Youth for the Mission of Christ - 2019 (BJMM009)
Youth
for the Mission of Christ
Dr
Edward Edezhath (edward.edezhth@gmail.com)
[Title: Youth for Mission of Christ. Author: Dr. Edward A Edezhath. Publication: Prospects and Pathways in India: Missio Ad-Inter Gentes (Book). Ed. Lazar T. Stanislaus, SVD. 2019. St Pauls. Pages 181 – 208]
Today, more than
ever before, there is a deep awareness on the importance of young people. Modern
governments and various organizations continuously monitor youth reality of their
respective countries and regions and bring out detailed youth statistics and
analysis. The recent comprehensive official report on Indian youth begins with
a statement on the rationale behind it:
Youth being enthusiastic, vibrant,
innovative and dynamic in nature is the most important section of the
population. Youth shows strong passion, motivation and will power which also
make them the most valuable human resource for fostering economic, cultural and
political development of a nation. … The energy and passion of the youth if
utilised properly, can bring huge positive change to the society and progress
to the nation. … This section of the population needs to be harnessed,
motivated, skilled and streamlined properly to bring rapid progress for a
country.[1]
No wonder, the Church of all
generations has had a special appreciation and preference for youth, after the
example and mentality of its youthful Master Jesus himself. Pope John Paul II
wrote in 1885, the International Youth Year, “The Church looks to the young; or
rather, the Church in a special way sees herself in the young – in you as a
group and in each of you as individuals”[2]. The
Preparatory Document for the Synod of 2018 on Youth explains why the Church has
to turn to young people, as she has done in all other generations: “As in the days of Samuel (cf. 1 Sam 3:1-21) and
Jeremiah (cf. Jer 1:4-10), young people know how to discern
the signs of our times, indicated by the Spirit. Listening to their
aspirations, the Church can glimpse the world which lies ahead and the paths
the Church is called to follow."[3]
I.
A Preferential Option for Youth
There is a
pressing need in our communities and in the wider Church to be conscious of the
urgency to connect with youth. Taking youth for granted is detrimental to the
present health and future growth of any society. For the Church, connecting with and mentoring
youth are supremely important as it is integral to Church’s mission and its
very existence. The words of the venerable youth pastor of happy memories, Pp
Johan Paul II crystallizes the sentiments of the mother Church:
In our pastoral care we ask ourselves: How are we to reveal Jesus
Christ, God made man, to this multitude of children and young people, reveal
him not just in the fascination of a first fleeting encounter but through an
acquaintance, growing deeper and clearer daily …? How are we to enable them to
know the meaning, the import, the fundamental requirements, the law of love,
the promises and the hopes of this Kingdom? [4].
Inability to connect to the younger generation
is surely a serious issue in families and societies, but it is not just a present-day
problem. Jesus had to tell his disciples not to stop children from coming to
him[5]. Many a
time children, teenagers and youth may be perceived to be a distraction from
the serious business that the community is engaged in. They may also appear
disinterested in the ‘weighty matters’ of the elderly. Even the famous Socrates
said to have expressed his exasperation with the behavior of youth of his
times[6]. Thousands
of years have passed by but even today we may use the words of the great
philosopher to describe youth behavior. The phrase ‘generation gap’ perhaps
well expresses this phenomenon of disconnect with younger generation.
But why this
disconnect with youth? In a sense, any meaningful accompaniment of the young
has to begin with this question and this point of reflection need to surface
repeatedly during the journey with the younger generation. There is a
significant cultural issue here. One’s values, commitments, faith and the like
are expressed in one’s cultural styles which can easily be misunderstood by
another person from a different culture and generation. Pope Paul VI talking of
the dynamics of sharing the Gospel speaks about this. If one, “does not use
their language, their signs and symbols, if it does not answer the questions
they ask, and if it does not have an iw2e3smpact on their concrete life[7]” the
communication will not be effective. This gap we are talking about is surely
cultural and there is a need to overcome it.
Connecting with
youth is all about having certain awareness about their life and culture and
taking steps to enter into their world. Surely, this is the essence of Christian
mission, the source of which is a loving God connecting to the world, the Word
becoming flesh and opting to live among us (Jn 1:14) and taking on the name
‘God with us’ (Mt 1:23). For example, when Fr. C. J. Dominic, a Franciscan
Friar from Mattancherry, started off with an initiative called Navigators in
that port city with many activities relating to sailing. Of course, this
attracted quite an unusual youth crowd to that Franciscan center. But all were
pleasantly surprised when he gradually built a vibrant youth ministry though
this. Getting to know youth and this knowledge growing into appreciation and
love will help us to take the initial steps of being nearer to the youth world.
The important
challenge before us is to discover how to effectively relate to this ever
growing and changing reality called youth, to help them grow into their fuller
potential and also to challenge them to live a life of fullness and mission. Surely
therein lies the hope of our communities and future of the Church and society.
II.
