2018 HORIZON, Number 3, Summer

Summer 2018 www.nrvc.net | Volume 43, Number 3

Special Synod Edition!

Youth, faith, vocation discernment 2

Updates

3

A message to vocation ministers

By Pope Francis

7

Ignatian discernment: insights for you and those you serve

By Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V.

18 Culture’s impact on vocation:

between possibility and difficulty

By Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. 23 What young people say about vocation

By Young Adult Delegates 25 Religious vocation events 2018-19 26 God guides me

14 Letting young adults change us

By Sister Peggy Ryan, O.P.

27 In celebration of youthful noise and mess

By Edward P. Hahnenberg

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 1

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Editor’s Note HORIZON Editor Carol Schuck Scheiber

May the synod ignite action

Proofreaders Sister Mary Ann Hamer, O.S.F.; Virginia Piecuch

AM BY NATURE AN OPTIMIST, which perhaps makes me well-suited for vocation ministry and its elusive “results.” Thus I am hopeful that the forthcoming synod on youth, faith, and vocational discernment will be a step toward a preferential option for the young (which does not decrease our preferential option for the poor). As the mother of three young adults, I keenly desire a church that validates their faith and leadership and that actively meets their pastoral needs, including guidance in prayerful decision-making.

Synods allow for an intensive focus on a particular area in the church, and the focus of this synod could not be more relevant. Young people everywhere seek the face of God and the will of God in their lives, whether or not they even name that yearning “God.” When vocation ministers provide young people with guidance in discovering “what makes them come alive,” (to borrow Sister Donna Del Santo’s framing of the question), when they help young people to discover God’s presence, they provide a gift of great worth. My hope is that this synod ignites increased energy and commitment toward meeting two needs among young people: the discovery of vocation, and intimacy with God. The two are all one fabric since as we come to know God, we come to consider all our decisions in the light of faith. So I say to Synod 2018, bring it on!

—Carol Schuck Scheiber, editor

Editorial Advisory Board Margaret Cartwright; Father Charles Johnson, O.P.; Sister Elaine Penrice, F.S.P.; Sister Elyse Ramirez, O.P.; Sister Mary Rowell, C.S.J.; Jennifer Tomshack Page Designer Patrice J. Tuohy © 2018, National Religious Vocation Conference.

HORIZON is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference, 5401 South Cornell Avenue, Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5664.

773-363-5454 | nrvc@nrvc.net | nrvc.net Facebook: Horizon vocation journal Twitter: @HORIZONvocation SUBSCRIPTIONS Additional subscriptions are $50 each for NRVC members; $125 each for non-members. Single copies are $25 each. Subscribe online at www.nrvc.net/ signup_horizon. Please direct subscription inquiries to Marge Argyelan at the NRVC office at 773-363-5454 or margyelan@nrvc.net.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to HORIZON, 5401 S. Cornell Ave., Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5664. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and Toledo, OH. ISSN 1042-8461, Pub. # 744-850.

REPRINTS, ARCHIVES, ELECTRONIC EDITIONS Permission is granted to distribute no more than 50 copies of HORIZON articles for noncommercial use. Please use the following credit line: Reprinted with permission from HORIZON, nrvc.net. For other types of reprints, please contact the editor at cscheiber@nrvc.net. HORIZON archives, including files for mobile readers, can be accessed by subscribers at nrvc.net.

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING All editorial inquiries should be directed to the editor: Carol Schuck Scheiber, cscheiber@nrvc.net. For advertising rates and deadlines, see nrvc.net or contact the editor.

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HORIZON is an award-winning journal for vocation ministers and those who support a robust future for religious life. It is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

NATIONAL RELIGIOUS VOCATION CONFERENCE BOARD Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C., Board chair Father Toby Collins, C.R. Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S. Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S. Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J. Father Charles Johnson, O.P.

Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C. Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN. Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M. Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 1

Updates HORIZON and VISION win 12 awards

Young adult ministry gets attention

HORIZON and VISION Vocation Guide were recently honored by the Catholic Press Association and Associated Church Press in several editorial categories, including best special interest magazine, regular column, reporting on vocations, guest commentary, e-newsletter, photo story, social media, and blog. Both publications appear in print and online and are published by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) through TrueQuest Communications. Congratulations to all the writers and editors!

Nearly 100 U.S. organizations that contribute to Catholic youth and young adult ministry are taking part in a “National Dialogue,” sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, the USCCB National Advisory Team on Young Adult Ministry, the National Catholic Network de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana (LaRed), and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, in an effort to foster unity, engagement, and mobilization in these ministries. The initiative is in the second of a three-phase series of conversations which began in 2017.

Learn more at nationaldialogue.info.

Still time to register for November Convocation of NRVC The National Religious Vocation Conference has already begun enrolling participants in its November 1-5 Convocation, to be held in Buffalo, New York. Highlights of the event include the following.

Keynoters who will address the theme of “Walk With me: Encounter, Accompaniment, Invitation.” Among the speakers are Sister Mary Pellegrino, C.S.J.; Cardinal Joseph Tobin; Sister Xiomara Méndez Hernández, O.P.; Father Kevin M. DePrinzio, O.S.A.; and Hosffman Ospino, Ph.D. Pre-convocation workshops with themes of: “Finding Your Digital Balance and Reducing Social Media Stress,” “Screening Yellow and Red Flags in Candidate Assessment,” “Issues of Civil, Canon and Immigration Law in Vocation Ministry,” and “ROI Calculator: Grace or Grim?”

An evening at Canisius College. This nearby Catholic college will host convocation participants for a young adult panel Q/A, evening prayer, and a meal.

Niagara Falls optional excursion on November 5.

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Summer Institute breaks its own record With more than 164 people taking part in its July 2018 series, the annual Summer Institute of the National Religious Vocation Conference broke its own attendance record. The next opportunity for professional development in vocation ministry will be offered by NRVC in Buffalo, New York, Nov. 1, immediately prior to Convocation.

Studies track vocational trends in the U.S. and Australia The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) released two vocation-related studies in the first half of 2018, and the Australian church released the results of a national study of church vocations. Details about each of the following may be found at nrvc.net.

• “The Class of 2018: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood” (study by CARA for the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, USCCB) • “New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life: The Profession Class of 2017” (study by CARA for the USCCB) • “Understanding Religious Vocation in Australia Today”(by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Pastoral Research Office) n Updates

Photo by Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M.

Vocation ministers hold table discussions at a meeting of the Member Area Coordinators of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

A message to vocation ministers

D

ear brothers and sisters,

I greet the participants in this International Congress ... I assure you also of my prayer to the Lord of the Harvest so that this congress may help all consecrated persons to give a generous response to their own vocation and, at the same time, help them all to intensify the pastoral vocation among families and young people so that those who are called to follow Christ in the consecrated life or in other vocations within the People of God can find the suitable channels to accept that call and respond generously to it.

Convictions about vocation ministry I wish to express some convictions about vocational ministry.

The first conviction is this: Pope Francis | Vocation Ministers

Pope Francis sympathizes with challenges vocation ministers face. At the same time, he presents a broad vision for the ministry.

By Pope Francis This text is the message the Holy Father sent to participants in the international congress entitled “Vocational Ministry and Consecrated Life: Prospects and Hopes.” The conference was promoted by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and took place in Rome in December 2017. It was part of the preparation for the synod of bishops in October 2018 focused on youth, faith, and vocation discernment.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 3

to speak of vocational ministry is to affirm that all pastoral action of the church is oriented, by its very nature, to vocational discernment inasmuch as its ultimate goal is to help the believer to discover the concrete way to carry out the project of life to which God calls him [or her].

Vocational service must be seen as the soul of all evangelization and of all the church’s pastoral ministry.

