Reflection on my First Home Visit

My Vincentian Beginning -SVDP Story Booth (Youtube Video)

Click on the link above to hear what my first home visit was like.

After 4 months...(Reflection)

It has already been about four months since World Youth Day in Brazil and still, I can feel the strong spirit I encountered there. Young Vincentians from across the world made their way to Brazil, where we met on July 18 in Belo Horizonte. We were housed in Cidade dos Meninos, what seemed to be a gated city for children. It was great to see that such an institution had the society’s name on every building with plaques that read, “SOCIEDADE SÃO VICENTE DE PAULO.” Our days were filled with catechesis, Mass, prayer, worship, dancing, and fun.

One of the catechesis sessions was presented by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s International President Michael Thio, on the new forms of poverty, which still to the day has not left my mind. New global poverties that Michael Thio discussed included loneliness, addiction, and underclass people who literally have nothing. As I laid on my humble bed in Cidade dos Meninos, I felt happiness arise from an unfamiliar source. Aside from a few clothes, I had only brought with me my love for God. This love was enough to replace everything that I had back home. As I compared my lifestyle in Los Angeles to the one I learned of in catechesis, I felt myself disconnecting from a material world.

On Sunday, July 21, we boarded buses to Rio de Janeiro. All the young Vincentian groups were spread throughout the city and we joined the rest of the Catholic youth from all over the world where together we attended several World Youth Day activities throughout the week. There was catechesis, daily Mass, confession, and even a Young Vincentian Reunion.

On Sunday, July 27, we ended World Youth Day with the celebration of Mass with Pope Francis. I had never seen a sight like the one that day on Copacabana Beach. Hundreds of flags of different countries waved high in the sky, showing Pope Francis our excitement to be participating in World Youth Day. I am so grateful and blessed for experiencing World Youth Day in Brazil. Everything about it was intimate and full of love and joy. God is everywhere, but it felt like he walked with us those two weeks we spent in Brazil. I brought this feeling with me to Los Angeles and I have been sharing it with everyone I meet, while inviting them to join me in Poland for World Youth Day 2016. 

I am so grateful for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Being a Vincentian for about three years has encouraged me to put my faith into action by serving the poor. Seeing so many young Vincentians in Belo Horizonte and how enthusiastic they are about Vincentian vocation was so inspirational to me. Experiencing Mass celebrated by Pope Francis with 3.5 million others on Copacabana Beach is a sight I will never forget. I encourage everyone to attend WYD in 2016 in Poland! See you there!

Esta es la juventud del Papa!

I woke up to a sunrise on the sand of Copacabana Beach. Some of us ran to the street where Pope Francis was about to drive through to get to the main stage. The excitement among all of us standing there was amazingly great! We jumped up and down and started chanting, "Esta es la juventud del Papa!" as Pope Francis got closer to us. There I stood waving my hand as if I was waving to a long-time friend. I felt as if he looked at me. As soon as I saw him so close, I thought of how great our God is. He sent his only Son as a humble man to die for our Sins, what a merciful God! And now, God himself leads this church through the Holy Spirit that illuminates Pope Francis.

He Loves Us First

Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley gave Catechesis today and it was amazing. The way people can tell we are disciples is if we demonstrate it through our actions. If we love one another the way that God loves us, we can show the world that special love we have, fellowship, and paternity among each other. The special love we have is the love from God, whom loves us first. Cardinal O'Malley shared a story of a man who lived in a beautiful house on a mountain. One day, he stood outside his house looking down at the beach where people played on the sand. He saw a huge and dangerous wave coming that would surely wipe all his neighbors off the beach. He waved his arms and screamed in attempts to rescue his neighbors, but he was too far. So he set his house on fire. Everyone on the beach saw the beautiful house on fire, but not everyone cared. Some of the neighbors hesitated to run up the mountain and help and others didn't bother at all. The few neighbors that ran up the mountain to help, were the ones saved from the huge wave. When the Vincentians in Los Angeles help the homeless on the streets, we aren't only helping them, we are helping ourselves. We are sharing this special love with them, and trying to make disciples. 

Book suggestion from Cardinal O'Malley: "How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice"

Here I am to say that you're my God

As we clapped our hands in worship at the catechesis session, I felt an indescribable happiness and wondered if this was what heaven was like. Can you imagine loving God in prayer and song for eternity?