Youth and their world
A discussion on
the role of youth in the mission of the church should surely begin with a
reflection on which section of society we refer to by ‘youth’. Of course, any
definition or categorization is done in a context and with a particular end in
mind. The United Nations labels youth as all those who are between the ages of
15 and 24[8]. A UNESCO related discussion talks of a more
fluid category than a fixed age group. Accordingly, youth is best understood as
“a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s
independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community”[9]. A consumer
related study of youth reality points out that “The traditional demographic
definition of ‘youth’ is no longer applicable in today’s society, and marketers
should target consumers based upon their engagement and participation in youth
culture rather than on their chronological age”[10]. Their
strong contention is that in practical terms those in the age groups of 25 to
34 should, for all practical purposes, be considered ‘youth’.
Today’s tendency
is not to rigidly speak of youth as an age category, but rather to speak of
youth culture[11]
with a broad age category in the backdrop. This approach of considering ‘youth
as what youth do’ is significant. When St. Teresa’s Group in Ernakulam tried to
reach out to the youth of the big slum at Thevara area they started with house visits, then a musical outreach, followed
by group discussion with interested people. Many people turned up. Eventually
this was the staring of a vibrant mutually supporting youth, kids and family
mission. In the context of pastoral care and mission motivation, youth should not
be looked upon as a recipient category who will enter and leave the ‘revolving
doors’ of organizations. Rather they are to be viewed in their wider context of
life, regarded and respected as partners in the divine calling, who share and
journey the path of mission in the Church and in the world.
Hundreds of millions of youthful dreams: The world today is teeming with youth. One outstanding
illustrative scenario is that of India, which is rich in youth power. Of the 1353 million[12] strong
population of the country more than 50% is below the age of 25 and more than
65% below the age of 35[13]. In other words,
more than 800 millions of Indian population are in the young age group of below
35 years. This makes the country a subcontinent of abundant hope and immense
possibilities. Of course, this is the picture of the wider society, but what
about youth component in the Church? The Church in India, with its avowed
policy of larger families, can perhaps boast of a greater youth presence in its
fold. Though they may not be visible, our Christian communities are strong in
youth power. This, surely, is a cause of great optimism for the future of the
Church in any country.
A section of growing influence: There was a time when the elders talked and the young ones listened,
seniors decided and juniors obeyed. The
young were expected to be at the receiving end. This is fast changing in a
number of ways. “Young people are already active participants, leaders,
initiators, and actors for change. Young people are already changing the world.
Youth organizations already create forums for young people to influence their
surroundings and the rest of the world around them.”[14] In
the domain of culture and product marketing there is much awareness and talk
about ‘Kidfluence’. In the contemporary
family and social setting children influence most of the decisions including
decisions on what to buy and how much to spend[15]. With this changing social trend, it is
important to ask, if, in the Church and in matters of faith-life, the young
wield their influence. If not, it is time we looked for the basic reasons for
that unhealthy state of affairs. In a
community, if youth as a group come to deep convictions and take a stand that
will surely have far reaching positive consequences.
Youth are in touch with ‘today’: An insightful 2017 study speaks of the untapped economic potential
of the Millennial generation in India, that constitute more than a third of the
country's population. "The youth of this generation are better educated,
better connected to information, and better connected to the world"[16]. Today in
every family, to handle a new gadget or to access some tricky information we
need the teenagers. Rapid changes are taking place in the fields of
communication and technology and only our smart youth will be able to keep
abreast with these developments. It is not surprising that the Church values greatly
the help of youth to connect with the contemporary world. When the diocese of Cochin in Kerala brought together a few categories of young professionals, after
their initial fellowship each group came forward with highly innovative
contributions. A good example was that of the young techies’ group, who
prepared a detailed plan for efficient parish management and net connectivity
in the parish and volunteered to implement it. The preparatory document for the
forthcoming Youth Synod says, “By listening to young people, the Church will
once again hear the Lord speaking in today’s world”[17]. Surely
the mission of the Church and that of any given community will be charged with
fire if youth come alive with a passion for the Lord.
They are there where things happen: Which is the most happening
place today? Of course, the field of
social media. Facebook can boast of 220 crores of people actively interacting
with each other world over[18]. In this,
India can boast of a share of 27 crores occupying the first place[19], while the
US comes only second with 24 crore active users. In this what will be the youth
presence. 65% of the fb users are below the age of 34[20]. The other
most significant communication platform Whatsapp had 150 crore active users in
February last of which 20 crores were Indian users[21]. These and
other similar indicators speak volumes on the world today and contemporary
youth trends. Young people are active, and they positively interact, though very
often primarily through online pathways. And surely being in touch with vibrant
young people is the best way to be abreast with the world today. It is not only
that youth are there in big numbers at places where there is vibrant life, but
for the Gospel to reach this and the other similar happening places youth are
surely the preferred channels.
Idealistic and innovative: In recent years the scientist turned president of India, APJ Abdul
Kalam has been successfully challenging young people to dream big. Surely the
youth response has been extremely positive. By their very nature young people
are moved by lofty principles and noble ideals.