Faithful to this principle, I do not hesitate to affirm that the vocational ministry cannot be reduced to activities that are closed up in themselves. This could turn into proselytism, and could also lead to “the temptation to practice lax and unwise recruitment” (John Vocational service must Paul II, Exhortation Vita be seen as the soul of all consecrata, 64). The vocaevangelization and of all tional ministry, however, the church’s must be placed in close pastoral ministry. relation with evangelization, education in the faith, so that vocational ministry is a true itinerary of faith and leads to a personal encounter with Christ, and with ordinary pastoral work, in particular with the pastoral care of the family, in such a way that the parents assume, with joy and responsibility, their mission to be the first vocational animators of their children, freeing themselves and freeing their children from the inner barrier of selfish, calculating perspectives or of power, which often occur in the bosom of families, even those practicing the faith.

This entails cementing the vocational proposal, also the vocational proposal to consecrated life, in the context of a solid ecclesiology and an adequate theology of consecrated life, which conveniently proposes and values all the vocations within the People of God. A second conviction is that: Vocational ministry finds its most appropriate “humus” in youth pastoral ministry. Youth ministry and pastoral ministry must go hand in hand.

Vocational ministry is supported, emerges, and develops in youth ministry. For its part, youth ministry, in order to be dynamic, complete, effective, and truly formative, must be open to the vocational dimension. This means that the vocational dimension of youth ministry is not something that should be raised only at the end of the whole process or to a group that is particularly sensitive to a specific vocational call, but must be constantly raised throughout the process of evangelization and education 4 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

in the faith of adolescents and young people.

A third conviction is that: Prayer must occupy a very important place in vocational ministry. The Lord says clearly: “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38). Prayer is the first and indispensable service we can offer to the cause of vocations. Since the vocation is always a gift from God, the vocational call and the response to that vocation can only resonate and be felt in prayer, without this being understood as an easy recourse to disengage from working for the evangelization of young people, so that they may be open to the Lord’s call. To pray for vocations presupposes, first of all, praying and working for fidelity to one’s vocation; creating environments where it is possible to listen to the Lord’s call; undertaking the journey to announce the “Gospel of the vocation,” to promote it and to provoke it. Whoever really prays for vocations, works tirelessly to create a vocational culture.

Challenges of trust, lucidity, conviction These convictions lead me to consider some challenges I consider important. A first challenge is that of trust.

Trust in the young and trust in the Lord. Confidence in young people, because there are many young people who, while they belong to the “selfie” generation or to this culture that seems “gaseous” rather than “fluid,” seek full meaning in their lives, even though they do not always look for it where they can find it. This is where we consecrated people have an important role: to stay awake so as to awaken young people, to be centered in the Lord so that we can help the young to focus on [God]. Very often young people expect from us an explicit proclamation of the “Gospel of vocation,” a courageous proposal, evangelically demanding and at the same time deeply human, without rebates and without rigidities.

On the other hand, trust in the Lord, sure that He continues to awaken in the People of God various vocations for the service of the Kingdom. We must overcome the easy temptation that leads us to think that in some environments it is no longer possible to generate vocations. For God “nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37). Each segment of history is God’s time, even ours, because His Spirit blows where He wants, as He wants, and when He wants (cf John 3:8). Any station can be a “kairos” to gather the harvest (John 4:35-38).

Another important challenge is lucidity. It is necessary to have a clear outlook and, at the same time, an outlook of faith on the world, and in particular on the Pope Francis | Vocation Ministers

ability to relate to others” (Synod of Bishops, world of young people. It is essential to know well our XV Ordinary General Assembly, “Young people, society and the current generation of young people in the faith, and vocational Discernment, Preparasuch a way that, seeking the opportune means to antory document,” 2017, 2). Only a proposal of nounce the Good News, we can also announce the “Gosincarnated faith and vocation has the possibility pel of vocation.” Otherwise we would be giving answers of entering into the life of a young to questions that nobody is asking. person.

A final challenge I would like to indicate is conviction. To suggest to a young • Ecclesial. A proposal of faith or person today to “come and follow me” Consecrated life, like vocation to young people has to be (John 1:39) requires evangelical audacthe church as a whole, made within the ecclesial framework ity, the conviction that the following of is being called to carry of Vatican Council II. This is the Christ, also in the consecrated life, is out a true “pastoral “compass for the church of the 21st worthwhile, and that the total gift of oneconversion,” not only century” (John Paul II, Apostolic Letself to the cause of the Gospel is someof language, but also ter Novo millennio ineunte, 43) and thing beautiful that can give meaning to a for the consecrated life of our times. whole life. Only in this way will pastoral of lifestyle, if it wants This ecclesial framework demands vocation be a narration of what one lives to connect with young commitment and participation in the and of what makes one’s life meaningful. people. life of the church from young people, And only then will vocational ministry as actors and not as mere spectators. be a convincing proposal. The young They must also feel that they are parman, like all our contemporaries, no lontakers of the consecrated life: their ger believes teachers so much, but rather activities, their spirituality, their charism, their wants to see witnesses of Christ (see Paul VI, Exhortafraternal life, their way of living the following of tion Evangelii nuntiandi, 41).

Christ.

If we want the vocational proposal to follow Christ to touch the heart of young people, [if we want young • Evangelical, and as such, committed and repeople] to be attracted to Christ and to the sequela sponsible. The proposal of faith, as the vocationChristi proper to consecrated life, then vocation ministry al proposal to consecrated life, must start from must [be]: the center of all pastoral ministry: Jesus Christ, as he is presented to us in the Gospels. This can• Differentiated. [Vocation ministry must not be evaded, nor can it be a personal outlet or be differentiated] in such a way that it responds purely social commitment. The “pastoral show” to the questions each young person poses, and or “pastoral hobbies” are far from being a pastooffers to each one of them what is necessary ral vocation. The demands of the Gospel must to fulfill abundantly his [or her] desire to seek be placed before the young person. The Gospel (John 10:10). We must not forget that the Lord is demanding and must be lived radically and calls everyone by name, with his [or her] hiswith sincerity. The young person must be placed tory; He offers to and demands of each one a in a situation in which he accepts responsibly the personal and non-transferable journey in his [or consequences of his own faith and the following her] vocational response. of Christ. In this type of vocational ministry, it is not a question of recruiting social agents, but • Narrative. The young person wants to see true disciples of Jesus with the new commandthe model to follow, Jesus Christ, “narrated” in ment of the Lord as a slogan and with the code the concrete life of a consecrated person. The of the Beatitudes as a way of life. pastoral of “contagion,” of “come and see,” is the only truly evangelical vocational ministry • Accompanied. One thing is clear in youth without the taste of proselytism. “Young people ministry: it is necessary to accompany young have a need for persons of reference, who are people, walk with them, listen to them, provoke close-by, credible, consistent, and honest, in adthem, move them so that they go beyond their dition to places and occasions for testing their Pope Francis | Vocation Ministers

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 5

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comfort zone, awaken desire, interpret what they are living, take them to Jesus, always favoring the liberty to respond to the call of the Lord freely and responsibly (cf. Synod of Bishops, XV Ordinary General Assembly, “Young people, the faith and vocational discernment, Preparatory document,” 2017, III, 1). It is necessary to create an atmosphere of trust, to make young people feel that they are loved as they are and for what they are. The text of the disciples of Emmaus can be a good example of accompaniment (cf Luke 24:13-35). The personal relationship with young people on behalf of the consecrated is indispensable.

• Persevering. With young people you have to persevere, sow, and wait patiently for the seed to grow and one day to bear fruit. The mission of the youth pastoral agent requires that he [or she] is well aware that his job is to plant, whereas another will grow and others will reap the fruits.

• Youthful. We cannot treat young people as if they were not young. Our youth ministry must strike the following notes: dynamic, participative, cheerful, hopeful, risky, confident. And always filled with God, which is what young [people] need most to fill just yearning for fulfilment; filled with Jesus, is the only path they have to travel, the only truth to which they are called to adhere, the only life for which it is worth giving everything (John 1:35).

Dear participants in this congress: two things appear true to me about the topic of vocational ministry and consecrated life. The first is that there are no magical answers, and the second is that consecrated life, like the church as a whole, is being called to carry out a true “pastoral conversion,” not only of language, but also of lifestyle, if it wants to connect with young people and propose a path of faith and offer a vocational proposal.