Cardinal Timothy from New York gave the catechesis. One of the stories he shared with us was the one of a woman who had lost hope. She was a drug addict and prostituted herself to pay for her addiction. She had been in foster homes all her life and had thought of killing herself several times. When she was invited to World Youth Day in 2003, she only went because she had nothing to lose. There, she met the man that changed her life. He looked at her and said, "I love you." No other man had ever said it, unless it was while handing her fifty dollars. Pope John Paul II gave this woman hope with these words. It's amazing to know that millions of people anticipate to hear His successor's inspirational words. Tomorrow he will him speak to us!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Even though it rained, we made our way to Copacabana Beach for the Vincentian Reunion. In Belo Horizonte, we agreed to meet up once we were in Rio de Janeiro. A lot of Vincentians came out to pray and sing.

From left to right: Isabel (me), Vincentian Volunteer from Belo Horizonte, Rizza, Alejandra, Malcolm, Gina. 

Rise Up and Dance!

As we made our way on the sand of Copacabana Beach, music that filled our spirits played loudly. The beach was crowded with youth groups from all over the world, everyone was dancing. The band's name playing was Rex Band. They are a Catholic group all the way from India. How amazing to know that our Catholic brothers and sisters are everywhere, even in a country where 1 billion people claim Hinduism. God is glorious and he has given us this opportunity through Pope John Paul II to gather on World Youth Day and witness His amazing inspirations among all of us. 

Vincentian Chain

Today we paid a visit to Christ, the Redeemer. It was an unbelievable experience! As we made our way up the mountain on the train, the cloud of fog got denser. By the time we reached the top, the winds blew tremendously and the mist had us soaked. As I looked up at His face, He was all that I could see, not even the blue sky was in sight. It was just me and Him.

In the evening, we celebrated mass on the beach with over a million others from all over the world. We saw Iraq, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and flags that I didn't even recognize. As we took the Eucharist, the wind blew harder and again we were soaked, but it was the greatest feeling in the world. I can't possibly find words to describe the exact emotions I had while kneeling on the sand. The Holy Spirit is strong and the excitement is continuously growing as the hour in which we see Pope Francis approaches.

. 

Shine on me

All the Vincentians boarded about twenty busses that transported us from Belo Horizonte to Rio de Janeiro. As the busses drove behind one another deeper into the city, more and more Vincentians got off the bus. Then there was us, Sister Christian's group. Our hostel is walking distance from the beach. When I entered my new room, I couldn't help but feel so privileged. La Ciudad de Los Ninos in Belo Horizonte is so humble, and my room there was nothing like the one I'm in now. The Vincentians have done great things in Belo Horizonte, but our love for God is infinite, so our service for the poor is infinite too.

We went to mass in the evening, and I gotta tell you, this city is full of the spirit. There are people from all over the world that have come to celebrate with Pope Francis, who arrived earlier today. Random people on the streets see us walking in our Vincentian gear, waving our World Youth Day and USA flag and they shout out "papa!" They know we've traveled thousands of miles to join Pope Francis, they can see our excited faces, they can feel the same grace of God that we feel in our hearts. It's amazing.

mass in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Vincentians!

I am writing from La Ciudad de los Ninos in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It came to be that my cell phone has no service in the area so I've been unable to update my blog like I said I would. We leave to Rio de Janeiro tonight. After four days in this city, my Vincentian spirit has grown so much. There are Vincentians from all over the world. The Vincentian spirit is so strong, I can't wait to share everything with my Vincentian family in Los Angeles. I have entered into a new humble state of mind. 

The Holy Spirit is strong, and it has inspired me to realize all the Vincentian works I've taken part in will never be enough. But this isn't a negative thing at all, I have fallen in love with the poor and I have seen Jesus Christ in them. I want this love to last forever. I pray that our Vincentian Spirit grows even stronger. I pray that we inspire the youth in our community to become Vincentians. It is a great blessing to be a Vincentian.

Intro

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has sponsored me to attend World Youth Day in Brazil as a Vincentian. Being a Vincentian for the past three years has been a blessing. To prepare for this pilgrimage, I have been doing the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises. These meditations have centered my faith and my spirituality has grown deeper. I will use this blog as a travel diary. Enjoy!