Youth in the Light of 'Ecclesia in Asia' - 2010 (BJMM027)
Youth in the Light of 'Ecclesia in Asia
Dr. Edward A. Edezhath
[Presented at Meeting of the Leaders of Ecclesial Movements, Pattaya, Thailand. 24July2010]
I am reminded of the journey to Emmaus . ..
The story repeats itself in the life of many youth
day after day. This young person so confused about life and God, someone
introduced him to a learned and prayerful priest. “Father, there is no God in
my life. My prayer is to a blank wall and I have stopped praying.” The priest
listened with great interest. He took out a rosary from his pocket and
responded with love, “I pray, and that keeps me going.”
This was the beginning of a long walk together,
lasting for many years. Soon there was an opportunity for the young man, of
course helped by the priest, to rediscover Jesus in a retreat, times together
for sharing, travel together to help other young people in retreats, books to
read, slowly other youth around him and he found a transforming spiritual
movement taking shape around him leading him to a new heaven and earth.
This is the happy story of evangelization of many a
youth and how they become evangelizers and my own story staring from 1976.
As we reflect on Christ’s “mission of love and
service in
Why Focus on Youth
Young people exert a very important influence in
modern society. The circumstances of their life, their habits of thought, their
relations with their families, have been completely transformed…. The growth of
their social importance demands from them a corresponding apostolic activity;
and indeed their natural character inclines them in this direction (Vat II, Lay
People, 12).
· They are more than half of
the population in many Asian countries
· The most generous time and
so targeted by all. ‘If they are with us we are powerful’
· If approached well, the best
time in life for moulding, for good or
for bad
· Best agents of change. They
hold the key to the lifestyle of the world
· Posses a spontaneous zeal
for the values like love, unity, peace and justice
· They are the ‘real today’
and the ‘tomorrow’. Our future leaders, political and religious, priests and
laity, are all there among them.
The World of Young people
Today the Church needs to search for and rediscover
the world of young people, afresh. It is indeed a fast changing world and hence
continuous effort for greater understanding will keep the Church young and
relevant:
The Church lives and fulfills her mission in the
actual circumstances of time and place. A critical awareness of the diverse and
complex realities of
Are the youth in
· They are immersed in TODAY:
They live in a practical world of life and its problems, work and world’s
difficulties. Many of them are in the grip of the mesmerizing world of the
media and technologies.
· Intense experience: Whether
it be sadness of joy, love or hatred, they are deeply affected by it, very often
vacillating from one to the other.
· The world of friendship is
everything for them.
· They are still trying to
make head and tail out of a complex, multi-level world and sometimes very
confused.
· This is a time of never
ending newness and learning, about themselves and the world around.
The Church is called to go near this complex reality
and share Jesus with them. If we have no time and energy there are others ready
to invest all their energy for them.
The Church in Dialogue with “Today”
The Church has much to give and
receive from youth. A conscious effort to walk with youth and dialogue with
this difficult reality will surely transform the heart and face of the Church.
This, I believe, could be one of the reasons why the leadership of the
universal church has given the pride of the place in its calendar of events to
youth gathering, as was specially manifested in Jubilee 2000.
Making the Church and its
institutions more youth-friendly will definitely put them more in touch with
the signs of the times and hence ready for dialogue with the diverse cultures
and pressing issues around. Furthermore, if there is a clear focus and
preparedness at different levels of the Church for the Church for imparting
missionary formation to youth, the Church as a whole will come alive with
greater fervour and spontaneity.
Where are these Young People?
Meeting young men and women,
individually and in group and being present to them marks the beginning of an
urgent mission of the Church today. But where can we find them, so that we can
talk to them of Jesus and they in turn will talk to their friends?
Ø In
our villages and cities – perhaps a parish setting is an easier way to reach
them
Ø Education
– school and campus ministries are very effective tools here
Ø Professionals/workers
– peer-group evangelism is the need of the hour
Ø Leadership
circles/political, social – relating to them at this level is highly fruitful
Ø Migrants/in
hostels – Their need to belong is best met by friends in Christ
Ø The
under privileged, tribals – They are waiting for the caring touch of Jesus
Meeting them where they are, using
their “language” and responding to their aspirations will help them come to
Jesus and begin a new life with him.