Let no one rob us of the joy of following Jesus Christ and the courage to propose it to others as a way, truth, and life (John 14:6). Let us conquer our fears! It is time for young people to dream and the elderly to prophesy (Joel 2:28). Let us arise now! “Hands to work” (Ezek.

10:4)! The young await us. It’s time to move! n

February 3-15 and March 31 - April 12, 2019 See synod2018.va for additional material.

6 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

Pope Francis | Vocation Ministers

Ignatian discernment: insights for you and those you serve

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ATHER MARK PROFESSED FINAL VOWS five years ago.

He is in his mid-30s. (This scenario might equally involve a sister or brother in our respective communities). A year ago, his provincial needed a replacement for the former vocation director. Not surprisingly, he asked Father Mark to take the position.

Father Mark spent his first five years of ministry in parish work, and the parishioners loved him. He was young, energetic, in love with his religious life, and personally engaging. The children in the parish school responded well to him, and the parish youth group grew during those years, with many new initiatives.

Father Mark accepted the provincial’s request and undertook his role of vocation director with good will. Following the recommendations of his predecessor, he attended workshops on the service of a vocation director and found them helpful. Life became a whirlwind of communication by phone, e-mail, social media, and travel. It also was a time of uncertainty.

Father Mark appreciated the words of support from community mem-

Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Ignatius of Loyola’s teaching on discernment can help vocation directors understand both their own experiences and the inner life of those they guide.

By Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V. Father Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V. is a priest of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation.

He has been called “America’s preeminent writer on Ignatian spiritual direction and discernment.” In addition to writing, he also leads retreats.

Find him at frtimothygallagher.org.

Several of his resources are on page 12.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 7

bers, but he also sensed their unspoken expectations: our numbers are small, and we are counting on you to bring us new candidates. As the months of activity passed, and clarity about new candidates did not emerge, Father Mark experienced times of anxiety. The Millennials with whom he worked seemed slow to commit, and he wondered whether his dedicated labor would bear fruit. When his anxiety was greatest, Father Mark could imagine the provincial gently suggesting that perhaps his place was in the parish, and that another might serve better as vocation director.

Today Father Mark has just finished a 45-minute conversation with Jim, a young man considering a religious vocation with Father As with Francis in Mark’s community. Father regard to poverty, Mark listened attentively as Teresa and John in Jim described his spiritual regard to prayer, and experience. Jim spoke of Benedict in regard to days when he felt close to the Lord and when he felt a the liturgy, Ignatius draw toward religious life. stands as the primary He also mentioned times representative of the when he did not feel this tradition in matters of attraction and instead felt discernment. himself inclining toward the lay vocation and marriage.

Father Mark knew that Jim sought greater clarity about this changing experience and hoped that Father Mark could help him find this.

Father Mark did his best. After Jim left, however, Father Mark sat in his office, aware that he had not clearly understood Jim’s fluctuating experience, and so could only respond generically. He had encouraged Jim to continue to pray and to trust that God would make things clearer in time. Father Mark knew that Jim had hoped for more, and wished that he could have been more helpful.

Inner concerns and outer pressures How does a vocation director who is a sister, brother, or priest deal with these issues: with the personal pressures and anxieties that accompany the role, and with understanding the changing spiritual experiences of the young (and not-so-young) people they accompany? How can they sift through these experiences, both their own and those of the potential candidates they serve? When they feel unprepared to do so, their hearts will remain uncertain and burdened. Many vocation directors only stay in the job for a few years. Why? And what can help with 8 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

these responsibilities, which can sometimes feel burdensome?

My religious community, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, is dedicated to spiritual formation in the Ignatian tradition. In preparation for final vows, I made the 30day Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. I remember completing the retreat and saying to myself, “Someone has finally taught me how to pray.” That month also provided my first exposure to Ignatian discernment. During the retreat, our Jesuit director explained to us Ignatius’ Rules for the discernment of spirits.

Later I studied these rules more deeply and began giving talks about them in retreats. These talks developed into seminars and later into books. For many years now, my ministry has centered primarily on Ignatian discernment. None of this was planned! The ministry arose from the response of people—laity, religious, and priests—to Ignatius’ rules for discernment when these are presented clearly and practically. A vocation director told me that when his spiritual director explained Ignatius’ rules for discernment, he was “enthralled”: he felt that for the first time he understood his own spiritual experience, and that now he possessed a way to understand the experiences of the young men whom he served. In the 35 years I have worked with Ignatian discernment, I have witnessed this same sense of liberation and hope in countless men and women.

More directly to our topic, this is my proposal: that Ignatius of Loyola’s teaching on discernment can assist vocation directors with unique efficacy both in understanding their own experience as vocation directors, and in grasping the spiritual experience of the people with whom they work. Even before the men and women they accompany, vocation directors are the first to benefit from Ignatian discernment. I know of no parallel resource to provide vocation directors this kind of spiritual aid.

These rules set captives free—free from uncertainty and so from anxiety, hesitation, and burden. As the vocation director quoted above also said, because Ignatian discernment gave him clarity and relieved his own anxiety, he experienced more peace in his work with young men. They sensed this, and in turn it gave them more peace in the process. As his understanding of their experience also grew, so also did the vocation director’s confidence in guiding them.

Isn’t Ignatius for the Jesuits?

Why should a vocation director who is not a Jesuit—a Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Those considering religious life need to be able to sort through their experiences of consolation and desolation.

Franciscan, for example, or a Dominican, a Redemptorist, a Carmelite, or a member of another community— learn and employ Ignatian discernment? This question has personal resonance for me, for I am not a Jesuit. At times I speak to several hundred people about Ignatian discernment, and no one in the room is a Jesuit.

Just as Francis of Assisi is a light for all in the church—and not only the Franciscans—who wish to live Gospel simplicity (witness the name of the present pope); just as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross are a light for all in the church—and not only the Carmelites—who seek understanding of the higher states of prayer; just as Benedict is a light for all in the church— and not just the Benedictines—who wish to grow in love of the liturgy; so also, Ignatius of Loyola is a light for all in the church—and not only the Jesuits—who wish to learn more about discernment.

Ignatius is not the only one in the church’s tradition who has taught about discernment. But as with Francis in regard to poverty, Teresa and John in regard to prayer, and Benedict in regard to the liturgy, Ignatius stands as the primary representative of the tradition in matters of discernment. No other exponent of the tradition has taught discernment with like clarity, practicality, and usability.

John Paul II affirmed, “The Christian is aided by the Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

efficacious structure of the Spiritual Exercises to enter the thoughts of God, into his plans, and so entrust himself to him, Truth and Love, and make firm decisions with regard to following Christ, measuring with clarity his own gifts and responsibilities” (Angelus, December 16, 1979). Similar expressions abound when the church speaks of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and their teaching on discernment. If Ignatian discernment offers this blessing to all in the church, all the more is this true for vocation directors whose mission and responsibility is precisely discernment, and the most important discernment in a person’s life.

Spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation These are the two principal spiritual experiences Ignatius explores in his rules for discernment: spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation. In his text Ignatius examines the nature, spiritual significance, and appropriate response to both. After years of working with Ignatius’ teaching regarding consolation and desolation, I cannot conceive of a vocation director who would not know this teaching. Vocation directors who have learned these Ignatian rules will understand why I say this. My hope is that all will wish to explore this treasure: it will bless Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 9

them and their mission as vocation directors.

Let us return to Father Mark. The preceding week has been disappointing. A young man with whom he had been working at length and who seemed a good candidate, did not return Father Mark’s phone calls, and he realized that the young man was retreating from the relationship. Another no longer returned his e-mails.

Father Mark now begins to fear that no one will enter the community this year, his first as vocation director.

Discouraged by this, Father Mark finds it harder to pray and harder to trust that God will bless his efforts. Prayer begins to slip a little, and Father Mark spends more time on social media alone in his room. He is confused and disheartened. Burdened by this, Father Mark wonders whether or not he should ask the provincial for a new assignment.

In Ignatian terms, Father Mark is experiencing spiritual desolation. If he does not understand this—if he does not discern this: that is, become aware of this, name it as spiritual desolation, and employ the means to reject it—harm may well result. If he does discern this desolating experience and respond rightly, this experience will lead to greater spiritual strength personally and in his service as vocation director.

