Struggle Is Temporary

Fr. Matthew and St. Isidore youth traveled to Rome last summer to immerse themselves in holy places, become friends with the saints, and grow deeper in faith alongside a million young Catholics from around the world.

I believe that God called me to the Jubilee of Young People so that I could experience the Catholic faith on a global scale and learn about the faith, both in history and in modern day, all in my journey of becoming Catholic.

During the pilgrimage, I met Catholics from all around the world. They gave me a multitude of perspectives on how other Catholics live.

I believe that God wants us all to be hopeful, because struggle is temporary, but His love is forever.

I also learned the stories of various saints, their lives, and their actions, which fascinated me. The only saint I had been familiar with before the pilgrimage was St. Carlo Acutis, because our team had watched a movie about him. Now that I am familiar with many more saints, I can try to emulate them as well.

Above all, I think God called me to the Jubilee of Young People in order for me to experience a taste of the type of person I can be in the future: someone who endures the struggles that God places in their path, someone who knows and appreciates the history of the Church, and especially someone who looks to the future not with fear of hardships, but with hope. I believe that God wants us all to be hopeful, because struggle is temporary, but His love is forever.

Struggle is temporary, but His love is forever.

—Oliver, high school junior