August 16, 2011
Dear Jesus:
We left Seattle and headed to Port Angeles. On our way there we stopped at a town named Poulsbo with an interesting story. The Norwegians arrived to this town in the late 1800s and named it Paulsbo, which means Paul's Place. But the post office made a mistake in the spelling when they recorded the name, and thus, the name Poulsbo remained. It was a very picturesque town with a Norwegian character.
Today, I would like to say a special prayer for World Youth Week which is taking place in Madrid, Spain. I would like to pray for conversions for the youth of the world. I would like to pray for all the youth that are attending so their hearts will be moved and that those that You are calling to a religious vocation will have the courage to say YES. I also want to pray for the youth of Spain that they are touched by what is taking place in their country and that their hearts be opened to follow You. Last but not least, I would like to pray for our Pope so that he may lead our youth to You. I pray specially for the St. Louis and Our Lady of Lourdes Youth groups that are participating. Protect them all while there and may they have a life changing experience.
St. Paul, intercede for our youth.
I love You, Jesus!!!
August 19, 2011
Dear Jesus:
We are back in Seattle. After breakfast, we walked and walked and walked some more. We walked past the harbor, the piers and the cruise ships. We noticed a lot of teenagers with bookbags walking in the opposite direction so we decided to follow them to see where they were headed. We got to an area where there were hundreds and hundreds of teenagers and young adults waiting in line to enter. It seemed like a concert area. Rafi checked it out in Google and he told us that the event was called Hempfest. He told us that it was a yearly event in Seattle where people gather to smoke marijuana. I was appalled. I'm talking not just hundreds but thousands of kids just walking to this place. Chabeli looked it up online and she said that in 2008 the attendance was 300,000. What is this world coming to? What sort of empty lives do these young people lead that they find such fulfillment in drugs?
In Spain, hundreds of thousands of youth are gathered right now to pray and worship God on World Youth Day. In Seattle hundreds of thousands are gathered to smoke weed. What a contrast.
St. Peter, intercede for our youth.
I love You, Jesus!!!
August 16, 2017
Dear Jesus:
I looked up Hempfest online, and sure enough, it still takes place. As a matter of fact, this year's event starts in two days. It's a three day event and they are expecting more than 450,000 attendees this year, mostly teenagers and young adults. It's the world's largest event advocating for the decriminalization of marijuana.
The good news is that in 2011, over one million people attended World Youth Day in Madrid. And by 2016, the number had tripled. As many as three million people attended World Youth Day in Poland last year. Pope Francis encouraged the throngs of young people gathered in Kraków to "believe in a new humanity." He told them to have "the courage to be more powerful than evil."
There is hope. Even though a small percentage of our youth will allow drugs and the enemy to control their lives, the majority of the youth will be stronger than evil and will refuse to succumb to the pressure of the world that tries to sell them a lie by telling them that drugs cannot destroy them.
"People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centered or small-minded," Pope Francis told his flock, many of them in their late teens, 20s or 30s.
I also believe in our youth because I see how they embrace all people. They look beyond the color of the skin, beyond nationalities and beyond cultural differences. They are breaking all the barriers that many in our generation have erected. As Pope Francis told the youth, "Today, we adults need you to teach us how to live in diversity, in dialogue, to experience multiculturalism not as a threat but an opportunity. Have the courage to teach us that it is easier to build bridges than walls!"
I am learning from my children who look at the heart not at the outer shell. They are teaching me to build bridges and not to judge others simply because they are different than I am. There is definitely hope.
Mama Mary, intercede for our youth.
I love You, Jesus!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment