Christ in everyday life

KRAKÓW – CZĘSTOCHOWA (140 KM) – 19 TO 31 JULY 2022

On 19 July 2022 my first adventure as a pilgrim began, and I was really looking forward to living the experience, because it was striking to see the affection and excitement with which everyone talked about it. It’s true it was a bit daunting, especially after hearing how demanding previous editions had been. But there we were, about to board the plane bound for Balice, with an enthusiasm you could feel in the air.

The aim was to follow in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, the founder of the eagerly awaited World Youth Days, in his homeland, Poland. The trip as a business pilgrim (those of us who didn’t go in the van) lasted twelve days. We spent the first days in Kraków, then began a five-day pilgrimage to Our Lady of Jasna Góra, in Częstochowa, and finally ended with a few days of visits and staying with Polish families.

What I value most is having been able to spend those days completely disconnected, without phones, sharing them with total strangers who, little by little, after lots of introductions and chats, became companions, friends and partners in a bit of mischief. You also go through a lot of apparent discomforts, such as sleeping on the floor, but in the end they help you value what you have in everyday life. The days go by and everything is a laugh; despite the tiredness, there is always someone with something to tell, and very interesting topics of conversation that we wouldn’t have shared in other circumstances.

Without a doubt, nothing is impossible there: we even pulled off the impossible mission of finding flowers at eight in the evening in a city we didn’t know, praying Hail Marys in the rain.

All these stories, and many more, are what make me think now that it was an incredible journey in which I learned that what is simple is more than enough and that Christ is present in our most everyday situations; and so, I can’t wait for the next great pilgrimage to Lisbon.