The Fire We Possess

By OLIVIA ANDERSON

Greetings! My name is Olivia Anderson. I’m 20 years old, and I’m from Blooming Prairie. The past two years I had the opportunity to serve as a missionary with NET ministries, which is an acronym for National Evangelization Teams. The mission statement for NET is: “We challenge young Catholics to follow Christ and embrace a life of community in the Church.”

As a NET missionary, I learned a lot about myself, God, and how youth receive the Gospel. My heart was set on fire for Jesus and the desire to bring his children closer to his Most Sacred Heart, so their hearts may be on fire for him.

Since my missionary years in Indianapolis, IN, and Newaygo, MI, God has also given me a passion for helping set my parish, community, and diocese on fire for the Lord. I pray that God may use me, and that he may speak and inspire through this article.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester is in a time of revival with the Diocesan Synod on Evangelization and Vocations underway. It is for this reason that I would like to share my perspective on evangelization.

There are many signs that a youth ministry program may need re-evaluating. One sign is having youth thinking faith formation or catechism classes feel like the boring, required classes at school. If youth think this about learning the faith, then Mass will feel like the homework, and Confirmation like graduation. If this becomes acceptable, then it should come as no surprise when young people stop attending Mass and begin leaving the Church.

Without personal testimonies and relatability, the Bible becomes a book of irrelevant old stories, and the Church teachings feel like a set of unreasonable and strict rules. We can’t force young people to care about faith, and we definitely can’t expect them to be on fire for something they don’t see ignited in their peers or role models. If youth don’t see other Catholics caring about a personal relationship with Jesus, then they won’t feel a need to continue to pursue their own faith. Young people need something they see as worth their time, so if they see actions, like attending Mass, but don’t understand the love and personal relationship with Jesus, they will likely leave the Church. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3).

Although there are a variety of reasons for struggles in youth ministry, I’d like to offer a positive perspective obtained from my time in faith formation classes, and over the past two years of youth ministry with NET. It isn’t difficult to see how extremely hard it is to be a young Catholic in today’s culture, without proper guidance from the Church. We know, deep down, young people are starving for the truth, and they can’t feed themselves. They need faith mentors who can guide them closer to Christ, and help them in their faith journey. As a church, as a diocese, as a parish, and individually, each of us must kindle the fire that burns for Jesus.

Through my experiences leading diverse groups of youth, there have been two main elements present which make up a fruitful method for leading youth in discipleship. Element 1: people with hearts burning for Christ will be the most effective mentors to lead young people to him. Element 2: when youth possess this fire for God, the fire must be kindled or it will be extinguished. How these elements are incorporated in youth ministry leads to either forming lifelong disciples or causing youth to leave the Church. It is for this reason youth faith formation and discipleship cannot be overlooked, as it affects the life of the whole diocese and the future of the entire Catholic Church.

Let’s break down Element 1: people with hearts burning for Christ will be the most effective way to lead young people to him. When it comes to sharing the faith with youth, testimony should be prioritized.

St. Pope Paul VI said, “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” This is true for my own faith story, as the witnesses in my life changed my view of Jesus. Jesus went from someone judging me from heaven who I would eventually meet when I die, to someone inviting me into a relationship with him every day. I honestly don’t believe I would be a practicing Catholic without these witnesses showing me how Christ is active in our daily lives. Focusing on how Christ has worked, and continues to work, in our lives is the key that may begin to unlock the heart of a young person. It is also necessary to explain how the Bible and Church teachings are always relevant and affect our lives still today.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “The purpose of life is to know God and to love him and serve him.” (cc: 1, 68) But, really, who wants to love or serve someone they don’t know? Sharing personal testimonies and how scripture and Church teachings are relatable are vital to this first element of effective youth faith formation.

I witnessed Element 2 executed beautifully through many signs during the nine months I spent at the Catholic parishes in Newaygo County, Michigan. The first sign was at every Sunday Mass the pews were usually so full I had to often squeeze in. Not only were their churches packed, but the number of young people grew every Mass. The second sign I noted: youth ministry wasn’t just a focus for the catechists, but was a priority for everyone in the community. It was evident that the parishes and every person we encountered sacrificed a lot of money and time to bring our NET discipleship team to their community for nine months. The priests, youth minister, and other adults, believed if the young people were given an opportunity to have young adults accompany them on their faith journey, they may begin to open their hearts to God’s burning love for them. I was blessed to serve these parishes, and I believe that it was equally us missionaries and the faith community there who partnered to lead the youth closer to God.

Another sign of Element 2 was the weekly youth group gatherings, which provided opportunities for community, prayer, sacraments, and service. I saw that, through having this solid community to grow together, youth would naturally continue to pursue deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. With this personal growth came a desire to bring their friends to youth group and closer to Jesus. Both elements of effective youth discipleship method are in harmony when providing youth with a fun and growth-oriented community led by adults joyfully living out discipleship.

The elements of effective youth discipleship are crucial. It is solely through abiding in Jesus’ Most Sacred Heart that our hearts, too, may be ignited with a sacred flame of love; these hearts burn for souls to be united to Christ, thus joyfully spreading this powerful flame to others like wildfire. It is our nurturing of the fire we possess that affects the flame of our entire diocese and the Catholic Church.

Trusting in your mercy, I walk through life like a little child, offering you each day this heart burning with love for your greater glory.

- St. Faustina

Olivia Anderson is a missionary with NET Ministries.