WYD Special - WYD Reflection

COMM-UNITY

On the first day of our WYD, I was totally unprepared for the massive crowd that appeared before my eyes. While we were on our way to Bangagaroo for our opening mass, I could see numerous church groups that came together from all over the world. Each group of pilgrims was holding on proudly to their country's flag. It was so exciting & awesome! People move in herds, singing hymns, & shouting cheers. It showed me another face of the Catholic Church which I've not seen before - a church so full of joy & hope. A church that despite its diversity, could still come together to celebrate our commonality - the one universal, catholic & apostalic church. It almost seemed as if the church had just experienced a great Pentecost. So, who says that the Catholic Church is a sleeping giant?

Like many others, our S'pore group (51 of us) from the church of St. Ignatius was also excited & proud to be there. And during the journey to Bagangaroo, I learnt a few tricks on how to avoid losing one another :

1) travel in the same pace. That means sometimes, having to slow down/hasten our pace or even waiting for one another.
2) the need for accountability - that means keeping each other in the loop of your whereabouts (even if it means a few minutes of toilet visit) + your contactability.
3) Hold on to one another. At some point, we literally had to hold on to each other's hands/bags to avoid losing one another in the scuffle & jostle.
4) the need for a marker - in our case, it is none other than the flag bearer. We need to keep our eyes fixed on the flag so as not to lose our way. But even if we do, we can always come back with the help on the flag that is raised high above the crowds.

I guess, the same could be said of my faith journey in a community. I recalled leaving church at the age of 15 - 17 as a result of not following the above pointers. I'm grateful to be where I am in my faith today, as a result of my community (Doulos Adonai) that has nutured my faith. So,

1) thank you for slowing down when I tried to seek God with all my heart for the first time in my life. You have so generously shared & witnessed your faith to me. You have taught me what P&W is, the Word of God & the various church teaching.
2) thank you for being my prayer buddy, encouraging me in my faith walk and keeping me in check on my spiritual health.
3) for the times when I was down and wanted to leave the group, you have continued to support me through your friendship, prayers and love. I couldn't break free because you have held on so tightly to me.
4) thank you for being my role model in your own individual way. I couldn't have been more inspired to be a leader (in my own way) had you not led in your own examples.

Although waiting for each other seems to be a waste of time, but the need to travel TOGETHER cannot be overemphasized. I learn that the need for unity is sometimes more important than efficiency, that the process of traveling is more fulfilling than the destination. And that, to my understanding, is the life of a comm-unity.

"Only when we see ourselves in our true human context, as members of a race which is intended to be one organism and "one body," will we begin to understand the positive importance not only of the successes but of the failures and accidents in our lives. My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others. The fruit of my labours is not my own : for I am preparing the way for the achievements of another. Nor are my failures my own. They may spring from the failure of another, but they are also compensated for by another's achievement. Therefore, the meaning of my life is not to be looked for merely the sum total of my achievements. It is seen only in the complete integration of my achievements and failures with the achievements and failures of my own generation, and society, and time. It is seen, above all, in my integration in the mystery of Christ.

~ Thomas Merton, No Man Is An Island