My college-aged kid is disillusioned and
turned-off by any discussion of faith, especially Catholicism; anything
smacking of God in anyway is met with a deep cynicism and disregard. I consider
spirituality a deep part of being human, so I find this troubling. Any
suggestions?
Yes, but I need to humbly admit that I’ve
been unsuccessful in actually achieving this “darn good suggestion” (if I may
say so myself) with many of my own family members! That’s one of the reasons Christian
community is so essential, right? My recommendation sounds like Charlie Brown’s
teacher to my kid, but a trusted church pal recommends the exact same thing and
my kid jumps at the idea! So, our work is to just keep loving and listening as
best we can (albeit sometimes through gritted teeth, shaking our fists at the
heavens) and trust that God will reach those we love, at the perfect time,
through avenues we may not be privy to.
NOW, back to my suggestion! And this
isn’t just for college kids. This is for ANYONE who is losing faith that
Christianity matters, that Jesus has the goods, or that love can and will change
things - and here is it: Get your hands on anything written or spoken by Fr.
Greg Boyle, S.J. - founder of Homeboy Industries in L.A., the largest
gang-intervention and rehabilitation program in the world – and share it with your
forlorn loved one(s). Fr. Greg’s authenticity and masterful mix of irreverence,
humor, and riveting stories are absolutely disarming and 100% free of even the
slightest hint of rhetoric or empty religiosity. He is the REAL DEAL!
Maybe begin with texting the link (aren’t
you hip!?!) of one of Fr. Greg’s recent commencement speeches available on YouTube.
Or, better yet, maybe a friend or family member closer to your kid’s age loves
your homemade pumpkin pie and is bribable? Having him/her text the link would
be much more effective, for as you have undoubtedly already discovered, young
people tend to listen to other young people (hence, Youth Group! Tuesday nights!
7PM! Every week!)
OR, both of Fr. Greg’s books are amazing;
Barking at the Choir, his most recent release, or his first book, Tattoos
on the Heart, which is available FREE on Hoopla via your local library as
an audio book (his stories are even better in his own voice). His writing is
pure Gospel; God’s abundant mercy, overflowing, healing, inspiring, and
bringing change to our troubled world. Fr. Greg puts forth the most compelling
vision of Jesus’ dream for our world since, well (in my humble opinion), since
Jesus! Here are a couple quotes: (maybe write them on a sticky note and attach
them to your bathroom mirror?):
“Our culture is hostile only to the
inauthentic living of the gospel. It sniffs out hypocrisy everywhere and knows
when Christians aren’t taking seriously, what Jesus took seriously. It is, by
and large, hostile to the right things. It actually longs to embrace the gospel
of inclusion and nonviolence, of compassionate love and acceptance. Even
atheists cherish such a prospect.”
“Moral outrage is the opposite of God; it
only divides and separates what God wants for us, which is to be united in
kinship. Moral outrage doesn't lead us to solutions - it keeps us from them. It
keeps us from moving forward toward a fuller, more compassionate response to
members of our community who belong to us, no matter what they've done.”
So, in short, my suggestion is to somehow,
creatively, subtly, stealthily, without any expectations or preachiness - gift
your college student one of Fr. Greg’s books and then, whether they read it or
not, just continue to love em’ where they are at…
Send your Crazy Catholic Question to Lisa
Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment