Towards a Renewed Christ-Encounter in the Formation of Young People
Make a Mess, but also help to arrange and organize the mess that’s been made
Make a mess and organize it well. A mess that gives a free heart, a mess that gives us solidarity, a mess that gives us hope, a mess that lets us meet Jesus and know God, who I know is very strong. This is the mess you must make. (1)
Every person is a living temple of God. We meet God in our encounter with others.(2) How do we meet God in the other, or how does God make possible this intimate encounter with him through the other? It is in Jesus Christ, that God made this perfect encounter possible. Through, the incarnation of Jesus, God entered the human history, nearer than ever, perfect as ever, most importantly fully human, and divine. In him, we are brought into a complete communion with God the Father. “History then,” Gutierrez tells us, “is the location of our encounter with God, in Christ.”(3) Christ himself is the Encounter. It is through journeying with Him along with others that we meet Him.
The story of Emmaus is one of the most beautiful stories of an encounter with the Lord. After the death of Jesus, two of his disciples were on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were in despair and had literally given up on everything. “They were scandalized by the failure of the Messiah in whom they had hoped and who now appeared utterly vanquished and humiliated.”(4) But along the journey, Jesus joined them. And their encounter with the risen Lord turned them around and opened their hearts and minds. They were invited to deepen their faith in the Lord which gave them a new horizon and a decisive direction.(5) This powerful encounter with the Lord changed their lives. They went back to Jerusalem to begin life anew; and to continue the path of service trod by Christ himself. The story shows us how the encounter with Christ transformed the lives of the disciples and gave them a new mission.
In my exposure with the youth, I have realized that young people are seeking an encounter with the Lord. They want to meet Jesus in and through concrete situations in their lives. Once after an outreach to a home for the elderly, a youth shared her personal experience. “Why do we see beauty in an old tree but see nothing in an old person? Why exactly are they in an elder’s home? Why are they abandoned? I really don’t know and I don’t think it matters either. I saw old ladies with young hearts. Helping them was a wonderful experience and I felt happy and blessed by it. It was an experience of the presence of God.” The lives of the elderly people revealed to her the beauty of life despite the desperation and loneliness concealed behind the faces of the aged. Christ is encountered through the lives of the aged.
“Go and make a mess,” says Pope Francis to young people. He says, make a mess, and organize it well. A Mess that transforms the world. A mess that gives a free heart, a mess that gives us solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, a mess that gives hope amidst hopelessness. Most importantly, a mess that lets us meet Jesus. This mess is brought about by an authentic encounter with the Lord alone. In fact, the mess; the locus of human experience becomes a place of an encounter with the Lord.
The task of the Church “is not to point to itself or explain itself, but to reach beyond itself into the world. It does this by reaching into and drawing out the sacred in the depths in people’s lives.”(6) The poor, the needy and the strangers bring us closer to God. Pope Francis says,
I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ.(7)
The Pope invites young people to go beyond being mere ‘spectators’ to become ‘real actors of this world’; to be protagonists of contemporary events. He places a great responsibility on the Church to form young people to become active agents of evangelization in the present. It is both an essential and challenging task of Catholicism today.(8)
Young People need an encounter with Christ. The world is undergoing rapid change. Most of our young people are caught up in the fast-paced realities around them. They are overwhelmed by the opportunities at their door-step. They have become suspicious of religious truths, and especially suspicious of religious authority. “Therefore, to survive these new conditions, religion must become prophetic and use its prophetic resources of imagination.”(9) This is a time to listen attentively and to be active. It is not simply listening, but to listen beyond the words; to listen to what has not been said.
It is my belief that a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ – who is the way, the truth, and the life – will transform young people. This encounter helps young people to discover the true meaning of their life, their role in the Church and their responsibility to take part in the mission of God. It will inspire them to go out to the wounded world to spread God’s mercy and compassion.
These were my final words to young people at St. Theresa’s at the end of my mission exposure program. “Certainly, my journey with you all has been full of surprises and wonders. You always have inspired and challenged me. The journey has never been an easy one, but I have always treasured the presence of you all in my life. In my brief stay, I have walked along with you through different experiences of serving others and celebrating our unity and friendship. I hope this journey has led you to an encounter with Christ. If you have not encountered Him, don’t be discouraged or disheartened. Neither have I known Him fully. The journey has not ended and it continues. You are not alone for Christ is journeying with you all…”
The true knowledge of God consisted in a personal, profound experience of Jesus Christ and of his love. And, dear brothers and sisters, this is true for every Christian: faith is first and foremost a personal, intimate encounter with Jesus, it is having an experience of his closeness, his friendship and his love. It is in this way that we learn to know him ever better, to love him and to follow him more and more. May this happen to each one of us!(10)
1 Francis, I, “Shake up the Church and Make a Mess” – Speech at the World Youth Day – Brazil, July 2013. Inquirer. Net, 2013. Accessed May 29, 2017 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/453569/rebel-pope-urges-youth-to-make-a-mess-in-dioceses.
2 Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Salvation, trans. Caridad Inda and John Eagleson (NY: Orbis Books, 1973), 111.
3 Ibid.
4 Pope Francis, Homily: On the occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day, Vatican Website, July 2013. Accessed 1st August, 2017 from https://w2.vatican.va /content/ francesco/en/ speeches/2013/ july/Documents /papa francesco_ 20130727_gmg-episcopato-brasile.pdf.
5 Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (Encyclical on Christian Love), No. 1, Vatican Website, 2005. Accessed May 29,2017 from http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals /documents/hf _ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html.
6 David Tracy, “What is religion for?” in Ross Langmead, ed., Reimagining God And Mission (Adelaide: ATF Press, 2007), 47.
7 Francis, I, Evangelii Gaudium (Apostolic Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel), No. 49 Vatican Website, 2013. Accessed 26th June, 2017 from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_ exhortations/ documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html.
8 Ref. Kevin Ahren, “Youth Movement in a Global Church,” Concilium, February, 2013, 28.
9 Cf. Stephen Bevans, “Reimagining God and Mission” in Ross Langmead, ed., Reimagining God and Mission (Adelaide: ATF Press, 2007), 54.
9 Cf. Stephen Bevans, “Reimagining God and Mission” in Ross Langmead, ed., Reimagining God and Mission (Adelaide: ATF Press, 2007), 54.
10 Benedict XVI, “Homily to the General Audience,” Vatican Website, 2009. Accessed 25th August 2017 from https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en audiences/2009/documents/ /hf_ ben-xvi _ aud _ 20 091 021.html.
