Challenges and the hope of the Gospel

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of attending the 25th anniversary of Fr. Martin's Ashley, an incredible addiction treatment center located in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Close to 1200 people from all over the U.S. came to celebrate the impact Ashley has had on countless thousands for recovery and life. The sense of life flowing from God, brokenness, humility, honesty, hope, gratitude and community were tangible. It reminded me of the testimony about the early Christians, 'see how they love one another.' I found it deeply inspiring and challenging.

Yesterday I read an article from Chuck Colson's Breakpoint website about a troubling new study called: Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teens. The bottom line of the study, according to the article, is that evangelical teens may be engaging in premarital sex at younger ages and more frequently than their non evangelical counterparts. This despite the significant work of youth leaders to move kids to sign abstinence pledges. The article than points out the initial decisions these kids make needs to be lived out in the context of a community of believers, for grace to be truly transforming and ongoing. As Christians, regardless of our age or tradition, we all face these same issues.

For those of us who are Catholic Christians I would raise a couple of points for reflection based on the two previous paragraphs. First, do we have an ongoing means of helping people in and outside our parish to encounter the Lord Jesus personally and be renewed in the Holy Spirit? Do we have a concern for people in and out of the parish who are in desperate need of hearing there is good news and meaning to life? Do we help people feel safe to 'come as they are, to be who they are?' In Luke 15:1, we read how sinners were drawing near to the Lord to hear him. They were comfortable being in his presence. How about us, would those same folks feel welcomed and comfortable with us?

Related to the need for ongoing ways of connecting people with hearing the good news of Jesus and invitation to relationship with the Trinity through him is the question, do we have a relational structure in the parish? Not just the spontaneous type of relationships that comes for those involved in much of the service and activities of the parish, but intentional community, small groups, for anyone? Is there an ongoing pastoral plan for helping integrate parishioners and new comers into Catholic Christian relationships where grace is most effective?

Being present at Ashley's celebration and reading the article on the difficulty of teens living for Christ challenges me to pray about how the Holy Spirit wants me to take action personally and what he wants for us as a parish, how about you?