Leave it at the Cross

World youth day was an amazing experience. One I will never forget. The preparation, fundraising, friendships, experiences, traveling, churches, and people, everything! I will forever hold onto the memories and friendships this trip has given me. There are plenty of stories I could tell you all about, and probably some I should keep to myself... but there are also many moments that were indescribable. There were some moments that words just can't do justice. But I do have a lot of moments I want to share and so picking one to talk about was really tough. The people I met, the sessions, the closing Mass, the universal church, the Pope, I could blog about all of these. But the thing that impacted me the most at World Youth Day was the Cross. 

I've always had a difficult time putting together in my head that the Jesus I talk to everyday is the same Jesus that died on the Cross for me. In my eyes its a strange problem to have and I didn't know why I couldn't connect with the Cross like other people did.  So many people really cling to the Cross and connect to Jesus through it. I wanted that. Before WYD, I prayed that I would understand the Cross better. I said this prayer so early before WYD that I forgot about it once I got there. 

On Friday night Pope Francis led us in Stations of the Cross and it was through those stations that God answered my prayer. Stations were pretty distracting. Volunteers were moving about, people were talking, and even trading items with us. It wasn't the most reverent stations I've ever been too but at the same time it almost was. I can't describe it, it must have been one of those moments where God gives you the grace to understand. There were so many reasons that I wouldn't haven been able to take anything from the experience, but God remembered my prayer, even though at this point I had still forgotten it myself! I can't explain it, but from then on I understood the passion so much more. After praying the stations I felt like I almost witnessed the passion firsthand. I felt a personal connection to His passion and Cross in a way I hadn't before. I better understood what Jesus went through for me. The Cross had touched my heart. Pope Francis then said "No one can approach and touch the Cross of Jesus without leaving something of himself or herself there, and without bringing something of the Cross of Jesus into his or her life." He then asked us to answer three important questions before we left World Youth Day. He asked, "What have you left on the Cross? What has the Cross of Jesus left for you, in each one of you? Finally, what does the Cross teach us?"

Pope Francis then went deeper into the three questions. He said that "With Christ crucified, evil, suffering, and death do not have the last word, because he gives us hope and life: he has transformed the Cross from being an instrument of hate, defeat and death to being a sign of love, victory, triumph and life." I think that sounds pretty awesome. Nothing in my life can be labeled as something that can't be changed for the better. Because if Jesus can transform the cross, He can transform the crosses little and big in my own life. He can transform my fear to courage, my sins to forgiveness, my worldly ways of thinking into heavenly ways. But to pick up this new transformation I must first place it at the Cross and leave it there. And then remember to pick up what the Cross has given me back in exchange. In Brazil I left fear at the Cross and I received courage. Fear of what others think of me was really plaguing me and when Pope Francis asked his first question, "What are you going to leave on the Cross?", I knew immediately that I didn't want fear anymore. Once I truly left fear at the Cross, I had so much more courage. I really recommend everyone to do this and believe it! Jesus already died on the Cross, place your problems on the Cross, stop carrying them around and give them to Jesus!

I wear my cross that I was given at WYD everyday now. It's a constant reminder to me of what I left behind and what I received. It reminds me of what Jesus did for me at Calvary. And it reminds me of Pope Francis' words to us, "There is no cross, big or small, in our life, which The Lord does not share with us." The Cross teaches me that beautiful things can come out of suffering and that I am never alone in that suffering.

I'm placing the link to Pope Francis' speech at the bottom of this page. I encourage you to read it and answer his questions on your own after praying about it. What are you going to leave at the Cross? What is the Cross giving you? What does the Cross teach you? 


Pope Francis' Stations of the Cross Speech