Sydney Goes Jerusalem for 3 Hours

In what is said by many already to be the most moving and beautifully executed Stations of the Cross ever captured live on TV, screens throughout Sydney were set up near each of the stations for at least 200,000 people (one estimate is 500,000) around the city who where locked on in silence.

From Sydney's Morning Herald:

For three hours, Sydney was transformed into the streets of ancient Jerusalem during the spectacular re-enactment of the last hours of Jesus Christ as part of a landmark event in the World Youth Day celebrations. The Last Supper of Jesus and His disciples was conducted on the steps of St Mary's Cathedral, Jesus was condemned to death at the NSW Art Gallery, whipped and scourged at the Opera House, made a spectacular entrance by barge under Sydney Harbour Bridge to Cockle Bay and was crucified at East Darling Harbour.

At the crucifixion, it was a much more solemn crowd than that which estatically welcomed the Pope to Sydney or joined the Sydney Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell, for the World Youth Day opening Mass. For more of this story...

The pope said the pray for the 1st station of the cross at St. Mary's Cathedral before gracefully exiting to the crypt to watch the rest by live feed surrounded by the New South Wales police force. The final station was perfectly timed for a breathtaking sunset, as pilgrims quickly got a taste of the cold weather (46F degree low) expected for tonight's camp out at Randwick Racecourse, where half a million are estimated to attend the closing 10am Mass Sunday with the Pope.

Many are still wondering how the actor for Jesus, 27 year-old Alfio Stuto managed for 3 hours in a skin thin tunic in the cold and wind along the harbor without hypothermia, when their own fingers became numb and turned blue. It's probable that the 5 meter high wood and metal cross was heated as during the whole time he didn't shake a bit, even after being stripped down to a loin cloth by the Roman centurion and guards.

One of the most interesting stations was the "native Australian aboriginal" Simon of Cyrene carrying Jesus' cross after another of this week's many dances performed by the aborigines which was incorporated into the station. They have been showcased in every event this week, even getting a smile from pope Benedict XVI on his official arrival by boat, courtesy of Sydney's Captain Cook cruise line. The aborigines playing their native instrument called the didgeridoo, what is sometimes described as a wooden trumpet or pipe has fascinated the pilgrims throughout the week.

In all it went off with a bang and ended with a respectful applause before people made a mad dash to the cloaking services to pick up their baggage in Hyde Park, where confessions, adoration of the WYD Cross and the Icon of Mary, dances, concerts, and food distribution services have been centrally located all week.

Tonight's vigil (6am EST) and tomorrow's mass (9pm EST) promise to be more than a Kodak moment for the youth from around the world, as they will experience the vibrant and universal Church in awe as the Holy Spirit descends upon the Southern Cross Province and they sing with the pope this WYD's theme song "Receive the Power".

For more pictures of WYD

What really is World Youth Day?

For those who cannot partake in WYD, it is difficult to describe the unique emotions that one experiences. I remember my first WYD experience in Rome 8 years ago. It would be an understatement to say it was an eye-opener. Coming from South Carolina where Catholics make up less than 4 percent of the population and realizing that less than half of those go to Church on a weekly basis, can quickly make you feel on any given day, small and weak—at the least, it can make you question your faith. Yet beyond the catechesis, the Jesus Jams, the pilgrimage, and seeing the pope, one experiences during the Papal Mass the greatness and universality of the Church. Imagine being in a crowd and everywhere you look you see an innumerable crowd focused on one central point-the altar at the Mass . It rivals the countless number of saints and angels described in the book of Revelation worshipping the Lamb of God. "Since you alone are holy, all nations shall come and worship in your presence." Rev 15:4 Scripture truly is fulfilled at WYD as the glory of God is affirmed.

And whether you have a spiritual awakening or not, whether you understand the language being spoken or not, whether your hands and feet are numb from the cold from having slept outside all night or not, you are a part of something greater than you will probably ever again experience on earth. Everything in your mind and life is potentially changed. You see the world differently and the Mass on Sunday feels different because you know for a fact that the Church is grand, that it is young and vibrant, and that there is great hope for the future. I think the US just experienced this with the recent Papal visit. WYD will become another unforgettable moment pondered in the years to come.

When things look bleak, when you don't think you can go on, when your studies seem impossible, when you are abandoned by your friends, when you feel pressured to negativities to what the secular world says is popular-REMEMBER THIS! At World Youth Day hundreds of thousands of youth came together to worship the King of Kings and it was more real than anything else the culture of death can offer. Youth came to remember and celebrate simple bread and wine being transformed by hundreds of priests and the pope into Jesus' Body and Blood. They cried out "Amen!" affirming that the Eucharist is real in hopes that it becomes the focus of their lives and will take precedence in them.

And so I repeat what JPII uttered so many times to the youth, to me, to the world, "Be not afraid!" Be not afraid to call Christ by name. Be not afraid to profess him Lord. Be not afraid to seek a friendship and talk with him. Be not afraid to be laughed at, mocked, and criticized for following him. Know that his love is eternal, that he wishes and promises to be with you always, whether you hear a voice or not. Be not afraid to follow him. All nations are called just like ours to a radical way of living. Be unapologetic for your faith. Embrace it. Demand that it be the norm in your life. Do not trivialize your faith or back down from it because it is unpopular. When you look around at WYD, you see that Christ is alive—he is truly risen, here and now, today and tomorrow.

Receive the power to be a light to the world shining next to millions around you! Blaze a trail for the future! You dream of doing great things only because they are possible with God and apart of his Divine Providence. "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope. " Jer. 29:11 Seek holiness and call upon the Holy Spirit to set you aflame. Work as if everything depends on you, and pray as if everything depends on God. This is what WYD has done for me and can very well do for you.