FACES OF THE MISSION
This photo collage is a representation of the body of Christ. We are all called to take part in the mission of the Church, and to be partners in evangelization. We are from different cultures and traditions, and so, invited to respect our diversity; and to be in conversation with the least and the lost. To do mission and to work in evangelization is our responsibility as a Church; therefore, we create an atmosphere of welcome for these people. In this way, we will see a flourishing of the faithful in our churches.
YOUTH VOICES • MISSION
Journeying to the Heart
BY Jill Williams | Candidate Landscape Architect, Pretoria
ONE QUESTION that is frequently asked concerning the Youth is “why do they leave the Church?” Many theories have been developed over the years to address this recurring subject. These range anywhere from the Church being too boring, to the music not being vibrant enough, to the sermons being too long. I have heard it all and in reality, even with all these complaints being addressed, it probably won’t resolve the matter. The vibrancy of the music or the theatrics in the sermon run the risk of becoming the focus instead of the Eucharist, and although captivated at first, the Youth still turn away and seek fulfilment elsewhere. The despondency felt by some of the Youth in our church community must be countered in order for the Church to experience the benefits of their fire and energy within the Body of Christ. The real question is, what are the Youth moving towards?
We are Mission
Missionary work is usually something one would associate with ‘holy’ people, who are bold and brave enough to spread the Gospel to the remotest places and to people who have probably never even encountered foreigners in their community. That is only the half of it. ‘We are Mission’ was the theme of a Young Adult’s retreat I went to once. Our parish priest helped us understand that Mission is not something outside of ourselves, but rather who and what we are. We are the hands that extend to the needy and the arms that enfold the hopeless. Each day in our lives is another day in the Mission field—a brand new day of adventure—filled with opportunities to be the light to those in darkness and the fire to those who need the warmth of God’s love.
Christus Vivit, the letter that Pope Francis (2019) wrote to the Youth states that “Even those who are most frail, limited and troubled can be missionaries in their own way, for goodness can always be shared, even if it exists alongside many limitations.”
We are all made with deep desires in our hearts given by God, particularly to experience and extend that goodness to others; the desire to be loved, to be part of something greater than ourselves, to belong. This can be seen as an invisible compass that helps steer our thoughts and actions. External influences, such as the words and actions of people around us, can certainly play a major role in how we choose to meet those desires, making that compass spin in all directions and causing confusion.
St Alphonsus Ligouri. Credit: Jeff Jacobs/Pixabay.
The reality is that oftentimes, we, the youth, are on a different kind of mission. The commercial entertainment industry, for one, earns billions from music, art, visual and printed media productions and merchandise sales. Every word, still and musical note directs us to a journey of self-discovery for some, and self-destruction for others. The entertainment industry has found ways to evangelise and spread their own gospel of fame, money and power. Little children are impacted by this as young parents encourage even little toddlers to be actively involved in social media.
‘Follow your heart’ is the common word of advice we hear on TV and this mission of self may be causing many to turn from taking up their crosses and following Jesus (Bloom 2015). This gospel takes us further away from the desires God had placed in us. Instead of taking the time to understand our calling, we follow the call of another kind or attempt to follow our calling on our own terms. Sometimes we are blinded by the filters and photo-shopped bliss of the people we follow on Instagram and TikTok, but forget that they too are just people that need direction, that are in their own way following a certain ideal, standard or person. We tend to gravitate toward this projected lifestyle of luxury and ease—the ‘soft life’—and tend to forget that nothing in life is free.
Lions and lambs
I was recently honoured to be part of a confirmation presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Peter Wells. One of the things he relayed to the congregation was the importance of forgiveness and confession, and quoted a certain confessor, who said that priests are to be like roaring lions in the pulpit, and like lambs in the confessional. This will probably never escape my memory. One would think that the most difficult part of being a priest or any member of the clergy, would be to stand in front of many people and proclaim the Gospel. This seems to be the lighter side of the cross of the clergy.
What great humility must be needed to hold one’s internal tongue of judgement in the confessional! I can only imagine all the terrible, tragic, dark confessions made; and all the grace bursting at the seams of those confessionals, permeating the hearts of those willing to receive it. The priest becomes the mouthpiece for God; the channel from which the Holy Spirit flows, the healer, restorer and comforter. Through this process, the unknown parts of the heart of the faithful is pursued, searched and restored to wholeness. In this process, the lies and confusion are stripped away and one’s perspective changes—there is clarity and one can once again see which way True North is, which path is meant for one.
Endless possibilities
As with all great adventures, protagonists are usually faced with a similar challenge as are many youths today: a desire for more amidst the unfairness, blandness or rigidity of their current circumstances. This starts with a prompt—some event or situation—that begs of the protagonist to make a decision to either attempt to achieve the impossible, or stay in the security of their comfort zone. These prompts can come from both a negative or positive influence. I believe the call to be Mission begins with little prompts or invitations from the Father that leads to larger leaps of faith. Every little step in this journey is a step away from home, towards the vast unknown; the place of abundant possibilities for both good and evil. Dr Myles Monroe (1991) relays how taking the path you have been designed for is something that very few of us actually have the courage to undertake:
“Though it may surprise you, the richest deposits on our planet lie just a few blocks from your house. They rest in your local cemetery or graveyard. Buried beneath the soil within the walls of those sacred grounds are dreams that never came to pass… Our graveyards are filled with a potential that remained a potential. What a tragedy!”
Although we may have disqualified ourselves from this adventure through our past words and actions, or even the lack of desire for it, we always have the opportunity to get aligned with God’s plan. The very heart of man is what God is after as he told the prophet Samuel when discerning who would become king of Israel: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16: 7)
There is also a lesson to be learnt from the World Youth Day experience. This pilgrimage is no small feat. The monetary cost, time and planning that goes into, not only running this event, but attending it, goes far beyond what many are willing to offer. Yet, according to some who have taken this journey, the experience of it is invaluable (Barron 2011). There is something almost magical about scores of youths united for a common cause; working, singing, walking and praying together. This uncommon coming together of the faithful dumbfounds the media at times (Barron 2011), and is nonsense to the man on the street. What a sight it must be: a crowd of adventurers coming together to open themselves up to the possibility of more; to receive fresh fire and perspective for their own journeys.
Young people are always in search of an adventure and once they have decided to taste the one predestined for them by the Father, they will never turn back. The answer to the heart turned from God is to re-introduce it to the Father’s love through one’s own Mission. God is after our hearts and in our missionary journey, we can have and display that same yearning for his Heart through our daily walk with Him.
CELEBRATING LIFE THROUGH RESONANCE WITH MUSIC
OVER THE centuries, entertainment has taken many different forms from one civilisation to the next. The ancient Egyptians used to juggle, have pageants, hunt and fish. The Romans watched chariot races, combat between gladiators, or lions (or both). Wrestling and combat games also featured strongly in many cultures, including the Greek and Nguni nations. Many forms of entertainment have fallen away. Some have been revived, such as camel jumping in Yemen. Others only started being popular recently, like binge-watching of TV series. One form of entertainment, however, that has stood the test of time, is playing and listening to music. As Shakespeare said in the opening line of his comic play, Twelfth Night; “If music be the sound of love, play on!”