The Farming Life is like World Youth Day

‘World Youth Day really brought the universality of the Church into my life experience’

Published on: July 16th 2013 — 1:28 AM / OBS: North America

STRASBURG, CO, USA — Our team is in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day 2013, but before our Video Missioanries start publishing stories from Brazil, we would like to publish one more story from Colorado. The young men in today’s video, despite their distance from the Brazil, are able reflect well on World Youth Day moments from their personal stories. Most specifically, the grand event in Madrid in 2011 with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. (read more below)

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produced & edited by: Ian Lee & Seth James DeMoor

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Two profound reflections stick out from this story, language and family farming. Lets start with language first. What happens at World Youth Day is that hundreds of different countries come to one location in the world every 2 or 3 years to celebrate the gift of the Catholic faith in their lives. This equates to hundreds of languages being spoken at one time in one location, including the most holy sacrifice of the Mass. One of the brothers from this video, Mike, makes a great point about how the language barrier is over come through the liturgy of the Mass.

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For example, when the Our Father prayer or Eucharistic prayer was made during the liturgy in Madrid, this young man from a small town in rural Colorado could listen to and follow along pretty well to everyone around him saying the same prayer. This reality speaks to the oneness and wholeness of how truth can take root in any soul, no matter the culture or language background they come from.

The second reflection on family farming comes from Andy, the other brother who was able to attend World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011. Talk about a little bit of providence during the actual interviewing process for the video; hopefully the OBS team did not cause the combine to break down in the video, but that reality was a great analogy for World Youth Day and the Church as a whole.

The idea that Andy presents in his talking is that the farming lifestyle is very communal. Everyone must pitch in to help in order to make the farm produce great harvest. Without all hands on deck, the effectiveness of growing and harvesting a great crop diminishes quickly. Same goes for World Youth Day. With millions of young people from around the world in one location, we all must work together, and not just on the practicals of having enough food, sleeping space, and toilets. Far more importantly, enough time each day carved out for intentional prayer, pilgrimage toward knowing our faith more wholly, and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. Just like the farming life, World Youth Day participants have the opportunity to help each other ascend toward the foot of the Cross, where we meet Christ face to face.

As World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro begins in 5 days, let us unite in prayer with this farming family in Strasburg Colorado, for a bountiful harvest in their fields, and for the longing souls in the streets of Rio.

OneBillionStories.com Contributor - Seth James DeMoor
@SethJamesDeMoor — 303.709.3804

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First: Exodus 3:13-20
Psalm: Psalm 105:1 AND 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27
Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

ROSARY: LUMINOUS MYSTERIES
1. Baptism in River Jordan
2. Wedding at Cana
3. Proclamation of Kingdom
4. Transfiguration
5. Institution of the Eucharist

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