“Most children I have come to know, whether rich or poor,” remarks Peter
Dalglish, founder of Street Kids International, “have a profound longing to do
something worthwhile with their lives. They speak to me about their desire to
protect Brazil's tropical rain forests or rescue green turtles in Indonesia or
help street children in Central America. …What happens over time to this
deep-set idealism? Unfortunately, even the most independent young adults
usually succumb to relentless messages from peers, family members and the
corporate world that earning a big income must be their top priority”[22]. We know
that in the history of the Church the great missionary saints are the ones who
did not succumb to this call to integrate with the majority but continued to be
youthful and idealistic. Surely challenging youth to preserve and nurture that
idealism is the joyful duty of the Church in every generation.
Youth have huge potential as agents of
change: In many societies, very often young people
are seen as troublemakers and a serious problem to be solved. Unfortunately,
positive examples of path-breaking leadership and initiatives from among the
youth are very often ignored by the larger society. Young people have enormous capacity for
effecting change and there are numerous examples for this everywhere.
Discussing the immense potential of youth as peace builders and citing many
such models Felice and Wisler hint at the core of youth character: “Young people are searching
for new ideas and open to new challenges while adults have already formed their
dogmatic discourses”[23]. Youth in general are open to change, future oriented and daring.
These three qualities in a way make up inevitable ingredients of an effective
agent of social transformation.
The Second Vatican
council speaks with great perception on the fast-changing nature of the youth
world today: “Young persons exert very important influence in modern society.
There has been a radical change in the circumstances of their lives, their
mental attitudes, and their relationships with their own families.” [24] But for us
this change in youth culture is a singular boon from the Lord as, “Their
heightened influence in society demands of them a proportionate apostolic
activity, but their natural qualities also fit them for this activity”[25]. This in
turn gives the whole Church, especially the elders and decision makers in it, a
privileged responsibility to connect youth to the Church’s sacred mission. “Adults
should stimulate young persons first by good example to take part in the
apostolate and, if the opportunity presents itself, by offering them effective
advice and willing assistance”[26].
III.
Accompanying Youth
The Preparatory
Document for the Youth Synod discusses in detail the need and mode of providing
accompaniment for youth. “In the task of
accompanying the younger generation, the Church accepts her call to collaborate
in the joy of young people rather than be tempted to take control of their
faith”. This significant attitude as
well as dynamic of youth mentoring implies a positive acceptance of the young
and their culture, a friendly approach towards them and a continuing
relationship of mutual interaction and up building. John Paul II understood it
so well and he also practiced it excellently. His words are a graphic guideline
for youth accompaniment:
The Church has so much to talk about
with youth, and youth have so much to share with the Church. This mutual
dialogue, by taking place with great cordiality, clarity and courage, will
provide a favourable setting for the meeting and exchange between generations,
and will be a source of richness and youthfulness for the Church and civil
society.[27]
Fr. George Thekkemury, a university professor initiated
‘Youth Encounter’ program in Palai area in South India. Music, dramatics and kerygmatic
proclamation combined in these youth outreaches. But in each of these college
campuses where they had ‘Youth Encounter’ a follow up plan led them to creation
of a ministry network. Thus, coming in touch with youth and their world is a
significant first step, but accompanying them through their life of joys and
sorrow, struggles and victories, and finally leading them to a fuller life is a
more difficult yet rewarding step that the Church of today is called upon to
take up. In the accompaniment of young people,
the Christian community has this as their preferred goal, to lead them to their
life in its fullness, or make their lives charged with a deep awareness of
themselves and help them move on to an active life of mission. In other words
as the Lord challenged those who heeded his call to share his own zeal for the
Kingdom[28], the
Church wants to walk with the youth of today to a life charged with missionary
zeal.
The Lord met men
and women around him and led them step by step to a life of abundant
fruitfulness. In the youth accompaniment that we talk about here, these men and
women are to be met wherever they are in their path of faith life, and someone
has to journey with them stage after stage to that joy of rich fruit-bearing.
Often a life towards maturity is looked upon as a journey of many steps. What
could be some of the steps that one who accompanies a young person takes to
guide them to fuller life of mission?
1. Befriending: Youth accompaniment begins
with a step from a youth friendly elder or a zealous young person. In the words
of Pope Francis, “The Church which ‘goes forth’ is a community of missionary
disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear
fruit and rejoice”[29]. Such a
contact often takes place in a friendly setting or in the context of a common
interest. Joy-filled social gatherings, social media, sports and games,
cultural events and so on can create opportunities for an initial contact with
a young person or a group of youth. What makes this befriending step different
from the usual steps of social interaction is that in the evangelistic course
these will be followed up to a deeper walk-in faith and ongoing Christian companionship.
2. Leading to an Encounter: Pope Benedict
XVI repeatedly spoke of the importance of an encounter in a Christian’s life,
as “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but
the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a
decisive direction”[30]. A city
youth group in Chennai, South India that
I know quite well, invited youth from several parishes around for a youth
rally. Those who are interested are invited to a weekend retreat, which put passion
into the lives of most of them. They in turn started lively groups in their
parishes. This was a step of befriending or invitation of a Christian community
progresses through a period of companionship leading to a more formal Christ
encounter. For a person new to the Christian message this encounter often
coincides with one’s acceptance of Jesus into his or her life, but for a
Christian an adult renewal of baptism often leads to a significant turn in life.