The following week, Father Mark meets with his spiritual director. He shares openly his discouragement, the struggle in which he finds himself, the diminishment of his prayer, and his thought that perhaps he should seek a new assignment. His director knows Ignatius’ rules for discernment, and helps Father Mark understand what is happening and how he should respond.

The sharing lifts Father Mark’s heart.

This evening, he sits quietly in the community chapel with peace in his heart. A verse, just read in the Liturgy of the Hours, comes to mind: “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The experience of this day confirms his trust in this truth, and his heart is warmed with a sense of God’s faithful love, even in these struggles. He finds himself more confident that the Lord will accompany him as he works with the young men this year and beyond. The thought of asking for a new mission is no longer present.

In Ignatian terms, Father Mark is experiencing spiritual consolation. If he can understand this—if he can discern this: that is, become aware of this, name it as spiritual consolation, and open his heart to the grace at work in it—blessing for him personally and for his mission as vocation director will result.

Ignatius knows from wide experience that both spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation will nor10 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

mally be experienced in the spiritual life—both that of the vocation directors and of the men and women with whom they work. To both grow in knowledge of spiritual movements and in the capacity to discern them, is an invaluable asset in the mission of the vocation director.

In Father Mark’s case, he will learn how to respond to his own times of spiritual consolation and desolation. He will also be able to help Jim and others like him when they experience spiritual consolation and desolation and ask his assistance. These young men and women will sense that their work with the vocation director is helping them on the path of discernment.

When Ignatius describes his three modes of discerning God’s will, one of them (the second) consists precisely in attention to experiences of spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation with their accompanying attractions or resistances. If Jim, for example, finds that whenever he experiences spiritual consolation he consistently feels drawn to religious life, and that whenever he experiences spiritual desolation he consistently feels a resistance to religious life, very likely he is experiencing second-mode discernment. Obviously much more needs to be said about this, and I have done so in other writing (see the resources listed). I mention second-mode discernment through spiritual consolation and desolation here simply as an indication of how Ignatian discernment can help vocation directors understand another person’s experience, and so help him or her to understand that experience as well. Prospective candidates will love a vocation director who can assist them in this way! However their discernment concludes, they will always be grateful.

Outline of the rules It is impossible in a brief article to describe adequately Ignatius’ rules for discernment. I have done so in other settings, also listed in the resources. But I do not want this article to remain abstract. Ignatius supplies two sets of rules (practical guidelines) for discernment. I will summarize here the content of the fourteen rules of the first set.

Ignatius’ presupposition, in keeping with the church’s spiritual tradition, is that both the good spirit (God, his angels, the richness of grace given through baptism, and good influences around us in the world) and the enemy (the evil one, concupiscence, and spiritually harmful influences around us in the world) work in the human person. These are not equal parts! One is the infinite, all-powerful God of love with the influences that come from him; the other is a fallen creature with the Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Rule 5: With this rule, Ignatius begins to give pracrelated influences mentioned. Ignatius’ teaching on distical guidelines for action. His classic rule 5 says that in cernment is a spirituality of redemption, of grace, and it times of spiritual desolation, we should never make a is charged with hope. change to any spiritual proposal we had in place before Rule 1: In those heading away from God and into the desolation began. This rule applies to Father Mark’s serious sin, the enemy fills the imagination with senthought of asking to be reassigned, as the thought of sual pleasures; the good spirit “stings and bites” in their this change arises in time of spiritual desolation. Rule 5 consciences, calling them back to the only Love that can can save the young persons with whom satisfy the human heart. It is unlikely that we work from precipitative and harmful this rule will apply to the young men and decisions about their discernment. I have women who approach a vocation director. seen this rule work incalculable good.

It may, however, help some understand Father Mark is Rule 6: In time of spiritual desolaprevious spiritual experience. experiencing spiritual tion, a person should turn all the more Rule 2: In those who love God and desolation. If he does to four classic spiritual means: prayer of seek to grow in his service, the roles of not understand this—if petition for help in the desolation; medithe enemy and good spirit reverse. Now he does not discern this: tation on truths of faith, biblical verses, the enemy attempts to trouble, sadden that is, become aware of and the like, that can sustain us in the the person, and raise obstacles to further this, name it as spiritual struggle; examination of the desolation: progress. The good spirit now gives courdesolation, and employ What is happening? How did this start? age and strength, inspirations, peace, and the means to reject it— The more clearly we see the answers to the easing of obstacles. Vocation directors these questions, the better we will know will frequently see both this action of the harm may well result. how to respond; finally, suitable gestures enemy and of good spirit in the young of penitential courage. When Father men and women with whom they work.

Mark in his desolation feels the desire to Rule 3: Here Ignatius describes what isolate in his room and immerse himself in social media, he understands by spiritual consolation: when the heart he may choose, for example, to delay going to his room is warmed with God’s love and is set free to follow him; and perform a simple service for another. when tears express this joy and love; when faith, hope, Rule 7: In times of desolation, Ignatius urges us to and love grow stronger; when the heart experiences joy consider certain thoughts that can strengthen us to resist in the Lord and peace. Such consolation is a work of the the desolation: that this is a trial, within God’s loving good spirit (in this set of rules and the spiritual situation providence, so that, by resisting desolation, we grow in it presumes, likely to be that of many young men and the ability to resist; and that we can resist because God’s women who approach a vocation director; things will be grace is always with us, giving us all the strength we different in the second set of rules and the later spiritual need. situation it presumes). Vocation directors do well to note Rule 8: When in desolation, the key virtue is paspiritual consolation in themselves and in the young pertience: the person who will not give up—in this difficult sons who approach them. time of prayer, in this discouraging week while discernRule 4: Ignatius now describes spiritual desolation: ing, and the like—and who will not succumb to the disturbance of soul, confusion, agitation, lack of confidesolation. A thought that helps greatly to do this: to dence, diminishment of hope and love, lack of energy remember that this desolation will pass, and that consofor spiritual things, sadness, a sense of being far from lation will return, much sooner than the lie of desolation God. Everything about spiritual desolation, as a work of would have us believe. To consider this thought in the the enemy, is a lie! If vocation directors and the young time of desolation increases our strength to resist it. persons do not discern this and believe the lie, it will Rule 9: Ignatius addresses a key question: Why harm them in their respective roles; if they do discern, does a God who loves us, allow us to experience spiritual they will be set free to pursue the discernment well. My desolation? Could he not spare us this struggle? Ignatius own sense is that for most, for most of the way on the presents three reasons why God, in his love for us, will spiritual journey, such desolation is the major obstacle. permit us to undergo desolation: as a way to alert us of When vocation directors and discerners are equipped to areas of regression—for example, of diminishment in recognize and reject it, the path toward accurate discernprayer, in the generosity of our service, in love of others, ment is greatly eased.

Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 11

and the like—so that we can reintegrate these into the growth toward God we desire; as a trial through which we grow spiritually; as an experience that reveals to us “in the flesh” that spiritual consolation is a gift of God, drawing us into the rich biblical space of humility (Lk. 1:47-48) that opens us to all grace.

Rule 10: When we are in spiritual consolation, we should remember that desolation will eventually return, and so store up spiritual strength for that time.

Rule 11: Here Ignatius presents what I might call the portrait of the mature person of discernment: this person is neither naively exalted in time of consolation, nor despairingly low in time of desolation, but humble in consolation, trusting in desolation. When vocation directors grow into this discerning maturity, they will serve with a new peace. Likewise, as discerners grow into this spiritual maturity, their discernment will benefit greatly.

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR Books The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living (Crossroad, 2005) The Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today (Crossroad, 2006) Spiritual Consolation: An Ignatian Guide for the Greater Discernment of Spirits (Crossroad, 2007) Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making (Crossroad, 2009) A Handbook for Spiritual Directors: An Ignatian Guide to Accompanying Discernment of God’s Will (Crossroad, 2017) Setting Captives Free: Personal Reflections on Ignatian Discernment of Spirits (Crossroad, 2018)

Podcasts Discernment of Spirits (16 episodes; also on YouT) Discernment of God’s Will (12 episodes) A Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer (8 episodes) The above podcasts are available as free downloads on discerninghearts.com or iTunes (search for “Timothy Gallagher”).

