Menu
God blessed me with the opportunity to attend World Youth Day (WYD) once again, this time in Madrid, Spain. Unlike my previous experience filled with the thrill of Catholic traditions and the global Catholic family, this time was a deeply personal journey. Little did I know that I carried guilt and pain from a two-year non-relationship relationship that had recently ended. Despite advising the youth I work with to embrace honesty in their relationships, I was living a lie, and the fallout left me feeling betrayed, angry, and heartbroken. It was an agonizing period of my life.
I spiraled into anger and bitterness, detaching from my work and distancing myself from others. All I wanted was to retreat to my bed and avoid the world. I was on the verge of breaking down. Thankfully, God placed people in my life to support me during this difficult time, including my counselor, travel agent, and forex agents. Yet, life had to move forward, and I put on a brave face to face the world. But a special friend saw through my façade; he sensed the pain that still lingered beneath the surface. I thought I was deceiving everyone, but he urged me to unmask and take my broken self to Jesus before the pain became insuppressible.
So, I went to World Youth Day, attending few of the official activities, and instead found solace at a center for English-speaking pilgrims set up by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus. Stepping into that place, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and the strong presence of the Holy Spirit. Jason and Crystallina Evert’s talks, though familiar, spoke to me personally this time. During those two weeks, I found myself before God countless times—seeking refuge in various churches and before the Blessed Sacrament at the center. Bitter and broken, I cried out to God, confessing that I could no longer bear the burden of shame, guilt, and pain. I desperately longed to be free from the chains of the past.
God, in His infinite mercy, listened without judgment. With courage, I envisioned the person that I was involved with and, with Jesus by my side, forgave him and myself. One by one, I released every encounter, until a flood of overwhelming love and indescribable peace washed over me. Throughout this journey, God reminded me of His special love—a love that is pure, unconditional, and requires no earning.
The entire trip became a revelation of God’s unfailing love. I realized that God had pampered me for two months, granting every desire, and it made me question why I try to be brave and face life alone. I came to understand that my Father goes before me, fighting my battles and should be the center of my universe.
Take this with you: No matter what you’ve done or what you’re going through, Jesus loves YOU! Truly and unconditionally.
Christian families are missionary families, in their everyday life, in their doing everyday things, as they bring to everything the salt and the leaven of faith!
Pope Francis 