Young Pilgrims Testify at Evening Vigil

At the end of each testimony, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will lead a prayer that asks the Holy Spirit for that particular gift.

SYDNEY (Catholic Online) - The Testimony of the Pilgrims refers to the Congregation's 'Amen' to God's great plan of Salvation.

During the Evening Vigil on Saturday 19 July, pilgrims will give testimonies focusing on one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. A pilgrim will give a short testimony (up to four minutes) expressing how the gift is reflected in his or her own journey of faith.

At the end of each testimony, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will lead a prayer that asks the Holy Spirit for that particular gift.

The pilgrims will respond with the refrain from "Receive the Power".

Testimony of the Pilgrims participants:

• Wisdom - Marie ŠtÏpánová from Czech Republic, aged 19

• Understanding - Vasin Manasurangul from Thailand, aged 24

• Knowledge - Danni Wright from Sydney, aged 29

• Counsel - Petar Gakovic from Serbia, aged 21

• Courage - Jose Carcamo Soto from Chile, aged 30

• Piety - Carina Broucek from Austria, aged 19

• Awe - Sean Jesudason from Sri Lanka (in Australia for four years), aged 23

English translations of pilgrim testimonies:

Wisdom

My name is Marie ŠtÏpánová and I come from Czech Republic -a beautiful small country in the heart of Europe. I live in a diocese where we have a unique cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

If you were to look on my homeland with human wisdom, you might think that the Holy Spirit is absent from our land, which is considered to be one of the most atheistic countries in the world. But exactly the opposite is true, if you look on it with the eyes of God.

There have been times when I thought that God was absent in my own life. I have thought that because I did not get something that I wanted - an experience, a relationship, an opportunity -somehow I had missed out on God's plan. I thought that I was in control of my life, and that I knew what was best.

It has been in these moments of disappointment, when things have not gone according to my plan, that God has shown me how present He is and taught me to look on the world with His eyes. What I thought were disappointments ended up being far better, far more beautiful than I had hoped for.

God's wisdom reaches far beyond our own, far beyond our imagining. What appears a misfortune in our eyes may be a blessing, in His. What appears abandoned may be radiant with His presence. What appears small in our eyes may be great, in His. It is up to us to ask him for his eyes, his light, to see.

Understanding

My name is Vasin Manasurangul. I am from Bangkok Archdiocese, Thailand.

A few years ago, Thailand suffered heavily from economic crisis. Many Thai faced financial problems, including my family. I didn't understand why God seemed to be punishing my family. I didn't understand how I could trust a God who claimed to be Love itself, but permitted such suffering. I was unhappy with God, and I complained to Him.

When I was chosen to represent my people at World Youth Day in 2000, it seemed as though God had heard my complaint. At the beginning of the pilgrimage, I didn't understand why so many people were happy to see the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. I began to ask the Lord, "God, have you sent this man to show your love to your suffering people?" In spite of my own human doubts, somehow I knew that Christ was deeply present in the Holy Father.

During the overnight vigil, I listened to the words of the Holy Father again. It was as though he were speaking to me alone: "be not afraid!" "trust in God all times!" By the end of the Vigil Liturgy, the Holy Spirit had filled me with an understanding of the truth of what the Holy Father spoke and taught. I asked God to forgive me for failing to trust in His love.

After World Youth Day 2000, I became a new Vasin. Since that time, I have never doubted in God. I trust and believe Him all times, no matter what sufferings may come.

I have dedicated the past few years of my life to spreading a deeper understanding of the truth of the Gospel and the Church in my country. I translate and publish the words and news of the Church into Thai, seeking always to protect the Church and defend her against false accusations.

I praise the Lord for bringing me back to the Church. I am grateful to the Holy Spirit for the gift of understanding, without which nothing ultimately has meaning or motive.

Knowledge

My name is Danni, I am from the beautiful city of Sydney! I hope you have all enjoyed your time here in my home town!

As a young deaf person, I experience the world somewhat differently to many of my peers. Many people may think of deafness as an isolating experience - something to be pitied. Many people think that a deaf person is incapable of knowing the world and its beauty in its fullness.

I have experienced deafness, though, as a gift - as one of the many gifts I have received from the hands of God.

This gift of deafness has helped me to know the truth that God has created each of us with great love, that he delights in the variations bewteen his children, and that he calls each of us on our own journey.

Through my deafness, God has also given me a deep knowedge of what it means to be patient and attentive to those who are not considered important in the eyes of the world. I have received Christ's patience and attentive love, and I strive to make His patience and love known to others.

God asks of each of us ONLY what He knows we can do. Never refuse the gift that God gives to you, and know that He sends His Spirit to help us along the way!

