post on my blog, so that people who wanted to see them straight away could. Ever since then, I've kept in contact with my newly found twitter friends, and keeping an eye on the media coverage regarding the Papal visit. All over the net, everyone is talking about the 'Benedict Bounce'! Why? Because we truly are, all a-bounce with his eloquently delivered feeding of our mind with the Gospel message and request to open our hearts, by our beloved Pope Benedict XVI. All the videos I recorded of the pilgrims I encountered are up on youTube, and the high quality photos I’d taken are viewable from my Flickr. I hope my work may remind my fellow pilgrims of how Pope Benedict XVI touched their hearts, and that they may remember their mission – just as I will be reminded everytime I watch any of the other people who became witness to our faith in these videos. I'm still shattered, but I'm still happy, and I expect I shall be for a while to come yet! This experience has been imprinted and burned into my memory as an unforgettable few days of peace, joy, and love, that I must now share in the public forum.


A new Evangelisation
Catholics in the UK are once more, confident to profess our faith – and it’s time to break out of our Churches and live our example in the real world. Something is stirring (the Benedict Bounce!!!) whereby the Holy Spirit is guiding us to clearer apostolates. And one of the ways I intend to express my faith from here on, is through social media – which already has a wonderfully large, welcoming, global Catholic community.

Response to 'The ‘People’s Pope’ made one thing clear: he wants an empowered laity'

Anna Arco, of Catholic Herald, wrote a wonderful article on the role of laity, based on many of the things Pope Benedict XVI said at his addresses. I highly recommend the read, and in particular, recommend reading the comments that have been shared, by people possibly returning back to the faith :) You can find the article just here: (http://is.gd/fl4Ta)

My instant reaction to this was that I'm so pleased Anna had included Pope Benedict's words in the article. Then I thought... it's just the article that so many people will need to read right now! Then third, I thought I'd show my support, by commenting with the following:

Anna, wonderful article! Thank you for writing it.

There is just so much going on for Catholics to get involved in! All it takes, is that one small step to finding out what goes on, and making that initial communication. The internet, will these days for most people, be the first area of research  for this - but that is just writing on a screen that you wouldn't truly be able to engage with. The best thing to do, is to talk to other active Catholics! We aren't scary people and we don't bite! AND... we're everywhere. Even on Twitter. We're pretty clued up about activities in our local parishes and nationwide, so there are activities and events aplenty for all every seeking soul - all one needs to do is ask an active Catholic :) Of course, being active is sometimes not possible for everyone (like people with young families, the disabled community, the destitute), but Pope Benedict still asks every one of us to live our lives according to the Gospel with "integrity, fidelity and holiness". Nothing can ever stop you from praying.

If you're not the loud sort, then don't scream. One can still make their witness known to others by the example of their actions. We belong to a beautiful faith, and we have a beautiful leader, who is beseeching us to grow in it - for we can never ever do too much to please our Lord! :)

And, people, believe it or not, Pope Benedict XVI's message truly has been heard... for I've just been off the phone with someone who wants to become Catholic ;)

I truly encourage everyone interested, to print out ALL of the Holy Father's speeches, and reflect on them personally! There's something in there for everyone ;) (http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/breaking/2010/09/19/the-definitive-guide-to-the-papal-visit-2010/)

I shall continue to write my blog. I shall continue to embrace social media to achieve this "evangelisation of culture". And I shall continue to reach out to young people who wish to open their hearts to the love of God. Spreading the Gospel message through social media is but one way I actively fulfill my role as an ordinary Catholic lay, remain obedient to God's will, and 'rise to the challenge' given by my beloved Pope Benedict XVI. :)

So, I invite all people, in particular any young person, who feels there's room in your hearts to let God in, or to get more active, to begin that communication with any active Catholic! As a young Catholic, I'm all for meeting new people, and speaking openly about my faith. My twitter is @pilgrimclaz. Don't be afraid - I'm all cool, and human just like you.

If you read the other comments, you'll see that there are people interested in our faith :) My fellow Catholics, we have our work cut out for us... and we shouldn't be afraid to take on the challenge ourselves :) Let's keep this in our prayers! Oh... and 40 days for life is starting tomorrow! So keep that in your prayers too ;)

Cofton Park Beatification Mass of Cardinal Newman in pictures and video: from and by the pilgrim

Here are some images and videos from my trip. I will be describing some of the videos and photos I've taken over the next few days - and how other pilgrims' experiences have affected me! So keep a look out!

