Commercials are everywhere: in print, on television, and the internet.
I especially detest any commercial in which a child is made to appear smarter or brighter than his or her parents or adults in general.
Well....
In March, 300 young people selected by their Bishops were asked to draft a working document which the Bishops will consult at the Synod on Youth in October.
Regarding the Synod, Pope Francis said he hoped the event would lead to “a church with a young face.”
On Palm Sunday, the draft document they prepared was presented to the Pope.
So what have young Catholics proposed for the benefit of the Bishops’ gathering?
Well, from what I have been able to gather in researching reports about the document, it appears that there is a prevailing attitude which strongly suggests that young people have a rather intense aversion to what the Church has consistently maintained is sacred, holy and Divine.
The writers reportedly state that young people “sometimes feel that the sacred appears to be something separated from our daily lives.”
Yet, this is precisely the meaning of the word “sacred”—that which is set apart and dedicated to the Divine Godhead.
But, in the document they presented to the Pope, these so-called youthful advisers appear to disparage sanctity itself. Their document states: “Sadly, not all of us believe sainthood is something achievable and that it is a path to happiness.”
Apparently, the youthful authors believe that “erroneous ideals of model Christians feel out of reach to the average person.”
What these youngsters want instead is “a confidant without judgement.” Erring people are to be held up as the real models of faith, as a life dedicated to the sacred and religious is something considered to be distant and cold.
Priesthood and religious life are likewise devalued: “While these are sacred calls that should be celebrated, the importance of other vocations, including “lay ministry,” marriage and family, need to be recognized as of equal dignity.”
So much then for the unique role of the Priest acting in persona Christi!
As one would expect in the moral temperament of the moment, the document asks the Church to open a discussion of homosexuality and gender, “which young people are already freely discussing without taboo.”
The youngsters also note that “there is often great disagreement among young people” about contraception, abortion, homosexuality, cohabitation, marriage, and the Priesthood. In consequence, “they may want the Church to change her teaching.”
And lastly (from my perspective), the document even manifests a strange prejudice against the consecrated space of the Sanctuary.
Its authors declare: “Above all, the place in which we wish to be met by the Church is the streets.” They further mention “bars,” “gyms,” “parks,” “coffee shops,” “stadiums,” “the workplace,” “prisons,” “orphanages,” “hospitals,” “rehabilitation centers,” “red-light districts,” “war-torn regions,” “marginal neighborhoods,” “rural areas”
Apparently the Church should be everywhere but in churches.
In a recent article I posted, I commented on Pope Francis’ recent remarks regarding the resurgence of two heretical trends of thought, Arianism and Gnosticism.
As I read this this pre-synodal document written by young people, it precisely mirrors the practical (if not formal) Arianism, a stress on the Church’s human dimension at the expense of the Divine, which the Pope decries is prevalent in the world today!
In its eagerness to embrace the world, the document laments that people perceive Christ “as distant from the human experience” and so in order to overcome this gap, the writers urges the Church to “understand more deeply the person of Christ, His life, and His humanity.”
Unfortunately, however, His divinity goes almost completely unnoticed and unmentioned.
I am always concerned when the Church feels it must consult any specific group before it is able to faithfully proclaim the truths and moral implications of the Gospel.
How easy it is to fall into the trap of preaching in a way that “tickles the ear” rather than pricks the conscience.
Do we need a Synod on Youth?
Not especially.
What we need is a resurgence of faith and a critical dialogue not with the world, but directly with Our Savior through personal prayer.
That should be the topic of the next Synod, and every other Synod thereafter.
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