Counsel

My name is Petar and I come from Serbia.

Several years ago, it seemed like there was nothing that could be done for the Catholic community in my country. We have a rich Catholic history, but we had become a small minority. We were living in a time of peace, but our hearts bore the wounds of years of war. We possessed Gospel message, but were living in fear of what the future held.

Like the world that has become hardened to the Gospel message, we could have concluded that nothing could be done to increase the harvest of faith in our land. But faith and prayer transformed our vision of our country. We recognized that God was with us, and that He would never leave us without a way to serve Him.

We looked to the Holy Spirit to show us what to do. We prayed for His inspiration, studied the counsel He gave to the first Christians, and fixed ourselves on following His guidance and strength. We trusted, and still trust, that He alone knows how to tend the faith of His people.

For many years, now, we have been cultivating the soil for a new harvest of faith. We have invited many generations and many other Christians to join our work in the field. We have rooted ourselves in the hope of His mercy, and daily we ask ourselves, 'what does God want us to do now?'

We beg Him to bring forth fruit in this new springtime.

Courage

Hello, I am Jose and I come from Chile.

Tonight is the fulfilment of a great hope. Of many years, many projects, many difficulties. Of a hope held by very few, at first.

It was at World Youth Day in Cologne where I realized how many youth around the world were willing to "come to adore Him", where I realized how many youth were truly fighting for Christ, mad about Christ. I yearned to take this realization back to my people.

When I returned to Chile, I returned with a commitment to be a witness to what I had seen - a witness to Christ, a witness to the faith, a witness to youth in the Church throughout the world.

There were many difficulties that stood in the way of my hope. But with the Holy Spirit's gift of courage, I was able to pursue the hope I had. I recognized that it was not my strength, but the strength of God that burned within me, washed over me, and urged me forward.

With this strength, I learned to knock on doors. To ask. To accomplish a mission. To make an ideal come true. My community made rosaries to offer to people in Santiago. Everywhere we went, in times of difficulty and of joy, we carried with us our commitment to Christ and our conviction of His presence.

Finally, our hope has become reality. I can only describe this reality in the words of Christ: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

This night is not the end. Our hope has been fulfilled, but our hope has not ended. The Spirit gives new beginnings with the fulfilment of every hope.

Do not let your hope end with the end of this World Youth Day. No matter what difficulties you face in your homelands, call upon the strength of Spirit to help you to be witnesses to Christ. We fight for Jesus. And for Jesus, it is all worth it.

Piety

My name is Carina and I am from Austria.

I was raised in a Catholic family and was taught to love and serve God from an early age. It wasn't until a few years ago, though, that I realized how much God works within us to help us to love Him back.

I had just started to take my faith seriously and to try to love Him in all situations - as He deserved - not just when it suited me. My schoolmates recognized this change in me, and began to challenge me on the moral teachings of the Church.

As much as I might have wanted to agree with my friends, I knew that defending the Church's teachings was an act of love that I wanted to give to God. I knew that showing my friends the truth and freedom of Christ's teachings would bring them closer to Him, and I yearned for this.

I was in a difficult position: I knew what Christ taught and wanted to defend the Church's teachings, but I didn't know what to say. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me to serve Him and make him known among my friends. The next time I found myself in a conversation, I was amazed to find words placed in my mouth - words and ideas that I hadn't known before.

I don't know if any of my friends were brought closer to the Lord through my words, but I trust that He is at work in them. And I trust that the God delights in our attempts to defend Him and love Him as He alone can be loved.

Awe
I am Sean. I was born in the Island nation of Sri Lanka, and I have lived in Australia for four years.

From a very early age, my loving family taught me to practice the faith. Through their guidance, I came to receive the Eucharistic every morning, to serve at the altar and to give time in service to the parish. On the exterior, I was a perfect example of fidelity.

On the interior, I was far away from the Lord. I often made myself busy doing holy things because I was afraid of recognizing the presence of God within me. Many times after a big event, my mum would ask, "Sean did you even say a prayer?"

It was when I came to Australia - to this great south land of the Holy Spirit - that I began to see God in His awesomeness. On a retreat I attended as a university student, I came face to face with the very thing that I feared most: the thought of giving my life entirely to God. My fear was replaced by peace, as I sensed the loving, guiding presence of God.

The glorious love of God is the only thing that matters in this life. Every work, every act of love for our neighbor, is beautiful when it is done with and for our God who loves us.

I am filled with awe and wonder at who the Lord has made me. I am filled with awe at how He has transformed my fear into love. Above all, I am filled with awe and wonder at Him.

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