World Youth Day USA Guides Retreat Manual | Page 72

Return Home Retreat Experience: Meeting Jesus, Who Sends Us Forth
The focus of this final formation experience for

This retreat attempts to aid leaders in

World Youth Day is meeting Jesus, who sends

encouraging their pilgrims to go forth from

us forth into the world. This retreat should be

World Youth Day. The program begins with an

held after the World Youth Day trip is over and

opening prayer in which Jesus commissions his

all pilgrims have returned stateside.

disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples
of all nations.” (Mt 28:19). The pilgrims are

Consider the story of the Transfiguration. The

invited to begin reflecting on where they feel

three disciples who witnessed the Lord’s glory,

God is calling them to go out and share the

accompanied by Moses and Elijah, would have

Good News. Before moving into concrete

loved to remain on the mountaintop (even

action steps, however, retreatants are invited

Simon Peter declares, “Master, it is good that

into a sharing of the graces they received. This

we are here; let us make three tents…” but the

prayer experience invites participants to deepen

Gospel writers follows that by saying “But he

their awareness of all God’s gifts of the World

did not know what he was saying.” Lk 9:33). In

Youth Day experience. From naming the

the same way, while it is good that pilgrims are

graces of the experience, participants then turn

able to be transformed at World Youth Day,

to discerning what actions steps they feel called

the Lord invites us to journey back down the

to take both as individuals and as a group so

mountain as Jesus did with those three disciples

that the mountaintop experience of World

on Mount Tabor. Even more, after the

Youth Day is brought back into daily life.

Resurrection appearances to the disciples, Jesus

Through a guided reflection process, the

sends forth the Twelve to spread the Good

facilitator helps the group discern all the ways

News – yet even those disciples needed to be

the World Youth Day experience can bear fruit

reminded to move onward (after the Ascension

locally. A suggested outline for this retreat

of Jesus, “While they were looking intently at

experience, with anticipated timeframes for

the sky as he was going, suddenly two men

each section, may include the following

dressed in white garments stood beside them.

elements, found on the next page. (NOTE: this

They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you

outline does not include breaks; however, these

standing there looking at the sky?” Acts 1:10-

are advisable to add, but can be done at the

11a). So, too, are those who end their World

discretion of the retreat organizers based on the

Youth Day experience: they need reminding to

needs of the participants and other

move onward and become missionary disciples.

circumstances such as space and schedule.)
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