Ms. Amala Treesa

The experience of the joy of the gospel, is not reserved to a specific creed of the church, but to all men and women under the sky! Emphasizing this aspect, our beloved Pope is in his desperate attempts to embrace the lost and the forgotten, the real good shepherd in action in his own revolutionized strategies. In this regard, the youth deserves special attention, the little lamb which seems to drift apart attracted to the new green pastures of the modern days. It’s no surprise that, many young people are restless and are unsecured in searching the meaning of their life, defining their identity and justifying all their pain and sufferings. It is in these moments of crisis that their light of faith should lead them to weigh and prioritize their life decisions to lead themselves and their fellow beings to the fullness of joy.

Despite all the fear driven tales about our youth, not all young person is walking out of the church the moment they finish their high school or catechism. The young adults who drop out of church often lack a first-hand faith; a faith of their own and a relationship with Jesus that matters their personal life apart from what they have heard from their parents, church and the society. Therefore the need of the hour is to make them experience Christ and His Gospel and eventually develop a spiritual bond with Christ in their own unique way which evolves through the process of experiencing Christ. Not forgetting the fact that youth tends to be a rebel, let us not make futile attempts to build a fear in them in the first place, by making the sacraments and liturgy a mandatory way of life. Rather than that let us guide them to the inner pleasure that it offers so that they themselves will walk into these without any guidance. Let us redefine our practices and update and upgrade it in a way that it fits to the needs of the youth and will serve the goal to weave them back into the church.

Let us not compel, let us guide them with compassion without any prejudice to the experience of the love of Christ. Let us give them the attention and respect they aspire and be welcoming to the changes and constructive suggestions they offer. Let them read the Gospels in the light of their joy of feeding the poor and embracing nature. Let us call youth in the way Christ would have called them. Let us not forget that, that we are followers of that young man who dined with the sinners and who washed the foot of His disciples. Let us be humble enough to walk towards them, empathize, influence and retain the new generation who are supposed to carry the love of Christ to the generations ahead. Let our efforts be directed to raise young people who are committed to Christ, committed to church and have the Christian leadership experience to make a difference.