The Young Church

During these past two weeks, I've been with high-school aged youth from throughout the Diocese of Scranton at several key youth retreats and rallies. It was truly a gift for me to experience the young Church in action!

At the four-day International Student Leadership Institute (ISLI), nearly seventy students were led by their peers in exploring qualities like self-awareness, values, and positive-thinking, all within a faith-based setting. During the three days of Quo Vadis, forty young men open to the life of Christian discipleship gathered to discern which vocational path God had placed in their hearts. These days also included basketball, manhunt, capture the flag, and pizza! Finally, Light the Fire Youth Rally celebrated its 10th anniversary. This day-long event gathered 400+ high-school aged students for inspiring talks and workshops, upbeat praise and worship music, food (of course!), the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, and a concluding mass with the bishop.

Light the Fire Youth Rally, 2016

The enthusiasm and energy of the youth, (while sometimes draining for this introvert), is a powerful witness of their faith. Their lives of faith are a testimony of the newness and freshness that the Holy Spirit always gifts to the Church! From my time with these joy-filled young people, I have learned three significant lessons about their faith and indeed, my own:

(1) The youth are not the future of the Church; they are the Church now! The young Church is bringing the mission of mercy, love, and peace of Jesus Christ to the world in ways that are new and creative. Our homes, schools, parishes, and society are in desperate need of the Good News. Who better to bring the Gospel than those young men and women who are on fire with their Catholic-Christian faith?

(2) The youth want their voices to be heard. Our youth have many questions and just as many insights. We need to be receptive to the creative energy and ideas of the youth. We must provide a listening ear for our young Church, to hear their hopes, their joys, and their struggles. In turn, our example of listening may help the young Church to develop as a people who can graciously listen to others.

(3) The youth hunger for the transcendent. I noticed during these various retreats and rallies that the young Church, while able to have fun and make a lot of noise, also longs for moments of sacred stillness. The silence during Eucharistic Adoration, the quiet lines of youth waiting to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the ability to ask authentic questions from the heart all reveal a longing for communion with God. The faith of the young Church is not superficial!

Discussion held by one of the small groups at Quo Vadis Days

The young Church continues to inspire me with their love and enthusiasm. I am also challenged to be more authentic, more vulnerable, and perhaps include a little holy recklessness, in my journey of faith. I look forward to more opportunities to be with the young Church, to be with those who serve as salt and light for a world desperately in need of Christ.