It has become the norm in certain quarters to lambaste youth. This somewhat nebulous section of society (when does one become a ‘youth’? When does one stop being a ‘youth’?) often finds itself being used as the scapegoat of society with a capital S. Youth often finds itself bearing the brunt of Society as it (Society, that is) baulks vainly against its ingrained ills. Youths are often accused of living licentious and apathetic lives; of harbouring the morals of alley cats.
While this may be true for a section of youths, perhaps even a large section of them, it by no means includes all youth. In fact, this sort of vague accusation is very unfair to a large section of our youth.
First of all, there are many youths who are active Catholics; they attend Mass regularly, if not daily; they are often to be found in prayer groups. Many of them take time out of their hectic lives to do good works, such as helping the sick, or the emarginated. These need to be acknowledged but they seldom are.
Secondly, regarding the passiveness and apathy of youth, I believe that we as a Catholic community are not doing now nor have we done nearly enough in the past to present youths and other people with the stark reality of the Risen Christ.
We have not made enough of an effort to make young people understand that there is a constant, ongoing war between good and evil and that there is no middle-of-the-road position one can assume in this confrontation - that you are either with Christ or against Him.
We have not made enough of an effort to help our youth realise that the war centres around saving or losing souls and that we, humanity, are in the cross-hairs of this war.
We are not making people aware that the perversities which dress themselves in the appealing clothes of secular political correctness are terrible and are undermining our communities and our souls; that they have substituted themselves for our religion and have taken on the trappings and importance of a new and secular religion. We are not making an effort to help people understand how far this evil has insinuated itself into our lives through the casual acceptance of such perversities as abortion or euthanasia. Our youths are being taught to accept as fact that in the UK, to say in public that to practice homosexuality is a sin or is immoral is punishable by jail.
No, instead they are being taught that one MUST be green and eco-friendly, but it is ok to have pre-marital sex and to abort any 'inconvenience' that arises from that. Young women are being 'empowered' to take complete control of their bodies and to abort with impunity, in the same way that we would take Vermox to get rid of parasitic worms. Young women are not being taught that, as the vessels through which God creates and brings new souls to this earth to be a part of His plan, they have an especial responsibility to nurture what grows inside them, rather than to kill it. When was the last time you heard young women being taught that their bodies are sacred? Or that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit?
I don't want to preach, but I feel very strongly about this - that we as members of the Catholic Church, priests and lay people alike, are not doing nearly enough. Those of us who have been given the grace of active faith; of embracing Jesus in their lives, have the moral responsibility of showing up the evil that is happening around us. We have the responsibility of speaking out loud against perversities that have become the accepted norm whenever the opportunity presents itself. The problem, I admit, is how to do this effectively and more importantly, how to do it without irritating and further repulsing those who would benefit from such knowledge. The best way of doing this is through teaching whenever the opportunity presents itself. That and of course, by example.
How tragic it is that evil effortlessly finds new ways to insinuate itself into and to unravel Catholic society and to sink us further and further into chaos, while when it comes to promulgating the Word and the true way we find it so difficult to come across effectively and without aggravating our (usually reluctant) listeners.
I just wanted to share these reflections with you.
While this may be true for a section of youths, perhaps even a large section of them, it by no means includes all youth. In fact, this sort of vague accusation is very unfair to a large section of our youth.
First of all, there are many youths who are active Catholics; they attend Mass regularly, if not daily; they are often to be found in prayer groups. Many of them take time out of their hectic lives to do good works, such as helping the sick, or the emarginated. These need to be acknowledged but they seldom are.
Secondly, regarding the passiveness and apathy of youth, I believe that we as a Catholic community are not doing now nor have we done nearly enough in the past to present youths and other people with the stark reality of the Risen Christ.
We have not made enough of an effort to make young people understand that there is a constant, ongoing war between good and evil and that there is no middle-of-the-road position one can assume in this confrontation - that you are either with Christ or against Him.
We have not made enough of an effort to help our youth realise that the war centres around saving or losing souls and that we, humanity, are in the cross-hairs of this war.
We are not making people aware that the perversities which dress themselves in the appealing clothes of secular political correctness are terrible and are undermining our communities and our souls; that they have substituted themselves for our religion and have taken on the trappings and importance of a new and secular religion. We are not making an effort to help people understand how far this evil has insinuated itself into our lives through the casual acceptance of such perversities as abortion or euthanasia. Our youths are being taught to accept as fact that in the UK, to say in public that to practice homosexuality is a sin or is immoral is punishable by jail.
No, instead they are being taught that one MUST be green and eco-friendly, but it is ok to have pre-marital sex and to abort any 'inconvenience' that arises from that. Young women are being 'empowered' to take complete control of their bodies and to abort with impunity, in the same way that we would take Vermox to get rid of parasitic worms. Young women are not being taught that, as the vessels through which God creates and brings new souls to this earth to be a part of His plan, they have an especial responsibility to nurture what grows inside them, rather than to kill it. When was the last time you heard young women being taught that their bodies are sacred? Or that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit?
I don't want to preach, but I feel very strongly about this - that we as members of the Catholic Church, priests and lay people alike, are not doing nearly enough. Those of us who have been given the grace of active faith; of embracing Jesus in their lives, have the moral responsibility of showing up the evil that is happening around us. We have the responsibility of speaking out loud against perversities that have become the accepted norm whenever the opportunity presents itself. The problem, I admit, is how to do this effectively and more importantly, how to do it without irritating and further repulsing those who would benefit from such knowledge. The best way of doing this is through teaching whenever the opportunity presents itself. That and of course, by example.
How tragic it is that evil effortlessly finds new ways to insinuate itself into and to unravel Catholic society and to sink us further and further into chaos, while when it comes to promulgating the Word and the true way we find it so difficult to come across effectively and without aggravating our (usually reluctant) listeners.
I just wanted to share these reflections with you.
