Give yourself away
By Steven Polley
Director, Offices of Youth Ministry and Religious Education
As I write this, I am still basking in the glow of another wonderful and very successful TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) weekend. Nineteen team members came together with 16 young people and three adults, and together with Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, every person moved to a deeper relationship with Christ, through this encounter with him.
Throughout any given TEC weekend, there are 11 different meditations given by different youth and adults. During one of these meditations, this short comment was made, which registered with me regarding the youth of our diocese: "Unless you give yourself away, you cannot discover who you are."
To me this quote speaks volumes as I think of our young people. All too often we hear them say that they are bored, that they do not have anything to do. They find themselves constantly communicating with someone else by cell phone or on the Internet. To some extent, I wonder if they are searching for something — if they are searching to find an identity. Or, how often do we hear of young people who need some type of antidepressant? Now, I don’t want to sound like I am talking about all youth, but it does seem that in today’s society many of our young people deal with these things.
Through TEC, we focus on the Paschal Mystery. Much of this involves learning to die a little more to self for the sake of others. As our young people experience TEC, they quickly learn what it means to do this. They focus on the Gospel of John 12: 24, "If a grain of wheat falls…" They find that if we die to self for the sake of others, then we can encounter our risen Lord in a new and special way.
If this is the case for TEC, then shouldn’t we find ourselves focusing more on this scripture in our own lives, and through this help our young people learn what it means to die to self? I wonder if more of our youth could learn this earlier in their lives — if they could learn what it means to give themselves away — could they find themselves happier and healthier?
In every phase of youth ministry, we lead our young people to this understanding. Whether it be a youth rally, camp, retreat, or a national event, the young people who participate in these things become stronger individuals. Simply put, the love relationship that develops with Christ helps them grow into more mature and responsible adults.
Youth ministry changes lives forever. This last TEC is a perfect example of this. In some way each life has been changed for the better, because 38 individuals chose to encounter Christ. How then, can we in our daily lives help all youth encounter Christ, and through this encounter, how can we help them become more like Christ learning to give themselves away?
(Look for part two of this column in the next issue.)