From the very beginning of this blog, I want to make it clear that I do not believe that all programs are bad or ineffective. What I hope to accomplish is to encourage critical thinking about our efforts to create disciples of Jesus Christ. As the youth of 15-20 years ago are now the parents of our current youth, we are now bearing the fruits of our labors.
Many parents see the Church’s rules and regulations for receiving the sacraments as unrealistic and infringing on their families’ goals for attaining happiness. Of those parents who still feel it is of some importance to have their kids receive their sacraments, only a small percentage see their real importance. The rest, it appears, are doing so because they believe this is what “good Catholic parents” are supposed to do.
Does the Spirit want the Church to help make authentic disciples of Jesus?
Assuming the answer is an obvious “yes”, then we must move ahead and examine whether we are really accomplishing this task. When our teens are confirmed, are they really sincere followers of Christ? My experience has shown me that across the country most teens are still struggling to determine if Jesus is real, let alone being willing to become a disciple of His. If this is the case, then why are we still doing things the same way? The simple answer is that most parishes have no idea what else can and should be done.
This reality illustrates one clear reality that few are paying attention to. Those in leadership are not being guided by the Holy Spirit. In truth, they are simply following the program they inherited, working extremely hard, hoping for great success and settling for little success.
Then what can we do?
Something that is absolutely foreign to parish staff: seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Most staff have the mindset that they are hired to run a program, not to listen and follow the Spirit’s promptings. They depend on a program for instructions rather than their corporate discernment of the Spirit’s instructions.
If our own leadership is not following God, then what is the model they are presenting for the community? The common response that I hear in defense of this reality is that they don’t want to go through the effort (waste time) of “reinventing the wheel.” While there is some wisdom in this, their very effort in doing so is one of the critical things we NEED to be teach our members. How to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit. Rather than leading them to the Third Person of the Trinity, we are actually teaching them that His role in the life of the Church today is irrelevant.
I believe we need to turn to the Spirit and go through the difficult and painful death (as a disciple) of learning how to become His tool. We need to see His role as the Minister, and recognize that we are most effective when we allow the Spirit to work through us.
We could all benefit from working more closely with the Holy Spirit!!!
The assessment documented above has been my feeling these passed few years. My observation of those students passing through the confirmation has been few if not none are in touch with the Spirit at Confirmation. The education process is lead with few teachers focused on real results of spiritual growth, but on completing the education process. My feeling is Conformation is the sacrament of accepting the Holy Spirit, not the completion of one’s completion of the PROCESS.
Thank you so much for the message today. I will copy your message and give a copy to our Deacon. I personally because of you and your meeting at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary now pray the Rosary every day and curl up on the floor and beg the Lord as I look up at him on the cross and a picture of him to help me follow his will.
Preach it, BrotherRalph! May we walk humbly enough to be able to hear the voice of the Spirit teaching us what to do. And May we walk confident enough to obey it, even when we make mistakes!
YES YES YES!!!!!! I’ve been saying this for years. The answer is the Holy Spirit and to allow HIM to help us become courageous enough to talk to our kids about the Mystical side of our Perfect Catholic Faith. They need to learn about Angels and Demons and how they affect them and more importantly have adults that aren’t scandalized by the conversation. We have everything in our Church that we need but hardly anyone teaches the kids about this so they run to the Protestant church to ” feel” something. They say that they never had a relationship with Jesus being Catholic!! How sad and THIS is what is scandalous. They are recieving HIS body and blood and don’t feel they know Him.???? How and When did this happen? We have been keeping the truth of the spiritual world from them. The result is they find it somewhere else. Some even go to the Occult. GODS KINGDOM IS NOT BORING…IT’S AMAZING!!! Why are we afraid to teach about the Spiritual Warfare that is the Source of all worldly problems? We are leaving our children weaponless against Satan. This is what we MUST change.
Just speaking about about myself on the past 15 or 20 years of my life I believe in many cases I was being shown direction. Reluctantly I moved down a path mostly out of fear. It took me a while to understand, like maybe months, but after a while I felt like or at least I took it as the Holy Spirit was moving me. I would also like to say when I was most willing I was overcome with peace and serinity. I began to speak the language of the heart. Now with all that said many times I let my ego take over and the spirit leaves me.
Thank you, Joe