towards the living Savior Who is the center of our very
being. Nevertheless, I cannot let this fear prevent me from
sharing God’s graces with others. Thus, I recall the words of
our Holy Father: “When we go to proclaim Christ, it is He
himself who goes before us and guides us…He always
accompanies us.”
The most profound fear seems to be the fear of
transformation. In the welcoming ceremony, Pope Francis
urged us to “put on Christ” and allow faith to bring about a
revolution in us, one that “removes us from the center and
puts God at the center.” After the original Campus Fidei
vigil site was moved from a flooded nearby village back to
Rio’s Copacabana Beach, Pope Francis affirmed that we,
ourselves, are the Campus Fidei, Field of Faith. He asked
each one of us to offer a piece of ground in our hearts for
Christ to sow the seed of God’s word. Even with our stones,
thorns, and weeds, God can work in our hearts. When it
feels like I have not made any progress, I am encouraged
by the Holy Father’s words: “Seemingly, nothing has
changed; yet, in the depths of our being, everything is
different. With God, peace, consolation, gentleness,
courage, serenity and joy, which are all fruits of the Holy
Spirit, find a home in our heart; then our very being is
transformed.”
>Serve.
When transformed into the Heart of Christ,
our hearts become inclined to serve. Since my
childhood, God instilled in me a concern for the sick,
suffering, elderly, poor, and marginalized. The Saint
Vincent de Paul Society blesses me with the opportunity to
serve those in need. The theme for our International
Vincentian Youth Gathering was “Missionaries of Charity—
Let Us Go to the Poor.”
Over the last year and a half, as my relationship with
Christ deepened, I began to recognize Christ in the people I
served. At the same time, I have felt Christ’s love flow to
them through me. This notion of connecting with my
brothers and sisters through a Christ-given-Christ-received
relationship brings me great joy. Therefore, I was very
happy to hear the Society’s International President General
Dr. Michael Thio tell us that we, as Vincentians, are special
because we find the suffering Christ in the poor who in
turn find the hopeful Christ in us, and this is a powerful
Yo
uth
&
Yo
un
Ad
ult g
s
witness.
Yasmine
Cajuste, the
Vincentian
Marian Youth
International
President, called
the poor a
sacrament because
they are a sign of Jesus
among us, and Father
Gregory Gay, Superior
General of the Vincentian
Congregation, encouraged us to be Good News for the poor.
Hearing the Vincentian speakers echo the stirrings of my
heart confirmed me in my Vincentian vocation.
At home I am surrounded by few peers who share the
same passion for volunteering, so I was excited to meet
young adults from the many different international groups
and organizations inspired by Saint Vincent de Paul. What
encouragement I received by witnessing the vast extent of
the Vincentian Family and knowing that all across the
globe there are young people like me who see Christ in the
poor and marginalized and strive to serve them! As part of
the gathering, we visited a conference in Nova Lima and
spent time at the local nursing home supported by the
Society. It felt great bringing the joy of Christ to the elderly
and meeting adult Society volunteers from Brazil. Other
opportunities to serve arose in Rio, where we offered food
to homeless men and women who crossed our paths.
>
Go, do not be afraid, and serve. To serve God
and others, one must have the courage and faith to
go wherever and do whatever Christ asks of us.
I am so very thankful for the opportunity to attend WYD
RIO 2013 and the International Vincentian Youth
Gathering. What an extraordinary time of encountering
Christ through Pope Francis, catechetical speakers, my
travel group, the diverse multitude of young Catholics, and
the various challenging and joyful events! Through this
gift, I have a place from which to gather the faith, hope,
charity, strength, and peace to persevere in the Catholic
faith and the Vincentian spirituality.
St. Ann Mini Vinnies in Naples, Fla., helped to organize a service project with the 6th and 7th
grade students so that all the students can become aware of the need to serve the poor. The
project was to make hygiene bags that were given
to the adult conference to be distributed.
I must love my neighbor as the image of God and the object of his love. - St. Vincent de Paul
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