From MAX 2007 team member Melinda:
“Love one another as I have loved you…” (John 13:34)
This theme, given to us by our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, couldn’t have been more fitting in the Corvallis, OR youth retreat. There’s something extremely special and unique about the youth of Oregon. They have a contagious spirit and an uplifting energy about them, which allowed me to see Jesus in a different light. Beginning with Friday, I was amazed at the number of youth that showed up. I was particularly impressed by those who drove from especially far distances simply to attend the MI retreat.
That determination and sacrifice humbled me in a very powerful way. The ability for everyone to live simply for an entire weekend (with no beds, showers, or luxuries) would have made St. Maximillian Kolbe and St. Francis of Assisi proud! I felt that in many ways they were teaching us that in the midst of us being spiritually stripped of comforts, we are able to see the love of Christ overflowing around us! When I was in small group, I saw love expressed between all my girls in how they helped each other and enjoyed each other’s company. When we were in the main room, I saw love in the interaction, comfort, and openness of every individual present (especially the local leaders who really jumped right in and got involved). When we did any sort of action song or drama, there was a beautiful respect and an abundance of joy that was manifested in every smile and every laugh. When people were writing Me-bag letters to their friends, it brought a smile to my face imagining the joy that they might have felt when they read their note. And to top it all off, the day after everyone went to Confession and spent a holy hour with Jesus in the Chapel, the dynamic changed! For me, it completely affirmed the fact that GOD IS REAL. His love is real! He HAS to be real!
I loved how Fr. Ephrem eased many of our anxieties when we went to Confession and the fact that a priest willingly shared about his vocation to the priesthood. I loved the fact that we were given the ability to witness to people walking on the streets of Oregon with a cross praying a rosary! I know that the fraternity guys in the surrounding Oregon State University campus that saw us HAD to have thought about God for even one moment. It just was impossible to ignore!
God brought each person on that retreat for a very specific reason. Some of us might not know it yet, but I know He definitely brought me there to show me that to love one another, we must know who it is that we are loving first. Those who were touched by Sarah’s talk about the Christian never being alone must know that God takes people away from us sometimes so that we can experience that ONE moment where we can think just for even ONE second, “God, how can I live my life where I can affect people in a positive way, allow people to see your love through me, even when I’m not physically there?” It was clear to me that our late brother in Christ, Matthew Covey, did that for many of us in Oregon that weekend. To witness how one person’s life can change and inspire others is a sure sign that if we were to love like Christ wants us to love, we can surely set the world ablaze with His love!
Thank you for sharing in this experience with me. You all inspire me. Hope to see you all again!
Melinda Huynh