App Discernment of Spirits (16 episodes)

12 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

Rule 12: In the final three rules, Ignatius highlights three qualities of the enemy’s temptations, so that, perceiving these, we may resist them. In rule 12 he shows that the enemy is essentially weak compared to the power of Christ in us and can only become strong in his temptations if we are weak in responding. The call is to stand firm from the very beginning of the temptation.

Rule 13: Another key rule! The enemy seeks to work in secrecy: you can’t talk about this with (for the vocation director) your spiritual director, or with (for the person discerning) your vocation director or spiritual director. When we maintain silence about the burdens in our hearts, they persist—which is precisely the enemy’s aim. Our response is to break the spiritual silence with the competent spiritual person. Then captives are set free…. I have witnessed this so often, and it is beautiful to see. Rules 5 and 13 together will get us safely through any darkness we may experience in the spiritual life: do not make changes in the darkness, and speak with a wise and competent spiritual person.

Rule 14: The enemy works in our most vulnerable point. If we can name it and work to fortify it, even longstanding patterns of defeat and discouragement can be reversed. The call is to identify and strengthen the weak point.

My hope is that this brief summary may awaken a desire to know these rules, and to apply them both personally and in the role of vocation director.

Learning and living discernment Vocation directors cannot apply Ignatian discernment unless they have learned it. This effort is well worth undertaking. I say this with confidence, having experienced myself and witnessed in so many others the encouragement these rules provide. Vocation directors who do undertake this effort will be blessed not only while they serve as directors but for the rest of their lives. This will be another reason for which they will be grateful to have served as vocation directors.

If we wish to employ Ignatian discernment, we must not only learn it: we must also live it. How do we learn it in such a way that we can live it?

I take as given that every vocation director should have his or her own spiritual director. The words of Benedict XVI come to mind: “To advance toward the Lord, we always have need of a guide. We cannot do it just with our own reflection. And finding this guide is part of the ecclesial nature of our faith” (General Audience, September 16, 2009). If this is true for all, how Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Photo courtesy of the Conventual Franciscans

much more for men and women called to accompany others in the most important discernment of their lives.

Our ongoing spiritual direction is an excellent setting for learning and living Ignatian discernment. Some spiritual directors will take the initiative to invite this learning; in general directors will be open to an interest in discernment when expressed by their directees.

Knowledge of Ignatian discernment has spread widely in recent years, and more directors already have or are acquiring this formation. Personally, I am grateful to my spiritual directors over the years from whom I have learned so much about discernment.

I invite vocation directors to consider making a serious Ignatian retreat. These retreats—the Spiritual Exercises—are the original setting for the rules for discernment and an ideal venue for assimilating them in practice. The Spiritual Exercises are, as author Jean Laplace, S.J. titled them, “An experience of life in the Spirit.” And experience is the best way to learn the rules for discernment. Eight-day Ignatian retreats with good directors are readily available. The key to choosing the right retreat is, I believe, the retreat director. If we have a competent, experienced, and wise retreat director, we will be well guided in learning discernment.

If the vocation director can make the full 30-day Ignatian retreat, this is the ideal way of experiencing discernment. On the basis of that experience, other forms of learning (reading, study, classes) about discernment can profitably follow.

Grateful to a former confessor, Ignatius invited him to make the 30-day retreat “knowing as I do that the Spiritual Exercises are the best means I can think of in this life both to help a man to benefit himself and to bring help, profit, and advantage to many others. Even though you felt yourself to be in no special need, you will see how they will help you to serve others beyond anything you ever dreamed of ” (Letters of Saint Ignatius of Loyola).

The time, effort, and prayer involved in learning discernment can prove a great blessing for vocation directors and those with whom they work. My hope is that this brief article has awakened an interest. n

Further reading Check out our many discernment articles in the online “HORIZON library” located at nrvc.net under the “Resources” tab. It contains dozens of articles on guiding those in discernment, individually and in groups.

Gallagher | Ignatian Discernment

Having a wise, competent, spiritual person to speak to greatly facilitates discernment.

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Courtesy of Alexander Byers / Saint Vincent College

Students take part in a discussion with Brother Cassian Edwards, O.S.B. at St. Vincent College.

By Sister Peggy Ryan, O.P. Sister Peggy Ryan, O.P., a member of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, is a new adjunct professor in the School of Social Work at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. She holds a doctor of ministry degree from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida and an MSW from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

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Pope Francis has encouraged those in ministry to “encounter” those they minister to, to listen to them deeply and enter into their world.

Letting young adults change us

A

S A NEW COLLEGE PROFESSOR, I spend a lot of time in the library. A lot! Recently I met an old friend while working there. In the course of our conversation, Ed shared with me that he frequented our university because he loved to be around young people: “They have amazing energy.”

I could not agree more. The opportunity to spend my days surrounded by young adults is a blessing. I am so interested in the dreams, expressions, and ways of thinking each young person brings to any discussion.

I have learned so much from each one’s views on the world in which we live. At a recent retreat at my motherhouse, 20 young people were asked to name what values they stand for. Their answers included standing up for the marginalized, making sure each person is treated with dignity, adRyan | Young Adults

vocating for justice, and dedicating themselves to knowledge and understanding. I am constantly stretched by their questions and their answers. I am so enriched by this intergenerational environment.

I have found myself reflecting upon what is required of an elder who works with young adults. Whether I am in the classroom, dining hall, library, Mass, or an event on campus, I have found that the skills and talents called forth for ministry with young adults are varied.

I feel called to be grounded in a prayer-filled interiority, constantly renewing my commitment to be open to new generational outlooks on life, determinedly acting as both mentor and the one in need of direction, and always open to sharing how I go through each day with the One in whom I live and move and have my being (Acts 17.28).

It is important at this point to qualify that it is impossible to lump all young adults into, well, just that, all young adults. I balk at those articles that speak of persons in the latter years as if we were all the same. I feel defensive when we speak of any group as if all were made alike. So, I present here my experience giving individual accounts of working with young adults. I am also aware that some of what I have learned could easily be used with any age group. Human relationships at every phase have similar prerequisites.

A rooted interiority It became apparent to me early on in my work with young people that I needed to know myself. I needed to be sure of what I could offer and be for them. Ministry requires a deep interiority and a self that is rooted in a profound relationship with God. I have always believed that young adults can smell a phony a mile away. Bringing to each day a committed, disciplined prayer life and all that comes with it—joy, hope, compassion, and a healthy sense of self—makes all the difference. Floundering around young adults, wondering if you should be there or if you are doing it right, is a recipe for disaster.

You are unsure, and they sense it.

Discerning with young adults today requires this groundedness. It is so straightforward. I simply need to be myself. I have found that discernment conversations, especially around deep themes like vocation or prayer, call forth a willingness on my part to be vulnerable and to share deeply. What am I willing to risk in regard to this grounded interiority? Can I share how I talk to God, live a disciplined prayer life, experience joy, remain hopeful, experience intimacy, and understand who I am Ryan | Young Adults

as a minister? In other words, how human am I really willing to be with young adults?

Open to new generational outlooks Anyone over 50 today is probably aware that subsequent generations have been given a whole new world to live in as a result of groundbreaking global realities and innovative technological advances. Sometimes elders can feel like we have been left in the proverbial dust of new tire tracks created by constant change and new arenas of information. I can still hear one of our older sisters exclaiming that the high school library she has worked in for years no longer had any books! Well all those books have been replaced by computers. The computers hold more access to the most I feel called to be up-to-date books than that library site could ever have grounded in a prayerimagined. filled interiority, I have discovered that I constantly renewing my am called to a relationship commitment to be open with young adults that deto new generational mands an acute openness. outlooks on life, It goes beyond interested. It determinedly acting as requires a genuine willingboth mentor and the ness to understand, even one in need of direction. when the learning moves me outside my comfort zone. How many of us want to say about the library with computers, “I still want to read books”? Can we allow ourselves that preference, as well as be willing to explore new ways and even see their advantages?

Once such willingness to be open was recently initiated by a student who stopped by after class one day to introduce herself to me. She told me that she is a transgender woman. She offered to have coffee and talk whenever I wanted to about her journey. I responded to this initiative and we had coffee before class the next week. It was a profound sharing, one that called me to walk into uncharted territory. We talked about the new realities around gender identity. The spectrum of sexual roles and sexuality and young adults’ openness to wider and deeper understandings of who they are and where they are going came alive right before me.

Amidst the theological discussions within the church today, this encounter taught me that when I can be truly open and allow the other to be other, I am offered a deeper understanding of who God is and how Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 15

your smart phone? Was it about music or a new expresGod is incarnate in our world. sion?

In the theology of liberation, there is a concept called At the end of a weekend with college age students, concientización. It is rather difficult to translate into Engone group leader committed herself to listening to new lish but it essentially means a raising of consciousness. music or trying out a new band on a daily basis because I believe when this concientización takes place, when I during our time together, the leader was reminded how am moved to deeper levels of understanding, I see with good it is to be around the new sounds and rhythms of fresh eyes. My heart and mind are unfastened. I know young adults. With newness, comes a widening of our God in new ways. Working with young adults offers me a horizons and a deepening of our connectedness to othchance to deepen my relationship with God. This is why ers. I know I am a different person beGustavo Gutiérrez said in his primer, A cause I don’t spend my days with just my Theology of Liberation (1971), “A neighbor own age cohort. Intergenerational opporis not [the one] whom I find in my path, tunities call for me to move over almost but rather [the one] in whose path I place Can we give ourselves daily. Sometimes the moving over is simmyself.” permission to let go ply being open to the physical demands As vocation ministers work with sometimes and become required to hang out with a more active young people today, how can they meet the one who is there generation. Sometimes, the moving over all individuals where they are? And, how to learn? What does it requires praying harder for wisdom, healdo all of us, whatever profession we have, require of us to enter ing, and openness. walk in the worlds of younger generations into this role reversal?

I recently put the time in my calwith authenticity? Where do we need to endar to participate in an activity on move over, leaving our own learnings? campus that reaches out to the homeless What kind of openness and deepening in our city. A student in her last year of of understanding is needed? Where are college was in charge of this activity. This young woman you on a daily basis? Do you spend enough time around gave a superb, five-minute talk on how to accompany young people and do you know the daily excitements those who are marginalized and often rejected by society. and challenges of their lives?

As part of her instruction, Martha challenged each of us I am still learning, but I do know that “location, to return from our time on the streets with a name and location, location” is everything. I learned this from the story of a stranger we met that day. “Hopefully,” Martha other sisters with whom I minister. They show up. They exclaimed in an optimism reserved for the young at are present at sports events, lectures, student art exhibits, heart, “the stranger will become a friend of yours by the and campus ministry events. The students say that the end of the night.” She wanted us to become engaged at a nuns are everywhere. deep level with those we meet. She didn’t just want us to pass out the bags of hygiene goods and food. I reflected Being teacher and student upon that experience for days. I felt renewed by Martha’s leadership and example.

I recently shared with a group of young adults who were As vocation directors or college professors, we are reflecting on a hurtful experience that involved an elder. the experienced ones who come to the conversations Some group members stated that the person in question with young adults. We have advanced degrees in our is old and stuck in his ways. “What could anyone exfields. We study and prepare for each encounter. And, pect?” they asked. after my evening of instruction and experience with Unfortunately some youth experience older folks Martha as our leader, I have to ask: Do we always have to as close-minded. Some see us as not open to change or be in the role of the wise one? How do we need to move other ways of thinking. When I sense a lack of openness over in these situations? Can we give ourselves permisin myself, I have to ask myself, “What is going on?” “Am sion to let go and become the one who is there to learn?

I afraid of something?” “What do I think I will lose by What does it require of us to enter into this role reversal? trying to understand this new concept or behavior?”

About midway through the graduate classes of social Can you think of a recent situation in which a young work that I teach, I ask students to anonymously report adult helped you learn something new? Was it a modthree positive aspects about their learning and three ern understanding regarding ecology or our respect for issues that need change. All but a few students, even Earth? Was it something connected to social media or 16 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

Ryan | Young Adults

though not required to do so, signed their names to their critiques. They were willing to put themselves out there.

Most professors I know also consider themselves students. And, it requires a good slice of humility to allow our students to offer us feedback. I know few professions that demand more humility than teaching. I cannot even keep count at this point of the number of times I have blundered over the latest expressions or my questions about a current reference that has left me clueless. If you let young adults become your teachers, you will need humility.

I believe Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) understood this well because she said, “There is no obedience without humility.” The roots of the word obedience call us to move in the direction of the one we are hearing. What a humbling stance that is, to actually turn yourself towards the other.

It is also true that young adults are called to move in the direction of the elders. Recently a student came to me to share a struggle she was having with her field placement for the next year. At the end of our conversation I suggested that this bright and capable young woman just wait and rely upon God’s providence. The next week she emailed me to say thanks and to let me know that she got the interview she was waiting for.

Sharing God Our lives are a journey with the Holy One. We are invited to be accompanied by God and, in turn, to accompany our neighbor in the daily ins and outs of the journey.

Accompaniment is not, as Gutiérrez points out, simply meeting our neighbor on the road. This companionship offers us the invitation to make the road with our brothers and sisters. In our sharing, we find communion. We become one. As we share our understanding and experience of God with young people, they continually show us how to share God. In their ability to hang out, to enjoy life, to try new things, to engage in the unknown, they point us in the right direction. The gusto, the confidence, the awareness, and the curiosity of youth are such great examples for us. In our moving over, in our getting out of the way when needed, we are truly transformed. n

Further reading While Pope Francis has elaborated on a theology of “encounter” in many places, he does use “encounter” 32 times in “Joy of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium).

Ryan | Young Adults

READ MORE IN HORIZON ON YOUNG ADULTS “Apply best practices from young adult ministry to vocation ministry,” by Mike Hayes (2008, Summer) “Book notes: New insights on young Catholics will benefit ministry,” by Craig Gould (2015, Spring) “Community appeals to a lonely nation,” by Craig Gould (2014, Fall) “Discernment with and for adolescents,” by Father Len Altilia, S.J. (2002, Winter) “Five winning ways to extend contact with young adults,”

by Sisters Elsa Garcia, C.D.P. and Gloria Ann Fiedler, C.D.P. (2011, Summer) “Forming youth leaders in a vocation ministry context,” by Brother Corey Brost, S.V.D. and Michael Mosley (2000, Summer) “Helping college students create their own discernment models,” by Melanie-Préjean Sullivan (2008, Fall) “Join hands with young adult ministers,” by Paul Jarzembowski (2010, Summer) “Let’s ask the right questions about engaging Catholic youth,” by Charlotte McCorquodale and Leigh Sterten (2007, Fall) “How we stay in touch with promising high school students,”

by John Hanley O.S.F.S. (2000, Summer) “‘Ready? Set... GOD!’ Introducing high school students to prayerful discernment for life choices,” by Sister Pat Dorobek, S.N.D., et al. (2006, Spring) “Theological reflection: A success story,” by Sister Donna Del Santo S.S.J. (2013, Summer) “What we see in religious life and some ways to reach out,”

by Alycia Murtha, et al. ( 2011, Summer) “Why get trained for safe youth ministry?” by Father Stan DeBoe, O.S.S.T. (2015, Spring) Find these articles and more at nrvc.net using the search bar at the top right.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 17

Religious take part in a procession in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Grand Rapids / Eric Tank)

Culture’s impact on vocation: between possibility and difficulty In December 2017, religious gathered in Rome to discuss themes related to the forthcoming synod on young people, faith, and vocation discernment.

The following article was among the presentations at that gathering.

By Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. joined the Dominicans in 1965, studied in Oxford and Paris, taught scripture in Oxford, and was involved in ministry to people with AIDS. He was Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001. Today he is an itinerant lecturer and the author of several books. Photo by Mazur/catholic-ew.org.uk

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T

HE CALL TO THE CONSECRATED LIFE is in the first place a call to live. As a young man, when I visited the novitiate of the English Dominican Province, I was struck by the fact that the brethren seemed to live with freedom and joy.

It was because they had a life, a vitality, that I could imagine finding a life with them. In Deuteronomy Moses says to the Israelites: “I put before you life and death: choose life” (Deut. 30:19). In John’s gospel Jesus says: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Just before Thomas Merton died in Bangkok, he was asked why he had not pushed Christianity more in his last lecture. He replied, “I think today it’s more important for us to so let God live in us that others may feel God and come to believe in God because they feel how God lives in us.” And Radcliffe | Culture’s Impact

so the question for those of us in religious life is: Will people look at us and think, “Here are men and women who are touched by the very life of God”?

This is where the question of culture becomes pressing. Different ethnic cultures and different generations embody different understandings of what it is to be alive.

I cannot provide an in-depth analysis of these concerns here, but these snapshots suggest the challenges we face from the larger culture.

• When I was prior of our community in Oxford, some Dominican Pakistani sisters came to study with us. I arranged accommodation for them, so that each had her own private room.

When I went to visit them, they had moved all the beds into one room, since it was hard for them to sleep in a room alone. For them the idea of sleeping alone was inhumane; for me it is a delight.

• I was in France for the celebration of Father Yves Congar’s 70th birthday. The French brethren organized a seminar on the Second Vatican Council. I told Congar that in England we would have held a party!

• In Africa often the tribe seems to remain a profound model of the common life. At its best, to join a congregation is to transcend old tribal loyalties in a new identity. When there were tribal conflicts in Kenya, people knocked on the door of our novitiate house and asked to which tribe the brothers belonged, and they replied: “to the tribe of Dominic.” At its worst tribal identity can be divisive. Last June, Pope Francis threatened the priests of the Ahiara diocese in Nigeria with suspension unless they wrote a letter addressed to him, apologizing for refusing to accept their bishop, appointed by Benedict XVI in 2012.

• In America I have often seen the brethren enjoying a drink before dinner, watching a game of American football, and I’ve wondered whether the model of the shared life there is that of the sports team.

These are incredibly superficial snapshots, but I hope that they evoke the challenge: How can our congregations be places where together we respond to God’s call to choose life, when we have very different understandRadcliffe | Culture’s Impact

ings of what it means to be humanly alive? Our conception of living is expressed in the food we eat, the way that we have space that brings us together or allows us solitude, by what we can say or what is forbidden to be said, by how we make decisions, and so on.

But there is not just the diversity of ethnic and national cultures. Perhaps even more importantly, there is the variety of generations, each with its own culture. The young especially are formed by a global culture, which to some degree transcends local identities. Cell phones are as common in Nigeria as in the United States. More people bank online with their cell phones in Kenya than in the United Kingdom. The brief Arab Spring was powered by social media; the revolt of the Zapatistas in Mexico 20 years ago was described as the first Internet rebellion in Latin America.

This means that each person’s cultural imagination is shaped by at least two dimensions: vertically by our ethnicity and our local culture, and also horizontally by the culture of each generation. This is especially so for the young who everywhere are inhabitants of the “digital continent.” So our imaginations are woven by the warp and the weft of local and global culture. Not long ago I was in Myanmar giving a retreat for the Archdiocese of Yangon. It was fascinating to see how the young clergy are marked by their origins, mainly Tamil, Chinese, or from the tribal states. But the young priests in Myanmar are also formed by the same social media as my young brothers in Oxford.

Embrace culture; transcend culture So how can the consecrated life be truly a sign of Jesus’ summons to live when we have such different ideas of what it is to be alive, derived from our ethnic and generational identity? The encounter of God with humanity in Jesus has a twofold dynamic. We are embraced in our particularity, and called beyond it. God became flesh in a first century Jew, who went to the synagogue and was raised in traditions and customs of his ancestors. He spoke their language, ate their food, and dreamt their dreams. Jesus was not a human being in general, abstracted from all culture.

And yet he embodied God’s summons for us to transcend the limitations of time and place and enter the divine life which knows no boundaries. Paul writes to the Ephesians that, “In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 19

of uniformity.” Richard Sennett argues that our global heaven and on earth” (Eph. 1:8-10). The call of Christ culture retreats from difference. Because of growing summoned uneducated Galilean fishermen beyond the inequality and a fluidity in which people move rapidly narrow limits of their local culture to preach all over the from one job and place to another, we do not learn the vast Roman empire, at the cost of their lives. art of living with people who are unlike us; we have beWe are signs of the divine summons to live if we emcome afraid of difference. body this same dynamism. There is no Dominican life in The internet reinforces this tendency to hang out general. We have communities in more than a hundred with the likeminded. On Facebook you indicate your countries in five continents, in which brothers and sisters likes and preferences and you find people who share live our life as Peruvians and Vietnamese, Nigerian, and them, whether in China or Chile. If you disagree, you French. But if it is a response to the summons to live, are free to disconnect. You are spared the friction of difthen we are always called beyond every narrow cultural ference. And so the internet connects us to a planetary limitation. community, but it may disconnect us from those who Here it seems to me the global culture of the young challenge us to think differently. And so young religious has something to offer, and also has its limitations. They are at ease with friendships which cross are marked by the local sense of identity ethnic and cultural divisions. They are of their elders, given by their ethnic culinhabitants of the global culture of young tures. But young people are also inhabitpeople everywhere. But this global culture ants of the digital continent and so memWe need a theology of struggles to cope with difference. One bers of a global culture. For them, part of the vows that underpins of the biggest differences is intergenerabeing alive includes being connected. To our mad way of life and tional. The individualistic culture of today be without a wifi signal is a form of social sustains us in crisis; often finds it hard to cope with intergendeath! And so the young can play a wonand we need strong, erational life. derful role in transcending the cultural creative leadership.

Thus young religious can have an divisions of their elders. They may have important role in helping us to overcome been in touch with brothers or sisters ethnic cultural divisions. They are already from four continents before breakfast. in touch with their contemporaries from Their interconnectedness is a sort of sign Asia to the USA. At the same time we older religious of the Kingdom. also have a vast responsibility to heal generational differPope Benedict, in his message for World Commuences. We need all our imagination and intelligence to nications Day in 2009, recognised the vast potential of understand the young and let them be different from us. these new technologies. They can intensify our encounWe must not impose on them the mental categories of ter with the Lord’s Word: “The desire for connectedness our generation, and most especially the polarizing diviand the instinct for communication that are so obvious sions between conservative and progressive. Most of our in contemporary culture are best understood as modern young have moved on beyond that sterile battle! manifestations of the basic and enduring propensity of Many years ago, I was phoned by the student master humans to reach beyond themselves and to seek comof a Latin American province. He was highly intelligent, munion with others. In reality, when we open ourselves with a doctorate from Oxford. I asked him how he saw to others, we are fulfilling our deepest need and becomhis new role. He said, “First of all I will expel all the hoing more fully human.” mosexuals.” This is common in a macho culture. I said, But there is a difficulty. The virtual communities of “But Luis, in Oxford you liked many people who were the Web tend to gather people who think in the same homosexual. How can you want to get rid of them? This way. For example there are some extremely conservative is prejudice.” He replied: “You are right! I will expel all the American Catholic websites that viciously attack Pope students who are not committed to liberation theology!”

Francis and his friends. These are read by the likeminded In these conflicts resides a vast challenge: How can all over the world. My one attempt to intervene and conwe bind together in a shared yes to God’s invitation to duct a dialogue was a disaster! Modernity is marked by a live when we have such different conceptions even of beprofound fear of difference: difference of belief, of ideoling alive humanly? The emerging global culture provides ogy, of culture, and even of gender! only a partial response. It reaches to the likeminded Zygmunt Bauman has written of “the impulse to around the globe, but it also bears modernity’s fear of withdraw from risk-ridden complexity into the shelter 20 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

Radcliffe | Culture’s Impact

difference. If we are to negotiate these differences, we need a sense of the radical call of religious life which carries us beyond difference; we need a theology of the vows that underpins our mad way of life and sustains us in crisis; and we need strong, creative leadership.

