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At the end of the summer, the Weave of Manquehue Prayer were invited to attend Youth2000 at Ampleforth Abbey School in Yorkshire. Fr Leo, Cristobal, Vicente and Nicolas all braved a day in the car from Downside, Vicky and Christian drove up, and Marcus and Ed took the train up from London.
It was a weekend full of blessings - joining in prayer and friendships with young Catholics from across the UK, singing praise and sitting in Eucharastic adoration. We were invited to lead four Lectio Divina workshops over two days.
It was such a joy to introduce others to Lectio, to share a peaceful moment of contemplation and meeting Christ. We were joined by friends of all ages - school children with their parents all the way up to retirees. Some had experienced Lectio before, while others had not.
In Lectio, I found so much solace and comfort, meeting Christ in the gospel and meeting friends in Christ. In the passage of the Annunciation, I was struck so much by how, even when she is disturbed and does not understand, she completely gives herself to God. And then, in a beautiful reminder of how shared lectio can really help others, I was very struck by a new friend's echo about how amazing it is that the unborn John the Baptist was able to recognise Christ, and the power of youth and goodness.
I didn't know what to expect before going to Youth2000 - it definitely was unlike anything else I had ever experienced before. But it was a weekend full of surprises and blessings. We came away with stronger friendships in Christ, with new friendships who want to set up Lectio groups in new places, with a reminder to stop and pray for a while (and maybe sing a song of praise or two!) and with real joy at the passion and joy of this next generation of our Church.