In 2008, I travelled to World Youth Day in Sydney.  Myself and all the other pilgrims from Ireland had been preparing for this experience for a long time.  Some of us had never been to one of these events before.  Others, including myself, had already attended other World Youth Days, and we had high expectations of Sydney.  Thankfully, our hopes were not disappointed.  It was an experience that will stay with us throughout our lives.

Before travelling to Sydney, we first went to Melbourne for the "Days in the Dioceses" programme.  We receive a warm welcome from the people of St. Scholastica's parish, who opened up their church and their homes to us for the duration of our stay.  We participated in many events in Melbourne, including the opening ceremony in St. Patrick's cathedral, Taizé meditation, lectio divina, and outdoor concerts.  For the Irish pilgrims, a very special one was the Mass we shared with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.  However, the most extraordinary Mass we attended in Melbourne was in Telstra Dome, a huge sports stadium.  The whole liturgy was wonderful - but the funniest sight of the night was six hundred priests (all seated together for the purposes of concelebration) joining in with the crowds to do a Mexican wave during the pre-Mass concert.  This has to be seen to be believed! 

We said goodbye to Melbourne on July 14^th and flew to Sydney, where we were received by the people of St. Patrick's parish in Bondi.  In the days that followed, our schedules were packed full to the brim.  We had morning prayer, catechesis, and Mass every day, followed by a big event somewhere in the city (e.g. the Pope's arrival ceremony in Barangaroo).  During all this time, the words that stayed with me most were from Bishop Frank Caggiano of Brooklyn, one of our catechists.  He described how his Italian family used to frequently get into heated discussions - but, at the end of each argument, his father would remind them: "Blood is thicker than water."  They were all part of one family.  No difficulty between them could change that blood relation, no matter what.  Bishop Frank then brought the analogy one step further: "The Spirit is thicker than blood."  Through the sacrament of Baptism, he said, we have all been joined together by the Spirit into one family of God.  Even if things are not always easy between all the brothers and sisters of the Church, we are a family nonetheless.  The bonds of love that we share through the grace of God are stronger and more enduring than our divisions.  These are words that I hope never to forget. 

In a way, these words unlock one of the most powerful and amazing aspects of World Youth Day: the inspiring sight of seeing people of so many different nations and languages coming together to celebrate one faith.  This can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit, as the theme of World Youth Day 2008 was: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8).  At Randwick racecourse during the great vigil that was the climax of World Youth Day, Pope Benedict spoke powerfully on this subject.  He said that Holy Spirit is the spirit of the love that is shared between the Father and the Son - a love enough be a Person: "God shares himself as love in the Holy Spirit.  What further understanding might we gain from this insight?  Love is the sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit!  Ideas or voices which lack love - even if they seem sophisticated or knowledgeable - cannot be ‘of the Spirit.'"  Where love truly can be seen, the Spirit is there - and love could certainly be seen in the happy and joyful young pilgrims of World Youth Day, waving hundreds of different flags yet singing and chanting together, with one voice. 

For the pilgrims who received the Pope's message, the differences of cultures and ethnicities between us were to be seen as strengths and loveable qualities, rather than weaknesses or barriers to love.  Every different flag we saw was a cause for celebration, not a symbol of division.  At World Youth Day 2008, we saw that God's love can unite us most powerfully - and, when we let that love into our lives, we become witnesses of the Holy Spirit.  Now, the challenge for all of us will be to bring that memory home, and continue the witness wherever we go.  Thankfully, as sisters and brothers in the Church, with God's love to help us, and our parishes to support us, that is not a challenge that we will have to encounter alone.

Siobhán Mooney