From Dawn

Hi everybody!

I am thrilled to have so many chances to sing and pray with you! And I can't wait to meet everybody and make more Catholic friends... I'm also stoked for Noelle and ecstatic to see her being offered so many opportunities to praise God on stage during our celebration! There are a lot of things that have been on my mind that I thought I'd share on this blog... Here goes...
This will be my third WYD (Denver and Toronto were the first two :), and I have to say that they always are very powerful, convicting experiences that make me feel the holy presence of the Universal Church. It is overwhelming at times-- so completely unifying-- and truly unlike anything else I've ever experienced. I am looking forward to that feeling of being with tons of other people who adhere to the same beliefs that I do. I have moved around a lot in the last few years, and all my Catholic friends are very scattered. It has been incredibly hard at times to be Catholic, and although I have a very intense love of Jesus and the Church on my own, it will be nice to share that with many others. :) Here is a quote that gives me great hope:

"By opening your very being and your whole life under the gaze of Christ, you will not be crushed -- quite the contrary: You will discover that you are infinitely loved," Pope Benedict affirms. "You will receive the power that you need in order to build your lives and to make the choices that present themselves to you every day."

In the absolute insanity surrounding the last couple of weeks of preparation for this trip, this quote encapsulates what I've been striving to hold onto-- the paradox of loss being gain, and death being life. It is a hard-- almost impossible-- thing to remember and believe in when the trials of my regular life crop up. The types of pressures and decisions we all have to make, especially as young people trying to live counter-cultural, holy lives in our completely unsupportive world, are weighty and unfair. And sometimes it doesn't seem like adhering to the label of Catholicism or Christianity makes it any easier! But it is only when I go deeper into the faith-- beyond the label, beyond the obligation of 'religion'-- do I ever allow myself to benefit from the real fruits of freedom given by God-- namely, LOVE.
In preparation for this trip, I've personally been trying to focus on that infinite LOVE of Christ, and to be aware of my (to quote Fight Club) "ability to let that which does not matter truly slide." I get entirely too caught up in trying to "win" God's love by doing more and more, praying more and more, making myself feel more and more guilty over sin, that I don't hear Him saying to me: "Dawn. Chill. I am right here. And I love you."
I'm really looking forward to this trip and to sharing our love of Jesus, the Eucharist, Mary, the Saints, and... Catholicism!

Peace!
Dawn Apang