Nothing???!!!
By Steven Polley
Director of Youth Ministry and Religious Education
This past weekend I was attending a TEC, Training the Trainer Workshop in Kansas City and I had the opportunity to have lunch with Archbishop Roger Schweitz from Anchorage, Alaska, along with several other people involved in the TEC movement. Part of our discussion centered on Adult Faith Formation and what we were doing. Of course I was able to share about our Catechist Formation and Pastoral Ministry programs offered over our ITV network, and I did share briefly about this column that I write for each issue of the SKR.
As I reflected on this, it led me back to the roots of why I began writing this column in the first place. My objective from the beginning was to give a better sense of youth ministry and hopefully draw more adults and parents into the ministry of working with our young people. I believe to some extent I have accomplished this goal, as I know more people are better informed of the overall ministry to youth, but I question if my writing of this column has gotten more people involved in this ministry. My purpose remains the same, to continue informing and inviting everyone to give more to our youth through your ministry with them.
Why would I remain so focused on this? In the movie, "Pay It Forward," the teacher asks the class, "What does the world expect of you?" One student thinks about this for a moment and then responds, "nothing." The teacher agrees with him, but then he challenges the class to make a difference; he motivates them to bring to the world not an expectation of nothing, but to truly make a difference.
For this liturgical year, we are focusing on the Gospel of Matthew. We will hear and reflect on the many parables that Jesus used. Think for a moment on one of Jesus’ parables, "The Parable of the Sower" Mt. 13: 1 – 9. Here are verses 8 – 9: "Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!" The word of God has been planted in us, and it continues to bear wonderful fruit. We too are helping plant the word of God in our young people. We are helping them produce abundantly, as well.
If you notice, at no point in time did Jesus teach the parable of "Nothing." His word sent the apostles forth to teach, and we too are called to go forth, spreading the good news and being Christ’s witness to others. Just as in "Pay it Forward," great things are expected of us and of our young people. Doing nothing is not part of Christ’s message.
I invite you to take some time over the next several weeks and ponder this. How can we better walk this journey of faith with our young people? The students in the movie responded with a big "yes." I invite you too to respond with a bigger yes. This will mean a sacrifice, but I can promise you that the sacrifice is well worth it.
Over the next several months we have several gatherings with our youth. I invite you to help with one or more of these gatherings. On Feb. 19-20 we have a JOY (Jesus, Others, You) retreat scheduled for our freshmen and sophomores. Would you like to help with this retreat? March 19-21 is our next TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend for our juniors and seniors. Would you like to participate in this experience? April 2-3 is our annual high school youth rally. How about serving as a chaperone for this wonderful gathering of our young people? And finally, June 6-9 and June 27-30 are the weeks for our summer camps. Have you ever considered serving as a camp counselor for a camp?
Each event has its own beautiful rewards. If you are interested in any of these things or would like more information, do not hesitate to contact me or check out the diocesan web-site. Thank you very much for responding and being present to our young people in this way.