May 24, 2022

The Young

As I look around the world I see so many young people being drawn away from Christ. Frequently the media is used as a tool to change public opinion, especially the opinion of the young, on moral issues and often the media gives the immoral a platform to air their views in the name of free speech, sometimes saying that everyone has a right to be heard, yet they often silence christians. The more attention the supporters of wrong obtain the more they seek, for they know if the people’s attention is kept on wrong and when the people are constantly being told wrong is right some will come to believe this. Also in some countries the education systems have been infiltrated by those who have no faith or have a different agenda who want to get the young to stop believing in God. There is a massive attack by evil on society and especially on the young for they are the future. Evil wants a future without God.

Some political and economic unions that countries join for better standards of living or for security force change upon nations and upon the young by taking God out of society. Demanding no or little mention of God in society. Demanding humanist ways are forced upon people. Even at times making laws to force the acceptance of sin. The values of christianity are mocked as being out of date and not for these modern times. If you believe in God you are to be felt sorry for as you have been brainwashed or you are not clever enough to know better. If you oppose the modern way of life where immorality is the norm, where nature itself is denied and false truths replace what is the physical truth of man and nature, where anything goes, where life is of little value, then you are to be pitied at best or to be imprisoned at worst. No wonder many turn from the faith because they do not want to be seen as different. They want to fit in with every one else and not be scorned or ridiculed.

To overcome this we should not get angry with the young. It is not their fault that so much has confused them. There is a constant bombardment aimed at them to get them to reject God and embrace evil. We should not try to force the young to change because force does not work. We need to use the power of God’s love to change people. If we can be the gentle loving people God wants us to be, if we can love all as Christ loves, then we can start to bring the young back to church. If we share with them the love we feel for God and how in our faith that love finds fullness. Share with them the joy we feel in loving God through our faith. Then that will touch some and bring them back. If we listen to what they have to say and not just keep telling then what we want them to do then we can find out why they do not come to church. Once we know that then in prayer we should ask God to give us the wisdom and words to respond to them. So many of the young do not know what it is to be truly loved. So many feel insecure in themselves and in the world. So many feel lonely or unwanted or unloved. There are these hidden feelings inside many and often it is these that take them from the church as they seek the answers elsewhere. If we listen to what they say and try to understand and not condemn, even when they may have done bad things, and respond to them with the love of Christ. Explaining that it is in The Lord, Jesus, all the answers will be found. That He loves them just as they are. He always wants them and He is always with them watching over them because He cares for them.That we also love them and care for them. If we keep encouraging the young to think deeply about what is happening in their lives and to see Jesus in their lives then we can find success. If we can show them that like us they can find security in life in God.

All this is possible if we remember to first ask God for the grace to be able to speak to the young in the right way and to respect them regardless of how they respond to us. We should also be lifting them up to The Lord in the holy mass.

It happens that some of the faithful are frightened or nervous to reach out to the young for fear of being abused, made fun of or rejected. We should not let this stop us from doing so. The faithful should remember that Our Lord, Jesus, was mocked, abused and rejected but that by persevering in love He was victorious. So it will be for us if we go out unafraid and with love open our hearts to the young then we will be victorious too.

God bless,

Alan Ames