Hyde Park Prayer Vigil @pilgrimclaz pictures and videos

All descriptions to these videos are on youTube. On my previous dated post, you will find the full text of the Holy Father's address to young people. You will also see the video taken from start to finish of the address - in the pilgrim's perspective. Enjoy ^_^

Hyde Park Prayer Vigil - Pope Benedict XVI's address to young people

Earlier this evening, Pope Benedict addressed us young Catholics of the UK at a beautifully reverent Prayer Vigil in Hyde Park:

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This is an evening of joy, of immense spiritual joy, for all of us. We are gathered here in prayerful vigil to prepare for tomorrow’s Mass, during which a great son of this nation. Cardinal John Henry Newman, will be declared Blessed. How many people, in England and throughout the world, have longed for this moment! It is also a great joy for me, personally, to share this experience with you. As you know, Newman has long been an important influence in my own life and thought, as he has been for so many people beyond these isles. The drama of Newman’s life invites us to examine our lives, to see them against the vast horizon of God’s plan and to grow in communion with the Church of every time and place: the Church of the apostles, the Church of the martyrs, the Church of the saints, the Church which Newman and to whose mission he devoted his entire life.

I thank Archbishop Peter Smith for his kind words of welcome in your name, and I am especially pleased to see the many young people who are present for this vigil. This evening, in context of our common prayer, I would like to reflect with you about a few aspects of Newman’s life which I consider very relevant to our lives as believers and to the life of the Church today.

Let me begin by recalling that Newman, by his own account, traced the course of his whole life back to a powerful experience of a conversion which he had as young man. It was an immediate experience of the truth of God’s word, of the objective reality of Christian revelation as handed down in the Church. This experience, at once religious and intellectual, who would inspire his vocation to be a minister fo the Gospel, his discernment of the source of authoritative teaching in the Churh of God and his zeal for the renewal of ecclesial life in fidelity to the apostolic tradition. At the end of his life, Newman would describe his life’s work as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion. Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life: in our day, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find in that truth our ultimate freedom and the fulfilment of our deepest human aspirations. In a word, we are meant to know Christ, who is himself ‘the way, and the truth and the life’.

Newman’s life also teaches us that passion for the truth, intellectual honesty and genuine conversion are costly. The truth sets that sets us free cannot be kept to ourselves; it calls for testimony, it begs to be hear, and in the end its convincing power comes from itself and not from the human eloquence or arguments in which it may be couched. Not far from here, at Tyburn, great numbers of our brothers and sisters died for the faith; the witness of their fidelity to the end was ever more powerful than the inspired words that so many of them spoke before surrendering everything to the Lord. In our own time, the price to be paid for fidelity to the Gospel is no longer being hanged, drawn and quartered but it often involves being dismissed out of hand, ridiculed or parodied. And yet, the Church cannot withdraw from the task of proclaiming Christ and his Gospel as saving truth, the source of our ultimate happiness as individuals and as the foundation of a just and humane society.

Finally, Newman teaches us that if we have accepted the truth of Christ and committed our lives to him, there can be no separation between what we believe and the way we live our lives. Our every thought, word and action must be directed to the glory of God and the spread of his Kingdom, Newman understood this, and was the great champion of the prophetic office of the Christian laity. He saw clearly that we do not so much accept the truth in a purely intellectual act as embrace it in a spiritual dynamic that penetrates to the core of our being. Truth is passed on not merely by formal teaching, important as it is, but also by the witness of lives lived in integrity, fidelity and holiness; those who live in and by the truth instinctively recognise what is false and precisely as false, inimical to the beauty and goodness which accompany the splendour of truth, veritatis splendor.
Tonight’s first reading is the magnificent prayer in which Saint Paul asks that we be granted to know ‘the love of Christ which surpasses all understanding’. The Apostle prays that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith and that we may come to ‘grasp, with all the saints, the breadth and the length, the height and depth’ of that love. Through faith we come to see God’s word as a lamp for our steps and light for our path. Newman, like the countless saints who preceded him along the path of Christian discipleship, taught that the ‘kindly light’ of faith leads us to realise the truth about ourselves, our dignity as God’s children and the sublime destiny which awaits us in heaven. By letting the light of faith shine in our hearts, and by abiding in that light through our daily union with the Lord in prayer and participation in the life-giving sacraments of the Church, we ourselves become light to those around us; we exercise our ‘prophetic office’; often without even knowing it, we draw people one step closer to the Lord and his truth. Without the life of prayer, without the interior transformation which takes place through the grace of the sacraments, we cannot, in Newman’s words, ‘radiate Christ’; we become just another ‘clashing cymval’ in a world filled with growing noise and confusion, filled with false paths leading only to heartbreak and illusion.

One of the Cardinal’s best-loved meditations includes the words, ‘God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another’. Gere we see Newman’s fine Christian realism, the point at which faith and life inevitably intersect Faith is meant to bear fruit in the transformation of our world through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives and activity of believers. No one who looks realistically at our world today could think that Christians can afford to go on with business as usual, ignoring the profound crisis of faith which has overtaken our society, or simply trusting that patrimony of values handed down by the Christian centuries will continue to inspire and shape the future of our society. We know that in times of crisis and upheaval God has raised up great saint and prophets for the renewal of the Church and Christian society; we trust in providence and we pray for his continued guidance. But each of us, in accordance with his or her state of life, is called to work for the advancement of God’s Kingdom by imbuing temporal life with the values of the Gospel. Each of us has a mission, each of us is called to change the world, to work for a culture of life, a culture forged by love and respect for the dignity of each human person. As our Lord tells us in the Gospel we have just heard, our light must shine in the sight of all, so that, on seeing our good works, they may give praise to our heavenly Father.

Here I wish to say a special word to the many young people present. Dear young friends: only Jesus knows what definite service he has in mind for you. Be open to his voice resounding in the depths of your heart: even now his heart is speaking to your heart. Christ has need of families to remind the world of the dignity of human love and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, tending the young and forming them in the ways of the Gospel. He needs those who will consecrate their lives to the pursuit of perfect charity, following him in chastity, poverty and obedience, and serving him in the least of our brothers and sisters. He needs the powerful love of contemplative religious, who sustain the Church’s witness and activity through their constant prayer. And he needs priests, good and holy priests, men who are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep. Ask our Lord what he has in mind for you. Ask him for the generosity to say ‘yes’! Do not be afraid to give yourself totally to Jesus. He will give youthe grace you need to fulfil your vocation. Let me finish these few words by warmly inviting you to join me next year in Madrid for World Youth Day. It is always a wonderful occasion to grow in love for Christ and to encouraged in a joyful life of faith along with thousands of other young people. I hope to see many of you there!

And now, dear friends, let us continue our vigil of prayer by preparing to encounter Christ, resent among us in the in Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Together, in the silence of our common adoration, let us open our minds and hearts to his presence, his love, the convincing power of his truth. In a special way, let us thank him for the enduring witness to that truth offered by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Trusting in his prayers, let us ask the Lord to illumine our path, and the path of all British society, with the kindly light of his truth, his love and his peace.

Amen.

LIVE & ON STAGE 2: RISEtheatre with "Breathe"

As you've seen from my previous post, you're watching a production that spreads the Gospel message in some way. Hopefully you could follow my tweet commentary well enough :)

Based on Mt 5:14-16; '¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.', this next production is very similar, with a direct message to young people not to stay hidden. Don't be afraid to come out into the open and shine. See the ballerina as a journey in faith, and to use your talents and gifts to do His works proudly.

LIVE & ON STAGE: RISEtheatre's "Now is the time"

You may or may not have heard of them, but this Performing Arts company with their talented and committed group of young Catholics are the next best thing to the 'noughties dancefloor'!

Westminster Diocese has written a blog article to summarise who they are. But in a nutshell, Charley Pinfold, co-director of RISEtheatre, along with Helen Martin the director, was inspired after a trip to the Philippines, in which she was struck by how despondent, unworthy, and untalented destitute children felt at the hands of society, to respond to God's powerful call to bring them hope. Referring to Isiah 52:2 "Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion", the message they spread using acting, lyrical movement, music, and props, is one that proves the worth of every individual - for we are all known and loved by God.

They began their own mission to give young Catholics a platform to voice their faith in artistic and theatrical ways - methods that appeal to the young, the not-so-confident, and even kids that aren't so good at school. So, on the stage right now, are a wonderful mix of young people from all different backgrounds, with all sorts of past experiences, ambitions and hopes. But one thing unites them, and that's their Catholic faith.

Set to Delirious' "Now is the time to rise", this high impact drama begins lifeless in colour, set in a city. A balloon begins to blow and soon, elements of colour and circus are revealed.

Follow me on Twitter as I deliver the messages behind the movement and all this colour!

