Our Kids Are Hungry!

Our kids are hungry. I saw this first hand last week. I was conducting a high school youth group meeting using the Theology of the Body for Teens curriculum by Ascension Press when what I had originally planned was derailed. I decided to scrap my original plan of watching the video when I was hammered with question after question  from the teens. They were not disrespectful or argumentative in their questioning. They weren't even questioning my authority or the authority of the Church. They were lost and confused and in search of the truth. They were asking questions about love and sexuality. They also went beyond the topic of the night and asked questions about faith and morality in general. They are hungry for the truth.

We, as a Church, have failed our kids. We have failed to teach our children the truth. Some of us have kept our mouths shut because we don't want to push our beliefs on anyone. We are afraid to offend people.  We want our kids to "make their own decisions", yet we don't don't give them the opportunity to make a decision. We just allow our culture to make their decisions for them. Some of us are afraid to stand up for the truth. Some of us don't even understand the truth ourselves. Whatever the reason, we have created a generation of teens that are lost and confused, being sent mixed messages from our culture and, yes, from our Church.

This generation of teens is more lost and confused than any previous generation. Yet, I am hopeful. I am hopeful because they are questioning. I am hopeful because I do see a hunger in them for the Truth. We need to help them see the Truth. We need to know and understand the truth of our Catholic faith ourselves. We need to ask the same questions the teens are asking. We need to be as hungry as they are in finding the Truth.  And we need to stand up! We need to stand up for what we believe in. We should not be afraid to explain and defend our beliefs to anyone. We should not be afraid to offend people. We need to convey the message of our Church in a loving manner instead of being argumentative. The teens I spoke to last week weren't offended by the loving approach of my defense of the Church's teachings. Rather, I saw "light bulbs" of understanding light up in their eyes.  Many of them got it. They understood.

The Truth is there. It is in the Catholic Church. If you don't believe it, don't just sit there and criticize it. Seek out the Truth. You will find it. And when you do find it, share it. Share it with your family and friends. Most importantly, share it with your children, for they are hungry and they want you to feed them. Feed them with the Truth.