Salt of the Earth! Light of the World! by Renato Sarmiento   20th October 2002 – Three months on since the 17th World Youth Day held in Toronto, Canada, my spirit still instantly soars at the slightest thought that I was actually there when the renaissance of faith among the young cross-section of the Church took shape anew! But more than the magnanimous feelings and the media frenzy it brings, World Youth Day was foremost a pilgrimage that touches the soul and inevitably demands a solid response in return.
But wait, don’t mistake me for anything. I am no zealot nor am I contemplating about entering religious life any sooner! In fact, by and large I still consider myself very much in the world – though hopefully not worldly – doing stuff any young professional my age is into, enjoying the same hobbies and at times even foraying into some unwanted curiosities. That said, all the more that that the springtime of faith that was WYD was suited for me. I’m confident that most of the young pilgrims who had made the trip share similar experience. And perhaps, the same reason for coming. So what really attracted me to the World Youth Day? What has driven me to spend a good deal of money, consumed thousands of air mileage for a trip to the other side of the globe – just to give up comforts and embraced simple living for a week?
Communion to heal the world divide … To an outsider, WYD is a combination of many paradoxes: a case of an unruly gathering of hundreds of thousands of young people who are barely out of their teens; led by men and women who do not possess first-hand parental skills – the bishops, priests, nuns and religious; and, top-billed by an ailing octogenarian "who simply refuses to give up" – that’s the Pope, John Paul II, as portrayed by his detractors of course. Holding an event with such a mammoth crowd is in itself already a logistical nightmare. Even worse would be the potential traffic chaos and the heaps of garbage afterwards. But amazingly, it’s precisely these ironies that make every World Youth Day works! Yes, hundreds of young people from round the globe are converging; this year, estimates peaked at 800,000 for the closing Mass at Downsview Park in Toronto. But we (counting myself a young person still!) were certainly not unruly. Instead, what I have witnessed was a sea of young people ready to commit to discipleship and respond to the serious call of faith. I’m also a living testament to the power of love having lived with many strangers under very spartan conditions without regard to race, color or state of life. If it’s true that the movers and architects of the new millennium would rise from our numbers, then there’s reason to hope for a brighter tomorrow. Yes, the priests and nuns can hardly be trusted when it comes to parental expertise. But they once more proved that we can still entrust to them our souls. They remain for us the closest imago Dei – image of God – and acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ), they imparted to us a bounty of sacramental grace. And the Pope? John Paul the Great was simply amazing! He’s old and sickly, alright. But he doesn’t hide it. On the contrary, he declared that while advanced in years, he still "fully identifies with the youth’s hopes and aspirations." Quoting him further, "Although I have lived through much darkness, under harsh totalitarian regimes, I have seen enough evidence to be unshakably convinced that no difficulty, no fear is so great that it can completely suffocate the hope that springs eternal in the hearts of the young. You are our hope, the young are our hope."
	Indeed, the Pope came to bring hope. He’s like a grandfather who soothes the crying toddler in us. He’s like a father who rejoices in the company of his children but agonizes over the mistakes of the few. A father who cheers in the gallery, encouraging us to go for the gold, to live for Christ and to keep Hope ever burning. For these reasons, he defied so many gloomy expectations but defined his place in our hearts. The Pope’s sounding out the trumpet of hope comes at a time no more relevant
than now. As he rightly put it, we entered the third millennium with two competing voices for our souls. Just as when we were about to set out into the fullness of our Christian identity with the Jubilee year, darkness no sooner overturned the day’s brightness that it now appears that dark forces are winning the race. So much division lurks in the hearts of men, violence continues to erupt here and there and war is now being offered a just solution. What we have is a world which needs to be touched and healed by the beauty and richness of God's love. It needs witnesses to that love. This is the Lord’s calling through the Holy Father and the World Youth Day. Celebration of life … What makes the World Youth Day a shining success and a dazzling attraction to the young people of the world is its joyful dimension. WYDs are a celebration of life! Perhaps it’s because the reality of the presence of Christ in our lives implies joy and happiness. At the World Youth Day, we celebrated the splendor of life in Christ by exploring the beauty and wonders of Canada – this country’s rich nature indeed speaks of the creative Hands of God. There’s joy in the exchange of warm smiles with friendly pilgrims who traveled from the four corners of the world, in the eruption of songs and dances, and in swapping of souvenirs as the end goes near. We also rejoiced at the redeeming value of suffering present in the person of the Holy Father and in our constant struggle for holiness. The joy of the World Youth Day is deep seated in Christ. We did not wave, clapped or cheered just to have fun. We did so most willingly because we knew that the Lord was in our midst, and the best praise we can offer Him was being united in spirit and in actions. But apart from what can be seen or heard, WYD is a celebration of our commissioning: duc in altum! (Set out into the deep.) We were well aware that our happiness has to be shared when we go back to our homes. Christ is our light and the Fount of hope! World Youth Days subsist in the love of Christ; Jesus was at the crux of the Toronto gathering of young people. Two thousand years ago, He gathered His disciples and followers on the shores of Lake Galilee to proclaim the Kingdom of God. In July of this year, He returned to the shores of the Great Lake Ontario to bless the young members of His Church who braved the demands of the modern times to profess undying faith. Jesus was in the Pope who continues to refuse to deny His Church a vicar despite his physical limitations. Jesus was in the consecrated persons who are most chastised in the current scandals involving some of their brothers and sisters in the ministry. Above all, Jesus was in the sullied face of young people like us who are thirsting to hear and live out the good news despite the rising tides against the faith. The World Youth Day brought Jesus ever closer to us. He affirmed his abiding presence in the daily sacrifice of the Holy Mass. He has revealed his Heart of Mercy in the many confessions that had taken place. In different catecheses, the message was that Jesus really wanted to be heard in our present age. That we can never build a prosperous future without Him, no matter how much we try. The only road for us is to build a city of God within the city of man.
And Christ is the light that shines our way, scattering the darkness in our lives. We just have to cling on to His promise that we shall never be alone again. Together, we shine with His brightness and we become a reflection of His light from day to day. Sadly, all things must come to an end. When the Holy Father announced at the Closing Mass that the next international gathering of young people for the 20th World Youth Day will be in 2005 in Cologne, Germany, we were left wistfully thinking. But just the same, we remain jubilant and hopeful. Auf wiedersehen in Cologne! (The 17th World Youth Day was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from July 18 to 28, 2002. First convened by Pope John Paul II in 1985, WYD has since become a yearly celebration for young people – one year is held at the diocesan level every Easter Sunday while the following year is an international pilgrimage held at a country of choice. The Toronto World Youth Day was a second for the author, his first being in Manila in 1995.)