Westminster Diocese on their pilgrimage to see the Holy Father at Westminster Cathedral

It was a very early start for these young, full-of-life-and-spirit pilgrims.
But they weren't alone in their groggy morning tiredness - for they were joined with 2000 other young pilgrims from all over the country for one purpose: to see their beloved Pope Benedict XVI at Westminster Cathedral.


So here is a quick peek at the morning's build up to the excitement of the Piazza experience!

Advice for Catholic pilgrims at Westminster & Hyde Park about facing the media today!

A few days ago, Fiona O'Reilly from Catholic Voices (http://www.catholicvoices.org.uk/home), offered some excellent, top advice for me as a pilgrim regarding the media, which I really want to share with you! This was originally a post I created on the 16th September, but I've tweaked it so that it's relevant to today.

There is going to be over 1000 media journalists and media camera crew, out there today - from all over the world! So you might encounter a journalist wanting your take on things.

What's different about today than Bellahouston park in Glasgow, is that there will be protesters a-plenty. There were fewer than 20 protesters there, where as today, there will be hundreds if not thousands of them. I expect that the media would really love to see any movement between protesters and pilgrims. So here's a few tips about facing the media at Westminster and Hyde Park today.

• Be yourself! The media have warmed to the fact that us Catholic pilgrims really are a nice peaceful bunch. So now that they know us - they may very well give the protesters the level of coverage that has been afforded them in the run-up to the visit, just for a little change. Although they'll want to capture the views, the thoughts and the feelings of mainstream ordinary Catholics like you and I, today could be the day when they'll also want to capture the controversial aspects of the visit brought to life through the protests. So if you are interviewed, be true to yourself, and don't let any form of intimidating that the protesters may give you during any interviews get to you, frustrate, or anger you. I invite you to watch some of my videos below to see the joy of the pilgrims who have journeyed before you for inspiration.

• Respect others' opinions! We may not agree with each other on things, but we must respect each other as JC taught us to. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
• Joyful noise! If you are happy, then show it! This might be a once in a lifetime chance to show your joy of being a Catholic publicly! Smiles all around would just look so totally cool!
• Don't be afraid! ... to show your devotion through items of clothing, or jewellry, or banners that give the impression you are Catholic :) I'll have my Benedict XVI CWA hoodie on, rosary bracelet, St. James' shell earings and pilgrim wooden cross necklace showing proudly! And thousands upon thousands of us today will be waving the Vatican flag.
• Don't comment if...  you feel uncomfortable about discussing something they've brought up. You should never feel pressurised into talking about anything you don't want to talk about. You could always refer them over to Catholic Voices to talk about that.

So that's some advice for my fellow pilgrims at Westminster and Hyde Park today on media interviews! Enjoy yourselves... you are about to feel the vivacity and joy of thousands and thousands of people like yourself! ^_^ Pope Benedict XVI is here in the UK!!! Live it up!

Today's Social Media Pilgrim Itinerary: @pilgrimclaz & Claz Coms

Good morning wonderful pilgrims! What a beautiful day to greet the Pope!!!

I will be on and offline throughout the day. When offline, I may be tweeting on behalf of thepapalvisit.org.uk, or publishing a blogpost.


07:40 - Live tweeting, Westminster Youth (WY) Piazza group inc. footage and photos
08:15 - Live tweeting Following the WY pilgrim journey to piazza

09:30 - Offline

10:30 - Tweeting from the media centre

11:00 - Offline & Lunch

13:15 Live tweeting - pilgrim journey through the park
13:45 Live tweeting - Protest the Pope @ Hyde Park Corner - the Catholic POV inc. footage and photos
14:00 Live tweeting pilgrim journey from Hyde Park to media centre
14:20 Live tweeting from the media centre
14:35 PUBLISH LIVE BLOG: Theatre production part 1
14:39 Live tweet commentary of theatre production
14:45 Live tweeting of event from the grounds

15:00 - Offline

15:15 Live tweeting from the media centre
15:20 PUBLISH LIVE BLOG: theatre production part 2
15:22 Live tweet commentary of theatre production
15: 35 Live tweeting of event from the grounds

15:45 - Offline

18:30 Live tweeting of the pilgrim's vigil from the grounds inc. footage and photos
22:00 Tweeting from the media centre

22:00 - Offline

Friday 17th in photos and video

Scotland, you did yourselves proud.