In this process the person receives an initial or renewed rooting and sprouting
in the Catholic faith, faith community as well as Christian mission. This
emphasis on a personal encounter forming a new beginning is well suited for the
youth of today as they they live in the world of experiences.
3. Welcoming into a Fellowship: Youth live
in the world of their friendships. In their evangelistic plan also this becomes
important. My friend Dony Peter from
Bangalore had a weekly soccer
group to sustain the fellowship after a youth retreat. Of course, there was a
time of prayer and Bible study either before or after the game. The Encounter
is a virtual doorway to a life of active fellowship. Pope John Paul II
underlines the importance of such communities in an evangelistic formation: “These
are groups of Christians who … come together for prayer, Scripture reading,
catechesis, and discussion on human and ecclesial problems with a view to a
common commitment. These communities are a sign of vitality within the Church,
an instrument of formation and evangelization and a solid starting point for a
new society based on a ‘civilization of love’” [31]. Today’s
new generation Catholic Ecclesial Movements are quite rich in evangelistic
fervour mainly due to the fact that their members find a home base and are
formed in groups similar to the one that the Popes mentions. What characterize
these fellowships are: i) prayer, ii) faith up building, iii) warmth of
relationships and iv) motivation to engage in Christian mission.
4. Promoting Faith Habits: Christianity is
a lifestyle, and a Christian community promotes a lifestyle in its members. The
description of the life of the early Christian community who devoted themselves
to “Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to the
prayers” [32]
always remains a model for lifestyle plan of a community. The accompaniment in
a youth community is to a large measure comprised of efforts to root a young
person in Gospel based attitudes and Christ centred living. In this process formation
of certain of the faith habits plays a key role. One good example for such a
path for personal growth or a list of faith habits is the Six Pillars[33] of Jesus
Youth movement. They are, Prayer, Word of God, Sacraments, Fellowship,
Evangelization and Option for the Poor. Such a list becomes a handy reference
point for a young person to make a plan for personal discipline and build an
active Catholic lifestyle.
5. Formation in Faith: Youth accompaniment
is also very much a faith related formation and personal effectiveness
grooming. A ‘Youcat’ based quiz program was designed by a couple youth in Dubai
parish. It became a wholesome catechesis starting with a lively quiz on the
previously announced section of the ‘Youcat’ followed with a group discussion,
input and prayer time. As Pope Francis
would say, “it is clear that the first proclamation also calls for ongoing
formation and maturation. Evangelization aims at a process of growth which
entails taking seriously each person and God’s plan for his or her life.”[34] Study of
the word of God, retreats and recollections, catechetical sessions, study of
the Church documents, getting to know the life and teaching of the saints and
so on can form the content of a formation plan for youth. This firm grounding
in Catholic faith forms an effective preparation for the young person’s life of
mission.
6. Sending forth in mission: An integral
part of Jesus’ formation plan was sending his disciples on Mission. “The word
of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him ‘to go
forth’.... Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the
Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our
own comfort zone in order to reach all the ‘peripheries’ in need of the light
of the Gospel.” [35]
Young people like to be active and to get involved in meaningful projects. If
they can be challenged to go out as missionaries, they will be trained to
become “fishers of men” for the Lord. Reaching out to the poor and the needy, bringing
together and sharing the Gospel with specific categories of people, using
talents and particular interests to bring Jesus to others’ life are the various
avenues of evangelistic walk for young people. One youth group at Kaloor in Verapoly Diocese reflected for a while how to respond to
the message they received, ‘today you are my hand and feet’. Eventually teams
took commitment to go out regularly to a prison, a poor colony and an old age
home. Needless to say, this completely transformed all of them.
7. Towards Wholesome Leadership: Young
people’s dear JPII always challenged them on their special role in building a
new world: “Writing to you young people, I try to have before my mind's eye the
complex and separate situations of the tribes, peoples and nations of our world”[36]. In each
of their societies and nations they are called upon to play a historic
formative role. “Your youth, and the plan of life which during your young years
each one of you works out, are from the very beginning part of the history of
these different societies, and this happens not ‘from without’ but pre-eminently
‘from within’”[37].
The fundamental orientation of the grooming of young people has to be this
vision of forming them to take up leadership in their respective areas of life
and fields of involvement. A dearth of visionary leadership is what our
societies are suffering from. Our young people are the best candidates for this,
and we have a duty to train them with this vision.
IV.
