Final Mass- at least for Benedict
20th July, 2008 by FionaMost of us woke up to a cold and cloudy sky at about 7am on Sunday morning. Those that did not, were awoken by Morning Prayer at 8am which was sung by the most beautiful choir over the loud speakers.
A brief breakfast of more bread rolls was had followed by the chance to try and repack those pesky sleeping bags into the little bags that they come in!
Mass began at 10am and finished at about 12.30. During the Mass some people were confirmed by the Holy Father himself. It was wonderful to watch and I can’t imagine how wonderful it must be to be confirmed by the Pope!
Cardinal Pell also gave a lovely welcome and the mass itself was one of the most moving that I have ever been to. Readings were taken from the Acts of the Apostles (read in Spanish) and 1 Corinthians (read in Italian). The Gospel passage (from Luke and in English) focused on when Jesus reads from Scripture in the synagogue.
The Pope referred to all this in his homily and talked of the necessity the Church and the young people that were gathered, to remain young in her heart. The music and liturgy were joyous and yet solemn and it was a marked and welcome contrast to the other Masses that we had attended.
Yet, while it may have been the final Mass for Pope Benedict, it is by no means the end of our pilgrimage as a group. We depart for Melbourne on Monday morning in order to catch our flight that will bring us and all our experiences back home.