A Reflection on the Papal Mass

Imagine this: a 16 year old, excited as can be to go to Madison Square Garden to see our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Not many kids come to mind but I am definitely one of them. My name is Isabel Quinones, a fairly regular teen at CYFM. I've been going since the seventh grade and it has changed my life. Day by Day Agape (DDA) is a common retreat at CYFM and the one that started the transformation of my faith life. If you're reading this and haven't gone on DDA, what are you doing? Go sign up now!! (Especially since I'm on team for DDA 243 in November!)

Anyways, on September 25th I went to MSG to see Pope Francis. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience. To get to see the Pope is an honor, and to get tickets, you were entered into a lottery at your parish. I was blessed to attend with my mother! Our day started wonderful-- taking the train from lovely Beacon, NY down to Grand Central. I can't even talk about subways but I sacrificed my phobia. We got to MSG at around 12:30 and were let in at 2. I was anticipating the Pope's arrival and every second was so exciting. The pre-show had acts such as Jennifer Hudson and Broadway Choirs. It was truly beautiful. They all sang a form of Christian music that was so inspirational. 

After the pre-show it was finally time for Pope Francis to arrive. He came in a golf car and rode around the main floor two times. This was truly amazing, the energy in the room was undeniably loving. Everyone was screaming "Vive El Papa" and chants in other languages. This made me feel so energized. Seeing him smile and wave to those in the crowd brought me tears of joy.

After his arrival he went and got vested for mass. The mass was truly beautiful. Music was in Latin and my favorite hymns were played. I enjoyed listening to the mass in Latin, it's original language. I felt overwhelmed by his presence. You could feel the energy of the room and how electric it was. I was so blessed to be surrounded by so many other people that believe in what the Pope is doing for the Church. The amazing things he teaches such as to love everyone, help the needy, and show God in all you do is completely eye opening. I attached a few photos from the mass, I apologize for the quality!

As Catholics, I believe we have two beautiful aspects of our faith that no other religion has. We have the Holy Eucharist and our shepherd, Pope Francis. The Pope is our shepherd that is leading us to become better Christians and to be more like Jesus Christ. In his homily, Pope Francis talked about how Christ lives in our cities. Here's an excerpt from his homily:

"Go outside. Go one and all. Go and announce this joy it's for all ever the citizens, all the cities. The Lord that works, walks besides us, has become of to us in our homes. Because the Lord is in between us like a father that comes out every morning and every afternoon to see if his son or daughter comes back home. He sees them come, he runs to embrace them. This is beautiful. A hug that looks to purify his sons, father in his embrace is very good means to the poor. Liberty to everyone. Help for the people in need. Prince of peace, go be with us, to tell us that the Lord is our father, that he walks besides us, he liberated us. From a life with faces, an empty life and he introduces us to go to school which will help us liberate us from the war to open up the street of peace."

I found this beautiful. He is telling us to go and help the needy, to embrace those who need us, and to go be God's people, a model for all to see. We as daughters and sons of Christ are called to go live our lives and evangelize the good news. Our society today is so covered in smog by the media and celebrities. God is more of a forgotten figure and most don't associate themselves with a religion. As Catholics, Pope Francis calls us to show the world what we believe in by our action. St. Francis of Assisi uses action to demonstrate the faith. We must try to do this each day we go out. 

Seeing Pope Francis is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Being able to have this time with my mom was even better as we share and grow in our faith together. I am so blessed to be able to have been in his presence even if it was in a large stadium. As the Prayer of St. Francis says, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and whether sadness, joy. " God Bless.