A formative milieu for youth mission
The youth (and others,
young in spirit) who followed Christ when they received “power from on high”,
devoted themselves to an ideal vision of a pattern of living that the faithful that
followed them through centuries have tried to replicate ever since. This
pattern of life included, spirit filled instruction, deep and joyful
friendship, reliving of the sacred memory of the Master's self-giving act and
moments in the presence of the eternal[38]. A genuine
and relevant vision of the Church invariably fascinates youth and makes them
active collaborates in it, in accordance with what the Council desired that “it
may bring to all men that light of Christ which shines visibly from the Church”[39]. What you
love truly you will live for deeply. What is the kind of Church that youth
love? When they find such a community they will live and die for it. In other
words, youth need an ambience in which they will be welcomed and motivated to
take up their mission. It is good to ask in what sort of an ambience or
Christian community the young people will be moved to be effective
missionaries.
1. Love of Christ brings them alive: Sr. Sartho SD, from Vypeen
Island in Kerala made a game plan to gather some vibrant youth from her
parish and take them regularly to a weekly youth fellowship in the city. After
a while she invited the leaders of the parent group to organize a weekend
recollection in the parish and start a group there. For most young people it is
personal encounter with Christ, in one way or the other, that becomes the basis
of their active life in the Church, which in turn motivates them to a life of
mission. A Church community that brings this Christ dimension and love
orientation to the epicenter will invariably become youth-friendly and youth
will carry on this vision with passion. An orientation to a vibrant ‘inner
life’ becomes a natural consequence of this which will impart a taste of what
is spiritual to the youth. “Every community, if it is to be Christian, must be
founded on Christ and live in Him, as it listens to the word of God, focuses in
prayer on the Eucharist, lives in a communion marked by oneness of heart and
soul, and shares according to the needs of its members”[40].
2. A Participative Church, rich in
ministries will challenge them: Youth come alive in
a context of lively fellowship and platforms for participation. A Christian
community that welcomes and respects the individual, recognizing one’s dreams
and aspirations will help youth to realize the dream of the Council that “a
member who does not work at the growth of the body to the extent of his
possibilities must be considered useless to both Church and to himself”[41]. This in
turn will help youth towards an active personal participation in the Church as
well as in specific associations that they may join in. A fertile community
context will even inspire one to initiate new evangelistic steps, knowing that
“the laity have the right to establish and direct associations, and to join
existing ones”[42].
3. A Church closer to the poor is in
consonance with their dreams: With a sublime sense
of idealism almost all young people turn to the poor and the needy with
compassion and commitment. This has been one of the secrets of the efficacy of
Mother Teresa’s ministry. A weekly visit to the nearby cancer centre brought
vibrant life to a university youth group at Calicut in South India and
this in turn attracted so many to come into this fellowship. Ideally a community
of believers that reaches out to the poor with compassion, that lives in
proximity with the needy and welcomes the poor to be part of the community will
surely be the true body of Christ for the youth.
4. A Church with a Sense of Mission will
put fire in their hearts: Mission is at the heart
of the Church, as “the Church … is by its very nature missionary”[43]. Fire
begets fire especially in the hearts of youth. Instead of a ritualistic,
maintenance focused Church, if young people see a Church moved with a sense of
mission, they too will be challenged to an active Christian life. Such youth
with fire in their hearts can in turn put the whole community aflame. The ‘new evangelization’ that
John Paul II urged — “new in ardor, methods and expression”[44], inspired
the whole bunch of youth and in turn brought forth numerous youth movements and
initiatives during his pontificate.
5. The Church that imparts formation
will generate youth formators: The contemporary
career driven world is rediscovering formation with emphasis on values and
character which the Church has fine turned over the centuries in its formation
houses. UAE national youth team offers a yearlong youth-focused missionary
training program called ‘Lead’. It has four separate four-day sessions covering
important faith aspects and finally a one-week live-in outreach in a very poor
area in another country. A marrying of this forte of the Church with the
‘wineskins’ of contemporary corporate format is capable of bringing forth
suitable training packages for the parish as well as the other Catholic bodies.
With their natural flair youth have already transformed the whole approach to
formation in many Christian communities. If our parishes and other platforms
adopt this emphasis on imparting formation the youth will find them suitable
places to belong to.
6. A universal breadth of the local
church will bring out height of youth leadership:
The universal nature of the Church with its breadth of existence and mission is
an inspiring challenge to the contemporary ‘universal citizen’. In this age of
networking and worldwide communication the historical, worldwide, multi-voiced
Catholic Church can truly be experienced from every little ‘cell’ of the Body
of Christ. Caught with this vision a young person will assume a leadership with
breadth of vision and height of responsibility.
7. A Community In dialogue with the
times and cultures will make them true witnesses:
The Church is in constant dialogue[45] with the
world and a community of faithful ready to ‘interpret the signs of the times’
and eager to dialogue with others around will prepare the youth for true
leadership in society. The youth “are called by God that, being led by the
spirit of the Gospel, they may contribute to the sanctification of the world,
as from within like leaven, by fulfilling their own particular duties … thus …
they must manifest Christ to others”[46]. In other
words, youth are the ambassadors to the wider world and a culture of dialogue
is the best means to equip them for this. Sacred Heart parish, Kumbalanghi in Cochin has a regular youth catechetical
program. Young people of the parish are invited to a different home or a center
each week where they have a direct experience of an issue or a problem.
