people to“ be missionary disciples and go to the peripheries” saying:“ Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the‘ peripheries’ in need of the light of the Gospel.” 34 At World Youth Day in Krakow, Pope Francis noted that a missionary disciple, not a comfortable“ couch potato,” 35 is what everyone is called to be. Pilgrims and leaders must go forth and share the Good News in every place and wherever people are gathered. Pilgrims of all experiences( international, stateside, or digital) are invited to go forth with the intention of sharing the love they experienced and inviting others to embrace the love God has for them. In inviting others to intimacy with the Lord, pilgrims can pass on what they receive at WYD, so that others may benefit from it.
These takeaways from the stateside WYD experience( the call to be Catholic, the call to discover your mission, and the call to live in Christ) can help participants share the fruits of this event with others.
Reflecting on the Experience As part of the closing of the stateside experience, consider directing questions to pilgrims to help them reflect on their experience and consider how they will live it out. These questions can be given as a final group reflection at the stateside pilgrimage, to group leaders to talk about on the journey home, or offered as part of personal reflections or journaling. This reflection should be done while the experience is still fresh in the stateside pilgrims’ minds.
¨ What moment( s) from your stateside experience was most memorable?
¨ When did you feel God most closely or hear his voice during this event?
¨ What did you learn about God, your faith, your Church, or yourself through this stateside experience?
¨ Did anything you learn or experience during this event surprise you?
¨ Have do you think you changed because of this experience? Will you act any differently at home?
¨ Is there something you need to do or change when you get home?
34 Message of Pope Francis for World Mission Day 2016, May 15, 2016.
35 Pope Francis, Prayer Vigil with the Young People, XXXI World Youth Day, July 30, 2016.
54