World Youth Day Cross
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
1 Jul 2007
Two big events in Sydney today. The World Youth Day Cross - the Olympic torch of World Youth Day - arrives; and Guy Sebastian and Paulini premiere the official World Youth Day Song.
The 3.8 metre high World Youth Day Cross and the Icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, land at Mascot Airport this morning. In April 2006 they commenced a pilgrimage from Rome, through Africa and then onto the countries of Oceania. East Timor’s reception of the Cross and Icon in May was particular moving.
The cross is the best known symbol of Christianity. Jesus was executed on it between two thieves in Jerusalem. But it has lost its power to shock.
Only slaves and foreigners were put to crucifixion in the Roman Empire. St Paul, as a citizen of Rome, could not be crucified and was beheaded instead.
Nowadays crosses are usually worn by believers, and occasionally by public sinners, to affirm their faith or perhaps to provoke. They come in all sizes, made from every sort of material.
The cross was originally a horrifying image, standing for the triumph of brute force and death over everything good. By his resurrection Jesus broke the power of death and showed that love is stronger.
For more than 20 years the World Youth Day Cross has travelled to parish churches, youth detention centres, prisons, schools, universities, national historic sites, shopping centres, nightclub districts and parks throughout the world. It has even been taken to the German Parliament and to Ground Zero in New York.
It has been carried by commercial airline, light aircraft, dog sled, pick-up truck, tractor, sail boat, fishing boat and on shoulders. It has been accompanied by the Icon of Mary since 2003.
The Cross and Icon will be taken to the tomb of Blessed Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first saint, and then to a public celebration at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour at 1.30pm, where Guy and Paulini will perform the World Youth Day song, “Receive the Power”, live for the first time.
Guy is a publicly committed Christian (not a Catholic) and the song he has written with Gary Pinto beautifully captures the essence of World Youth Day, where “every nation, every tribe, come together” to worship the One True God.
After the celebrations, the Cross and Icon begin a pilgrimage to more than 400 Australian communities for the 12 months leading up to World Youth Day in July 2008. With 380 days still to go, groups representing more than 120,000 pilgrims have indicated their intention to come to Sydney for this event.
It is not death that has the last word over human life, but love. This is the message the World Youth Day Cross will take to young people as its pilgrimage around Australia begins. The good things that follow will be a blessing for all of us.