In
brief, the formative ambience of a Church community has a big role to role to
play in preparing a young person to take up the missionary mandate and also to
form him or her for a fruitful life. There is an urgent need for renewal.
Transforming our Church communities into a rich soil of mission is the best
option to impart to youth that same culture of missionary zeal.
IV. Sending them forth
Jesus had a very
practical approach to training his disciples as missionaries. This approach is
quite well suited for today’s young generation also. In Luke’s account of the
life of Jesus first we see Him sending the Twelve on the mission (Lk 9:1) and
later, a larger group of seventy (Lk 10:1). In both instances he offers them a
set of practical tips and then sends them forth. Youth of today, as it has been
in all ages, are ready to be challenged to taking practical steps to reach out
to others and also to get involved in the creative act of building God’s
kingdom here and now. Hence following the example of the Lord telling them to
‘go’ becomes very important in bringing out the missionary zeal in today’s
youth.
What is the process of this missionary
sending? In the Gospels Jesus appears to follow a pattern
of preparation of his disciples for mission. He starts by calling them from
their ordinary life and guides them through a period of instruction and then he
finally empowers and sends them to other people with a deep sense of mission.
His initial promise of making them “fishers of men”[47] is
fulfilled in this manner. Taking the cue from the Lord’s example and reflecting
on the past experience of the Church, we can enlist a few mission-focused steps
that will prepare today’s youth to go out with the mission of Christ. Certain
of these important steps, as we already discussed, are: i) calling them, ii) leading
them to a deeper encounter, iii) accompaniment in a community, iv) focused
formation for mission, v) Commissioning and sending forth, vi) review and
further building, and finally with a view to continue the cycle vii) entrusting
of missionary leadership. Today such a process of missionary formation and
sending forth is possible and already happening in the context of our parishes,
dioceses and institutions. Many of the new movements in the Church are doing
laudable pioneering work in this field. For example, Full-timer’s Training of Jesus Youth movement invites young
graduates to undergo a monthlong inhouse training followed by a yearlong
placement for a guided missionary assignment. Surely, this turns out to be an
excellent grooming for a lifelong Christian commitment.
Who can prepare these missionaries? The
council spoke of youth and elders joining hands for preparing youth for
mission. “(young people) should become the first to carry on the apostolate
directly to other young persons, concentrating their apostolic efforts within
their own circle, according to the needs of the social environment in which
they live. . . Adults should stimulate young persons first by good example to
take part in the apostolate and, if the opportunity presents itself, by
offering them effective advice and willing assistance.”[48] Kerala’s state level university apostolate organises regular
discipleship cum missionary trainings. Training young people is done by the
youth leaders, but the presence of animating elders is ensured in the teams,
through pre-training consultations and through their inputs during sessions. There is an urgent need for focused efforts
from the pastors and elders in the church to prepare effective youth leaders, as youth are the best trainers of youth. Perhaps they are the only ones
that other young people will listen to. Words of Pope Paul VI are all the more
true today, “Circumstances invite us to make special mention of the young. …
young people who are well trained in faith and prayer must become more and more
the apostles of youth. The Church counts greatly on their contribution, and we
ourselves have often manifested our full confidence in them”[49]. The need
of the hour is to have focused initiatives of teams of committed youth and
youth friendly elders preparing other young people for missionary sending.
What should these
missionaries do? Of course, they go forth as good
news and, in turn, share the good news. We are very much in need of joyful
Christians who can radiate the love and joy of the Lord wherever they are. Young
Wilson Arakkal’s kid’s group is extremely
creative. In this coastal village of
Pallithodu in Alleppy, every
afternoon he gathers a large group of children for an exciting time for
traditional games and catechesis. As Pope Paul VI put it, “May the world of our
time, which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be
enabled to receive the Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected,
discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives
glow with fervor, who have first received the joy of Christ, and who are
willing to risk their lives so that the kingdom may be proclaimed and the
Church established in the midst of the world”[50]. Perhaps
more than any other category of missionaries, there is need for young people to
be witnesses of genuine freedom and joy that the Gospel invariably brings in
their lives. But of course, being a positive Christian presence alone is not
enough. Talking about what the Lord has done for them and bringing the hearers
to an acceptance of Jesus and His message are also equally significant in this
mission. Doing this in a language and manner relevant to the contemporary
generation makes this missionary approach acceptable and upbuilding[51].
Where
should they be sent to? The missionary fields of
the young people are primarily their own social and cultural contexts. They
live in their neighbourhoods, and most of them study and work. All these areas provide
rich fields of mission for them. Of course, seeing this natural milieu as fields
for the work of the Kingdom of God and adopting dynamics relevant to mission
work there involve the creative impulse of the Holy Spirit. This South Indian
city Trivandrum has a big
technology park with many high-tech firms. But in that sprawling campus a good
Catholic network is alive and growing thanks to some fervent youngsters. Daily
evening rosary in the garden, Thursday prayer meeting in nearby parish,
occasional retreats and leadership trainings, all help build this unique and
colourful ministry. “The new evangelization is a frame-of-mind, a courageous
manner of acting and Christianity's capacity to know how to read and interpret
the new situations in human history which, in recent decades, have become the
places to proclaim and witness to the Gospel”[52]. Young
people with a sense of mission can organise cultural gatherings, study
sessions, prayer meetings, Bible study groups, liturgical celebrations and much
more in these situations. Schools, Universities, hostels, various clubs,
factories and offices, villages and residential complexes all serve as the
places where these young missionaries can go to in order to invite other youth
and children and joyfully accompany them to a new life in the love of the Lord.
