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.

Standing on the Precipice

I stood on the precipice, looking down. From where I stood, the valley looked beautiful. I kept staring at it, yearning to jump off the cliff and into the beautiful valley. The urge was strong. I told myself that it was completely safe, that I would not die if I jumped off the cliff. I told myself that I would float peacefully down into the valley, and once there I would enjoy the rich and fragrant beauty that would surround me.

The temptation to jump was so strong. It was overpowering me. I felt such an urge to jump off the cliff and into the beautiful valley that I lifted a foot and held it out over the edge of the cliff as though about to step off the edge. I wanted to do it. I wanted to feel myself float peacefully down into the valley. I wanted to lay in the lush grass, smell the beautiful flowers, and listen to the songs of the birds. I wanted to be absorbed into the lush and breathtaking beauty that awaited me below.

But I stopped myself. I placed my foot firmly back on the ground, and I closed my eyes. I stood there with my eyes closed for what seemed an eternity, although in reality it couldn't have been more than a few moments. I thought about what I was about to do. I had an internal battle with myself:

"Jump off the cliff? You've got to be crazy! I don't care what's down there. The fall is going to kill you!"

"No it won't, you idiot! You surely will not die. Look at the beauty down there. You will forever be happy if you go. Do it! You won't regret it!"

I can't, it's too dangerous!"

No it's not! It's what you've always wanted. Look! Open your eyes and look! It's beautiful!"

"I....can't.....I.....won't......I WON'T!"

And with that, I opened my eyes and looked over the precipice again. The valley had changed.  It was no longer a sunlit, fragrant, beautiful scene. It had turned dark and dreary. The grass, the flowers, the trees had been replaced with jagged rocks and barren wasteland. The songbirds with their beautiful melodies had been replaced with the loud screeching caw of vultures, hungry for flesh. My eyes were opened. I saw the truth.

I turned away from the precipice and saw that the beautiful valley I had sought off the edge of the cliff was all around me. I didn't need to go anywhere or do anything to smell the beautiful fragrances and lay in the lush field. I didn't need to jump off a cliff to hear the beautiful songbirds or feel the warmth of the sun. I just needed to open my eyes and see the Truth.

How often are we tempted with the things of this world--greed, power, prestige, money, sex, possessions? They come across to us initially as something beautiful, something to be desired and yearned for. Yet, when we close our eyes and reflect on these things, our eyes are opened to a different picture. There is no lasting beauty, peace, or happiness in seeking out the things of this world. Sex won't bring us love. Money and prestige won't bring us acceptance. Power and possessions won't bring us happiness. They lead us to a barren wasteland and, ultimately, death.

Yet, if we turn around, and open our eyes to the Truth, we will find that all the beauty, all of the splendor that we are seeking is right there, surrounding us. God's Love is everywhere. God's Truth is all around us. We just need to open our eyes and see.