Concerning our approach to youth
there are a couple of fallacies or at least half-truths quite prevalent among
the church leadership.
v Youth
are unspiritual: They like only games and fun. They are driven by media,
entertainment and pleasure seeking. The only way to get them and keep them with
us is to have competitions and fun sessions
v Youth
can never be disciplined, steady and dependable. They are out to disrupt any
system that is there
The saddest thing is that these
statements are partly true for youth in general, but at the same time
unbelievably false when we get close to them. Youth is a complex reality, not
only for the elders but even for youth themselves. From far away they are the
troublemakers, but get near them and share Christ with them and they become the
most lovable and noble friends.
Youth-mission Technology: Forming Youth as Missionaries
A young person charged with zeal
for sharing Christ is the most potent realty for the
Youth are the best people to catch
other youth for Jesus. Youth, perhaps, enjoy certain advantages when they go
out to share Jesus:
·
They are practical, not flooded by theory –
easily motivated and effective
·
Jesus, for them, is often a personal hero and it
makes all the difference
·
Relationships are at the center of their lives.
It is the same with evangelization. They spontaneously build communities.
·
“Their freshness and enthusiasm, their spirit of
solidarity and hope” (EA 47) transforms all that they do, even the everyday
church life.
·
For a young missionary creativity is at its
height and restless about what is dry and boring. This can be powerful in the
hands of the Holy Spirit.
·
They are an integral part of the multiethnic
background of
7 Steps in Youth Guidance
We have to have a plan of leading
youth out there from being ordinary troubled youth to missionaries leading
others to Christ in their life situations. How do we go about?
1. LOVE
YOUTH: Know them, pray for them; attract and challenge.
2. WALK
WITH THEM: Be positive, help them to have a fresh outlook, use their language
and relevant dynamics.
3. INTRODUCE
JESUS: Be their models to walk with Jesus; bring them to an experiential
knowledge of Jesus.
4. HELP
THEM IN SELF-DISCOVERY: They are individuals in need of growth, unique persons.
Give confidence; encourage initiative.
5. HELP
THEM TO BE PART OF A NEW MOVE: Give them new friends, a new culture, a movement
to which they belong. Introduce them to cells, net-working.
6. GIVE
THEM A
7. SUPPORT
THEIR QUEST FOR A NEW SPIRITUALIY: Help them discover relevant expressions of
their faith drawing from the riches of the Church.
Need for effective Mission Formation
“If young people are to be
effective agents of mission, the Church needs to offer them suitable pastoral
care” (EA 47). “It is the task of the Pastors to ensure that the laity are
formed as evangelizers able to face the challenges of the contemporary world,
not just with worldly wisdom and efficiency, but with hearts renewed and
strengthened by he truth of Christ” (EA 45). What the Holy Father speaks of as
the ingredients of mission formation for lay people in general (EA 45) is
relevant for the youth as well:
1. Clarity
of Vision: Once they meet Christ in their lives youth are filled with an
eagerness to share this reality of great joy with their friends, celebrate it
in a group setting, and share it with others. But they should be helped by
mature Christians to have a conviction of their vocation to share Christ. This
vocation “sets them firmly in the world to perform the most varied tasks, and
it is here that they are called to spread the Gospel of Jesus”.
2. Encouragement
and support: “In many Asian countries, lay people are already serving true
missionaries”. The Church in general can draw much inspiration from this silent
work of the Spirit. The best encouragement for those who are already involved in the missionary work
is to extend the Church’s affirmation, especially by bringing them together to
listen to their missionary efforts and wherever needed offer guidance.
3. Evolving
formation strategies, dynamics and materials: In order to ensure effective
mission formation for youth,
4. Establishment
of centers of formation: The Pope also speaks of diocesan and national centers
of missionary formation for lay people. More than just buildings of formation,
there has to be coming together of people of evangelistic fervor searching for
ways to multiply effective evangelizers.
All these efforts of youth
missionary formation should never lose sight of the real life needs of youth.
These training steps should “help young people to cope better with social
pressure by offering them not only a
more mature growth in the Christian life but also help in the formation
of career guidance, vocation training and youth counseling (EA 47).
Conclusion
We have a Pope who has learned the
secret of filling youth with missionary zeal. May his words and actions find an
echo in us: “The many complex problems which young people now face in the
changing world of
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