But then, the neighbourhood of today’s young people is not the near by physical
areas alone. This is the age of ‘global village’. Rapidly progressing career,
travel, migration and communication avenues are fast expanding the reach of
today’s enthusiastic generation. They move far and wide, with the social media
they have friends from the ends of the earth, distance and language are no
barrier for their reach. All these possibilities make even a young person with
limitted education from remote hamlet, if he or she has the Spirit endowed
missionary zeal, a powerful missionary with a reach to the ‘ends of the earth’[53]. Today’s
youth are to be seen as such and challenged to be so.
V. Youth are the hope of today and always
George Bernard
Shaw’s witty remark "Youth is wasted on the young" hints at the complexity
of youth ministry. Youth are the cream of the world today and they are also the
major share of the Church. Contemporary youth manifest unprecedented capacity
for leadership and creativity. In spite of their abundant resourcefulness and
potentiality, today’s youth are rendered incapable by a variety of social and
personal factors. Statistical projections, media reports and our own pesonal
experiences all point towards growing youth unrest and a decaying youth
culture. Durg and alcohol abuse, rebellious behaviour, violence in various
forms, promiscuity, media addiction and host of other debilitating trends mar
the horizations of youth world. Youth are generally looked upon, not as an
asset, but a big liability. This view holds true in the general society as well
as in our Church communities. Moreover, the required bridging with the youth
culture and local church situation is conspicuously missing in most of the
Christian communities.
The threatening
dark clouds in the socio-cultural horizons of contemporary times, especially of
the youth world, are indeed real. Many of the youth trends of these days shake
the very foundations of families and communities. The Church all over the
world, consequently, is disquieted by these realities. But the Church of today,
as has always been in the past, has a powerful solution to offer, for these
youth ills, from its great store of riches. This is nothng but to challenge
youth with the Gospel truth to leave their pernicious ways and aim at the noble
path of the Lord along with friends with similar deep commitment[54]. In other
words, challenging youth to mission and supporing their quiest to build a ‘new
heaven and new earth’. This is happening today, and this indeed is the best
solution to today’s growing disquiet in the world.
For the Church to
bridge the gap between life in the church and the dynamics of the modern world,
the active participation and enlightened leadership of youth is vital. A big
positive development is that the post Conciliar renewal waves in the Church and
the positive developments of the new millennium have helped in the emergence of
a host of youth leadership around the world. Pope John Paul II’s remark on lay
leadership in Asia is pertinent to the wider array of youth also, “One solid
cause of hope is the increasing number of better trained, enthusiastic and
Spirit-filled lay people, who are more and more aware of their specific
vocation within the ecclesial community”[55]. The
crucial challenge is to tap these resources to broaden the youth ministry and
to ensure that more and more young people receive relevant formation and are
helped to have active participation in the missionary endeavours of the Church.
With his personal
charisma imbued with the Spirit of the divine Saint John Paul II could galvanise
youth to great sense of zeal and missionary fervour. This in turn brought forth
young missionaries who on their part stirred their communities with great
dynamism and commitment. The Pope’s words in preparation for the International
Year of Youth in 1985 still resounds with fresh impact even today: “You young
people are the ones who embody this youth: you are the youth of the nations and
societies, the youth of every family and of all humanity; you are also the
youth of the Church. We are all looking to you, for all of us, thanks to you,
in a certain sense continually become young again. So, your youth is not just
your own property, your personal property or the property of a generation: it
belongs to the whole of that space that every man traverses in his life's
journey, and at the same time it is a special possession belonging to everyone.
It is a possession of humanity itself”[56]. May the
whole Church be able to see youth in their true light and help them to be true
missionaries in the Church and society.
Dr
Edward Edezhath is a professor of English St Albert’s College, Ernakulam,
doing research on children's games. Director of the Documentation Center of Kerala Regional Latin Bishops'
Council. State Vice Chairman of Gandhian Forum. One of the pioneers of Jesus
Youth movement. Recently honored with the title of the Knight of St Sylvester
by His Holiness Pp. Francis. He
lives in Cochin, South India with his wife and has three children.
[1] ‘Youth
- An Overview’, Youth in India 2017, Central Statistics Office Ministry of
Statistics and Programme
Implementation Government of India, New Delhi: 2017. Pg 1 <http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/Youth_in_India-2017.pdf>
[2] Pp John Paul II, Dilecti
Amici, 15.
[3]
Introduction, ‘Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment’. Preparatory
Document. Synod of Bishops XV
Ordinary General Assembly. 2017
[4] John Paul II, Catechesi
Tradendae, 35
[5] Mt 19:14
[6] In his oft
quoted comment Socrates says, “The children now love luxury. They have bad
manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love
chatter in place of exercise”.
