The first large gathering in Kraków was a welcoming ceremony for the Holy Father. This is also where we began to understand just how many pilgrims made the trip to Poland.
The opening ceremony was to take place in Błonia field, a short distance from Kraków city center. The walk to the grounds was some what grueling but also electric. The narrow streets of Poland were not ready for about 2 million of us. It seemed like each group was carrying a flag, which added to the party like atmosphere.
We finally made it to our section on the field, and everywhere I looked there was no end to the crowds. Pope Francis rode through the crowds in the popemobile accompanied by thunderous applause on his way to the main stage. There was multiple speeches given and gifts exchanged, however the highlight was the reading of the gospel followed by a short speech from the Holy Father.
The day’s gospel was read in Latin and Greek, as many of our eastern brothers were present at World Youth Day. It was during the procession of the gospel books that the beauty of the World Youth Day experience hit me. Millions of faithful from every corner of the world gather around the vicar of Christ to listen to the Word of God. Joy was radiating from everyone in attendence. This joy stemmed from Christ’s presence among us in many different forms. First of all, our Lord was present in the spoken word of the Holy Gospel.
Often I think of my own parish and Diocese as a microcosm of the church. At that moment Kraków became a macrocosm of the Universal Church.
-Luke