Randwick Racecourse, Sydney was the place to be at 10am on Sunday, July 20 for the final Mass of World Youth Day (WYD). This was the big finale, the culmination of WYD. It marked the end of my pilgrimage, the end of my time in Sydney and the start of my journey home. It was the last time that I would be surrounded by other pilgrims who, like me, had come to hear the inspiring words of our pastor, Benedict XVI.

I found the Pope's homily full of advice for my life. It summed up everything that I had heard in the lessons given by bishops from around the world during the previous week. His words really struck a chord with me. There had to be something in his sermon for everyone, I thought. When we were asked to spend a few moments in silence reflecting on what the Pope had just said to us all, everyone did so. Imagine the scene - a gathering of around 350,000 pilgrims and yet all were so silent that I could hear the birds singing and the hum of distant traffic. Personally I reflected on the Pope's question: how was I going to live my life? How would I set the firm foundations in place to do that? What direction would I would take with my life after WYD.

Filing out of the stadium after Mass as we walked back to the town centre, it did not seem to be the end of WYD, it felt more like a continuation, more of the same except that it would be happening somewhere else, back home. This was my first World Youth Day, and it certainly inspired me. It was so good I might just go to the next one. So if you’re up for it, I might see you in Madrid.