[7] Pp Paul VI, Evangelii
Nuntianti, 63.
[8] UN World
Youth Report. Youth Civic Engagement. The Department of Economic and Social
Affairs. pg 3 (Technical Note). <http://www.unworldyouthreport.org/images/docs/un_world_youth_report_youth_civic_engagement.pdf>
[9] What do we
mean by "Youth"? Learning to Live Together. Themes. UNESCO.org <http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/youth/youth-definition/>
[10] "Youth No Longer Defined
by Chronological Age; Consumers Stay ‘Younger’ Longer". Marketing Charts.J
Watershed Publishing. http://www.marketingcharts.com/topics/asia-pacific/youth-no-longer-defined-by-chronological-age-35-is-new-18-6530/>
[11] Heaven, Cara and Mathew
Tubidy. "Global Youth Culture and Youth Identity". CCIVS Coordinating
Committee for International Volunatry Service. <http://www.ccivs.org/New-SiteCCSVI/institutions/jpc-youth/youth-open-forum/Section_for_Youth/Resources_and_tools/Other_documents_on_youth/OXFAM_INTERNATIONAL_YOUTH_PARLIAMENT/Chapter6_Global_Youth_Culture_and_Identity.pdf>
[12] India Population,
Worldometers
<http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population/>
[13] Demographics India.
Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_India>
[14] König, Felix 'Youth Influence in Decision
Making Process". F3 Freedom from Fear Magazine. Issue 8. UNICRI.
<http://f3magazine.unicri.it/?p=35>
[15] 'Kidfluence'. Business-Managed Democracy. <http://www.herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/culture/consumerism/kidfluence.html>
[16] "India's Millennials to Recast Economy
in Own Tech Savvy Image". Morgan Stanley Research. <https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/india-millennials-makeover-disruption-growth>
[17]
Introduction. ‘Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment’. Preparatory
Document. Synod of Bishops XV Ordinary General Assembly. 2017
[18] By the Numbers: Amazing Facebook User
Statistics. DMR.
<https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/by-the-numbers-17-amazing-facebook-stats/>
[19] Leading
countries based on number of Facebook users as of April 2018. <https://www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/>
[20] Distribution
of Facebook users worldwide as of April 2018, by age and gender. Statista.
<https://www.statista.com/statistics/376128/facebook-global-user-age-distribution/>
[21] Tech2. News
Analysis.
<https://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/whatsapp-has-1-5-billion-monthly-active-users-out-of-which-200-million-are-from-india-4330439.html>
[22] Dalglish, Peter.
"Harnessing Youthful Idealism and Dreams". Family Care Foundation.
<http://www.familycare.org/opinions/harnessing-youthful-idealism-and-dreams/>
[23] Felice, Celina Del and Andria
Wisler. “The Unexplored Power and Potential of Youth as Peace-builders”. P.24,
Journal of Peace Conflict & Development Issue 11, November 2007. <http://www.creducation.net/resources/Power_and_Potential_of_Youth_as_Peace-Builders.pdf>
[24] Pope Paul VI. Decree on the
Apostolate of the Laity. Apostolicam Actuositatem, 12.
[25] Ibid
[26] Ibid.
[27] Pp. John Paul II. Christifidelis Laici, 46
[28] Mt. 4:19 “Follow me, and I
will make you fishers of men”.
[29] Pope Francis, Evangelii
Gaudium (2013), 24.
[30] Pp Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (2005), 1
[31] Pope John Paul II,
Redemptoris Missio, 51
[32] Acts 2:42
[33] # 12, Spirituality. Jesus
Youth Statutes. 2016
[34] Evangelii Gaudium, 160.
[35] Evangelii Gaudium, 20.
[36] Dilecti Amici, 11.
[37] Ibid.
[38] Acts 2:42 (RSV) “And they
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers”.
[39] Vat II, Lumen Gentium, 1.
[40] John Paul II, Redemptoris
Missio, 51
[41] Vat. II. Apostolicam
Actuositatem, 2.
[42] Ibid., 19.
[43] Vat. II. Ad Gentes, 2.
[44] Pp John Paul II. Ecclesia in
America.
<http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=665>
[45] Pp. John Paul II. Ecclesia in
Asia, 3. “…the importance of dialogue as a characteristic mode of the Church’s
life in Asia.
[46] Vat. II. Lumen Gentium, 31.
[47] Mt. 4:19
[48] Vat. II. Decree on the
Apostolate of the Laity, 12.
[49] Paul VI,
Evangelii Nuntiandi, 72
[50] Paul VI,
Evangelii Nuntiandi, 80.
[51] I Pet. 3:15
[52] Lineamenta, Synod of 2012 on New
Evangelization, 6.
[53] Acts 1:8
[54] II Tim. 2:22
[55] Pope John Paul II. Ecclesia
in Asia, 9.
[56] Pope John Paul II. Dilecti
Amici, 1.
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