The Holy Spirit spoke to me on a ‘de Colores’ Pentecost.
This trip to Rome has meant a lot to me. The chance to travel to Rome with part of my family, to enjoy myself, to “meet” Leo XIV…
It all started with something I had left unfinished. The first time I was in Rome, I didn’t get to see the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, but luckily, after eating a wonderful Roman carbonara, I made it to the basilica. The best thing about the basilica? The thousands of Cursillo participants who were there. I was able to greet friends from Córdoba, Seville, Madrid, Asturias… But not only from Spain. Although I have lived through two World Youth Days, a World Youth Day in the United States, and several large pilgrimages, I am always moved when I meet someone from Cursillo and we greet each other as if we have known each other all our lives. It was wonderful to enjoy the words of the world president with that phrase that made me smile: “All of us here should say with pride that we are people in love with the Lord, with others, with our movement.” It was also wonderful to hear the testimonies of several cursillistas and learn about the different realities of the MCC around the world.
On Saturday, after a short but restful night’s sleep, we crossed the holy door of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major and found ourselves before the tomb of Pope Francis, whom I loved very much. During the World Ultreya, I asked the Lord for a clear intention: “Don’t let my heart harden; make it soft and overflowing with love.” And so it was. In the tabernacle of the basilica, I knelt down and, almost without realizing it, as I stood in the presence of the Lord, my heart was filled with love. With His love. With tears in my eyes and a heart overflowing, I could only thank God for being in Rome with my family, for being able to enjoy moments and Ultreya gatherings like the one at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Friday, and above all, for listening to me and caring for me as much as you do. That same afternoon we had another magical moment—the weekend was full of them—which was the vigil with the Pope. After several hours in the scorching Roman sun, we were given the gift of seeing Leo XIV up close. He left us with some pearls to reflect on, such as the phrase, “Evangelization, dear brothers and sisters, is not a human conquest of the world, but the infinite grace that spreads through lives transformed by the Kingdom of God.” For me, who is going on my first course as a team leader in December, it was a wake-up call. Not because I was doing something wrong, but because it made me see once again that evangelization is not something you do by reading the Gospel of St. Luke aloud to someone, but through my life witness, by living closer to God day after day. All this would not be possible without the driving force of our lives, the force we were going to receive the next day at the celebration of Pentecost: the Holy Spirit.
On Sunday, after getting up early to get a spot in St. Peter’s Square to see the Pope, we were lucky enough to settle in an area near the altar, where we saw Leo XIV pass by and smile when he heard us sing “De Colores.” In his homily, the Pope preached about the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. I was lucky (or perhaps it was just coincidence) that it seemed as if he was speaking directly to me.
León spoke about the Spirit, how it calls us to be active in opening borders, especially within ourselves. It reminded me very much of Pope Francis’ message that we should not be young people who sit on the sofa, but young people with our sneakers on. May the Spirit renew us and help us to cleanse ourselves from within, break with what we should not be, and help us to draw closer to Jesus, who should be the model for our lives.
He also mentioned the passage about the Tower of Babel, which has always caught my attention. God confused men by giving them different languages so that they could not understand each other and thus stop the construction of the tower. However, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the gift of tongues t o the apostles a n d sent them out t o evangelize. Thus, with the same gesture that once divide d humanity with different languages, he unified different peoples and realities under one faith. For me, this resonates with another teaching of Francis: “do not build walls, but build bridges.” The Pope’s message is clear. In an interconnected world, people increasingly see each other, a n d what is worse, they feel more alone, without hope, without love. It is part of our task as Christians to accompany, to give that hope and ,as far as possible, to evangelize these people.
And how can I, a 25-year-old, evangelize so many people? Well, the Pope gave me the answer in his homily. By invoking the Spirit, praying for the hearts of those who do not know the Lord or have strayed from his ways. By forming bonds of friendship with these people, which bring us closer to them and help us create a bond. And most importantly, by bearing witness to the Gospel in our lives. This is the fastest way to bring the Word to the rest of the world. Coincidentally, these three tasks can be summed up in one word (or acronym): TAO. All this was summed up in the phrase that has been repeated for decades and guides my life in all its aspects: “Don’t be afraid.”
I saw this reflection during Mass and in moments of prayer afterwards. I am still amazed at how much I got out of a World Meeting, a very intense weekend full of gifts from the Lord.
“De Colores”.
