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In Australia, pilgrims 'walk by faith'
by Jake Madigan special to The Michigan Catholic
Published July 18, 2008
"Touch the world with your love!" shouted the Cook Islands priest last night at Mass.
More than 600 people crowded into a small church here in Kilab in Bay, Australia, in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle near the country's eastern coast.
They were listening on the edges of their seats to the Mass being said in Maori, a native language of the Cook Islands. The message was simple and meaningful.
Here at Days in the Diocese, I am camping in tents along with 800 other pilgrims.
Each night, Mass is hosted by a different country. Of the many countries represented here, last night, July 12, the Cook Islands were in charge of hosting the liturgy. Although it was said in a different language, the Mass was just as understandable as it is back home.
The experience has helped me realize the meaning of the proverb, "We walk by faith, and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5-7).
I was unable to understand the language of the Mass, which I found to be a barrier. It was when I remembered the proverb that I started to go through the liturgy with more of my faith, and less of my ears. As soon as I did this, I understood the Mass more clearly than ever.
Earlier in the day, I took a trip across to the other side of Newcastle. There was a festival being held for 4,000 of the pilgrims from 30 different countries to interact and enjoy the different cultures. After talking with some of the local Australians, I took a walk down the pier to get a better glimpse of the ocean and the coastline. As I was sitting on a rock, I was able to see God's beauty all around me. Not just in the ocean and coastline, but also in the people coming up to meet me. I got a better picture of how big our world truly is.
Everything I have seen so far has been absolutely incredible.
I've been impressed by how welcoming and friendly the locals are. Just walking down the street the other day, an older woman stopped her car to ask me if I wanted a ride back to my campsite. The Australians initiate a lot of the conversations, and love having us here.
But so far, the most enlightening experience I've had was that Mass where I had to walk by my faith, and not by my sight. If we all walk by our faith and not by our sight, we will find ourselves one in the Lord. And we might as well — being that we all would like to go to heaven!
I will take my experiences back home to Michigan with me and continue my pilgrimage as my life goes on.
Walking here with the Lord and my fellow Catholics has been a very rewarding experience, and I consider myself blessed to have done it with everyone here, especially my fellow pilgrims from De La Salle High School.
Jake Madigan, 18, is a recent graduate of De La Salle High School in Warren. Last week, he and fellow pilgrims from De La Salle took part in Days in the Diocese, a precursor to this week's World Youth Day festivities.
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