The negative media regarding the Papal visit shouted so loudly at the displeasure of Pope Benedict's arrival. Yet... on the day (and I am so privileged to say I was there - what a thing to tell my children in the future!) I didn't see a single displeased face. The people came in the thousands. Bellahouston park was not filled with just children, their parents, and the mature of our society. No way! It was also filled with young, enthusiastic Catholics from all over the country - most of them waving proudly their Vatican and Scottish flags. Bet the media didn't expect THAT coming. In fact, I bet they didn't expect the whole thing to turn out as well as it did! For everybody involved!

My God!

What a joyful, and peaceful celebration it was. Everyone there may not have been there out of choice (like the younger teenagers), but they behaved respectfully for the Holy Father, which gave them the opportunity to listen, and potentially open their hearts to the beautiful words that flowed so gracefully from is gentle voice. In Pope Benedict's speech, his Holiness says "I have come as a herald of that peace to you, the spiritual children of Saint Andrew and to confirm you in the faith of Peter" (cf. Lk 22:32). He mentions some of your proud Scottish history in the anniveraries of the Reformation Parliament and the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh that marked "the birth of the modern ecumenical movement".

Then he confirms for you our Christian mission by addressing every single person: "I encourage the Catholic professionals, politicans and teachers of Scotland never to lose sight of their calling to use their talents and experience in the service of the faith, engaging contemporary Scottish culture at every level." "I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of faith in public, but also to put the case for the promotion of faith's wisdom and vision in the public forum." He is calling us to be witnesses, even in the public eye. Our beloved Pope Benedict doesn't send you away with no support though. He helps you to realise how you can live out your Christian ways by giving you a 'home-grown' example of Christ's witness in someone you could really ask the intercession of and aspire to become: "Saint Ninian whose feast we celebrate today, was himself unafraid to be a lone voice."

For all my Scottish Seminarian friends reading this, as you already will have heard, his Holiness appeals to the bishops to lead their priests into becoming "a body of men who inspire others to dedicate themselves completely to the service of Almighty God". "You are called to holiness and to serve God's people by modelling your lives on the mystery of the Lord's cross. Preach the Gospel with a pure heart and a clear conscience." As you say in Scotland: Aye.

Although I loved every moment of his speech, I loved most his address to young people. I'm a young person myself, and his message could not have been made any clearer to us than this: "My dear young Catholics of Scotland. I urge you to lead lives worthy of our Lord (cf. Eph 4:1) and of yourselves. There are many temptations placed before you everyday - drugs, money, sex, pornography, alcohol - which the world tells you will bring you happiness, yet these things are destructive and divisive." He tells us this for the good of our souls - because these things are self-gratifying and only take us further away from God. We are so worthy of Him, as long as we try our very best to restrain from sin. Polluting our bodies means also polluting our soul, whether you wish to think of it like that or not - for they are one in the same until our moment of death. For every choice we make, dear your people, we must never forget to include the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and our souls into our decision.

"I pray that many of you will know and love Jesus Christ and, through that encounter, will dedicate yourselves completely to God, especially those of you who are called to the priesthood and religious life. This is the challenge the Lord gives to you today: the Church now belongs to you!" What a blessing that he would grace us with the responsibility of keeping the Catholic Church alive this present day. No matter how old you are, get over it. It is time to accept the trials and tribulations that this challenge may bring to us. Could even offer any sacrifices to the Lord in reparation for sins committed against God and Our Lady's immaculate heart - a heart we should all strive not to offend.

Then he addresses you with such grace, in the Gaelic language. "Síth agus beannachd Dhe dhuibh uile; Dia bhi timcheall oirbh; agus gum beannaicheadh Dia Alba". Just imagine... yesterday, the world discovered Scotland. I'm not saying that it isn't known to anyone, but what I'm saying is that, there are millions and millions of people around the world who wouldn't have heard of Scotland - in particular, those who live in destitution in places like South East Asia, Africa and South America. To certain parts of these continents, faith is everything to them, and they follow our leader in spirit everywhere he goes. Well... he's just made known to those people who the Catholics of Scotland are, and I'm sure that your reception of the Holy Father has encouraged many prayers from all over the world your way.

So, my fellow Catholic pilgrims of Scotland, you didn't just do yourselves proud, you did Catholics all over the world proud too - and you enjoyed yourselves! For all you young Catholics reading this, you might not have heard of World Youth Day - but it's exactly an event like this. Look it up because after this experience, you might want another dose of it next summer in Madrid ;)

Please pray for us who will be going to Hyde Park, that we may encounter the same spirit, joy and peace you also basked in.