Two million people...

...were at Mass with Papa Benedict XVI, on a great airfield of scorched Spanish earth after a night of storm and wind that gave way to starlit peace.

Did you see it on TV? Can you imagine what it was like to be part of it?

On Saturday night, after that electric storm, when the rain came down and the sky was lit up with dramatic streaks of lightning, there was a momentary loss of power for the great screens and we didn't quite know what was happening. People were sheltering from the rain (others, like Auntie, were relishing it and stood with joyful arms outstretched in thanksgiving!)and checking on younger friends and drawing people together. And as power was restored and the drama abated, we heard Papa B's voice, calm and reassurring. "Well, the LOrd has been generous with his blessings" And he led us in the great vigil of prayer, just as planned...

The drama did not prevent us from sleeping out, as planned,although some must have had a most uncomfortable night simply due to pressure of space because of the the huge numbers, rising to some two million the next day and already heading that way by Saturday evening. In our sector we had adequate if limited space, and pulled together our mats and settled down to several hours of slumber...I woke in the early hours while all was still dark, and was struck by how curiously serene and safe it all looked, somehow. There were tents and humps of makeshift shelter, and hundreds of thousands of sleeping people. Earlier panics about the ghastly heat had given way to the stillness and cool of the night - healthcare had coped with anyone who found the heat too much, stacks and stacks of fresh water had arrived, and now even the chatting and singing and laughter had died away and there was this extrordinary scene of a great vast swathe of humanity at rest.

And the rain had brought a fresher day for our Sunday Mass. Not without drama: the great tent where the Blessed Sacrament was reserved and where adoration was taking place was ripped down in the storm. Nearby had been stored vast quantities of Communion hosts, to be consecrated at the morning Mass, and these were caught up in the wreckage and could not be used. So when the sun came up and we were all getting organised for the day ahead, announcements were made telling us that we would not be able to recieve Holy Communion at Mass but should make a Spiritual Communion and then, if possible, go to one of Madrid's churches later in the day where HOly Communion would be given to us...

It was touching to see the many, many priests and nuns and friars with the various groups in that vast crowd busy saying their office faithfully throughout our time on the airfield. You would see a friar deep in the Psalm or or a priest opening up his book with its ribbon markers. And as Mass began, this gigantic gathering of humanity slowly turned into a Sunday congregation at prayer, led by a choir and with the Pope concelebrating with Bishops and priests at the altar.

How stupid the sections of the British media that focused on the ranting of some anti-Church demonstrators, thus massively missing the central story. Get real. Here is a new generation of young Catholics, all gathered from the four corners of the earth, affirming their full, enthusiastic and loving commitment to Jesus Christ and taking part in the ancient rites of the Catholic Church with a fullness of devotion that speaks of a great reality for the future. Think about it. This has massive implications for the next decade's shaping of social and community ideas and policies: these people are dedicated, alert, and extremely active. They travelled to Madrid as enthusiastic pilgrims, and their strumming guitars and waving flags and whooping shouts of "Viva el Papa!" are all part of a Catholicism which is rooted in real personal involvement and not in any way imposed by the State or even encouraged by it. This is a movement. If there were two million Greenies, or two million enthusiastic socialists, or two million fans of a particular pop star, it would all be regarded as rather significant and the media would not focus on some (statistically insignificant) opposing demonstrators.

The Pope's message included a strong call that he had also made in his Introduction to the new Youth Catechism with which every young pilgrim has been provided: this new generation must know and understand the Faith better than their parents have done. There are new challenges ahead and great hearts and deep prayer are needed...

After Mass, we ate lunch (packs of food for all of yesterday and today had been provided, complete with delicious ham and bread and olive oil and yoghurts and more) all slowly packed things up and made ready to go...no point in hurrying, as it takes hours and hours for such a crowd - effectively the population of a great city - to disperse and find its way home, as Papa B. was also doing, having found a special place in youthful hearts because he stayed throughout that storm when some of his accompanying monsignori seemed to indicate that he ought to leave...

We were exhausted and very grimy with dust and sweat when we finally got back to our home-base of the church of St Mary of Cana: the bliss of a shower was just indescribably delightful. Then in the evening we all gathered to relax together, to talk over what had been - and suddenly the dust and vicious thorns and thistles and the horrible insects ("mutant grasshoppers" was the favoured expression...although, ugh, the huge ants in their horrid teeming anthills were worse!) were simply part of something that had been so much bigger and more glorious...I wish I could convey the joy and the friendship and the many small kindnesses of the lovely Quo Vadis group with which I have been priviledged to be linked in these Madrid days. The core of the group includes young men training for the priesthood or considering a religious vocation - but for this WYD pilgrimage it has been opened up for large numbers of young people who simply wanted to come alonmg to be part of this unforgettable event. And now with all sorts of shared experiences, and times of prayer, and complicated in-jokes, and hours and hours of friendship and talk and laughter and more, there is of course that sense of unity that is one of the really delightful things that emerges from a time such as this...