Religious life thrives best when it embodies the perilous and exciting adventure of following Christ wherever he may take us, certainly beyond the comforts of our own little worlds. What is the point of joining a religious order if it is not to give your whole life? The French film about the Trappist monks of Tibherine, Of Gods and Men, touched the imagination of millions. Religious are called to be witnesses, and the supreme witnesses are the martyrs. There were more religious martyred in the 20th century than in all the previous history of the church.

Father Michael Anthony Perry, O.F.M. has said: “In baptism, we have renounced the right to have fear.” And so the young can revitalize consecrated life if we connect with their desire to give their lives to Christ in a radical choice! A friar of another order once said to me: “We have only one vow, comfort.” And so it is not surprising that this order does not have many new members!

Do we have courage? Identity?

The issue of courage runs clean contrary to the obsession of Western society with health and safety. Our society is risk adverse. Do we have the courage to challenge the timidity of our culture and send our brothers and sisters on missions that may cost them much, even their lives?

The horrible death cult ISIS attracts many young converts to Islam, because it appeals to their desire to give their lives to a heroic cause, especially when their lives seem empty of purpose.

A culture which is risk adverse is incompatible with the inherent daring of religious life. The culture of financial security can quench the flames of courage. When I was in Addis Ababa, I was amused when the superior of the Sisters of Charity told me that Mother Teresa always said that they must not worry about budgets. The Lord would provide. She was the worst nightmare of every bursar!

But here again we meet a challenge. A radical response to the call of Christ requires a sense of identity which will endure through a lifetime, with all its moments of obscurity. This is an identity which unfolds and deepens slowly as one says yes to the Lord. But the culture of Millennials, those born after 1981, tends to see identity as something which is chosen or constructed.

Sister Nathalie Becquart, Xav. says that the young “conRadcliffe | Culture’s Impact

struct their identity by experimentation and not by reproduction [of that of their elders].”

An additional challenge connected to identity is that people have multiple identities on the Internet. On Facebook, one choses what faces one presents to one’s friends. The typical photo is the selfie, in which you show yourself with a friend. This is how I wish to be seen today! You construct your own brand. And so becoming a Dominican or a Salesian can look like making a consumer choice. You choose the image that appeals to you. But if this is how many young people see identity, then the danger is that you can make another consumer choice later, just as people change their supermarkets. So we can only have a shared sense of what it is to say Yes to the God of life, if the call is seen as radical, transcending local identities, just as those early fishermen were called beyond the small town life of Galilee. But such a response is only possible if one’s identity as a religious is not so much a choice as an adventure into the unknown.

Fernando Millán Romeral, of the Carmelites, has complained that the moment that people find themselves in difficulty, they leave the order, as happens in so many marriages today. So we need an understanding of vocation that unfolds even through crises. I read the Facebook page of a young religious who barely weeks after final profession began to have his doubts, though he still thought that this might be a good way of life.

But how we experience crisis is influenced both by our generation and by our ethnic culture. The global culture of the Internet sees identity as fluid and impermanent. You can even change your gender. Such a sense of identity is probably not strong enough to sustain one in the adventure of following Christ as a religious. For us identity is not so much chosen as discovered, often on the other side of some failure. To live thus, with a provisional and partial understanding of who we are on the way, perhaps with moments of aridity, we need a profound understanding of the vows as life-giving. The Rule of St. Benedict invites the young with an invitation: “Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days?”

I must confess that I do not know whether religious have today articulated a new sense of the wonderful madness of the vowed life. I am not in touch with the literature. Sister Mary Johnson, O.P. and her coauthors of New Generations of Catholic Sisters do suggest that it is lacking. The first World Congress on Religious Life, held in Rome in November 2004, was attended by the leaders of over 800 religious institutes, theologians, directors of religious publications, and young religious. Sister JohnSummer 2018 | HORIZON | 21

son points out that in the published summary there is almost no reference to the vows. “Chastity (consecrated celibacy) is mentioned simply as one of the convictions for a new praxis, not as a vow; poverty is mentioned only in parentheses; and the vow of obedience is not mentioned at all. ” This also struck me at the time, since my lecture to the congress was devoted to the vows, and no one seemed to take any notice. Well, I am used to that!

We need a theology of the vows which shows that they are an invitation to the fullness of life, embracing our differences of ethnicity and generation but calling us beyond them. Maybe different ethnic and local cultures can enrich how we understand the vows. For instance maybe the ancient cultures of Asia could help us to understand the asceticism of our life. Celibacy does not seem so crazy in the old religions of that continent. In Myanmar, where Buddhist monks are a common sight on the street, it might not seem so inhuman as it might elsewhere. Maybe Latin American culture could help us to understand a closeness to the poor and the liberation of true poverty, and African culture how to build community. And maybe even the West might have something to offer: perhaps a vision of obedience as profound, intelligent, mutual listening.

Bold leadership We can only make this journey beyond our local Galilees into the wide open spaces of the Kingdom if there is courageous and creative leadership. We need models of leadership that are confident enough to make radical demands in the following of Christ so that our brothers and sisters see that the madness of our life is evangelical rather than just stupid.

In recent years, the model of leadership that has come to predominate in the consecrated life is that of the leadership team. The language of “superiors” is out. Who accepts to be an inferior? Back in 1993, however, Father David Nygren and Sister Miriam Ukeritis, C.S.J. reported after studying the future of religious life that this model of team leadership does not always work well: “Of concern was the increasingly widespread use of consensual processes and team leadership. The findings indicate that, while potentially effective, such approaches can often lead to mediocre management, representing the least common denominator within an organisation. Uninformed implementation of consensual methods often paralyzes the visionary leader.”

If this team model is the one your congregation has chosen, then how can it escape the dangers that Nygren 22 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

and Ukeritis noted? We need to be aware of how different cultures carry ideas of leadership which have their strengths and limitations. In America, for example, leadership often follows the model of the business leader, the CEO. This is good for accountability and transparency but perhaps discourages risk taking. In Central Europe after the fall of communism, the inherited model was that of the political party. This was strong on loyalty but had difficulties in coping with disagreement. In our African provinces, the tribal model was the obvious one, with its ability to build community but sometimes with difficulties in accepting strangers. In Britain, often we tended to be more like a club: very good at mutual tolerance but not so good at bold new initiatives!

So what model of courageous leadership can carry us beyond the limitations of these local models? Obviously the model in the gospel is that of the servant leader, but this does not tell us enough. Servants can be very bossy. Waiters can be very overbearing if you order the wrong sort of wine. There was an Irish bishop who once said that he would serve the diocese with a rod of iron!

I suggest that Pope Francis is making an invitation that might indicate the way forward. It has been argued that his understanding of servant leadership goes back to a crisis that he endured at the end of his term as the Jesuit Provincial. He was aware that it had not gone well.

He had been quite authoritarian and was not liked by all of his Jesuit confreres! Francis understood that as bishop he must embody a new form of service, serving the unpredictable Holy Spirit. This means a certain letting go of control. In Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel), he wrote: “There is no greater freedom than that of allowing oneself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, renouncing every attempt to plan and control everything to the last detail and instead letting [the Holy Spirit] enlighten, guide and direct us, leading us wherever he wills” (280).

The global culture of our day understands leadership in terms of control. Charles Taylor, the Canadian historian of ideas, has talked of the culture of control which was born in the West in the 16th century. Pope Francis invites us to a model of leadership which implies a certain loss of control, as we accept the movement of the unpredictable Holy Spirit, which, as St. John says, “blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

This implies a deep confidence in the young in whose hands is the future. It is the strong leadership of those who let God show us the way forward, unafraid to explore, unafraid to not know fully who we are yet. n Radcliffe | Culture’s Impact

Photo courtesy of Franciscan University

Young people attending a conference at Franciscan University react to a speaker.

What young people say about vocation

T

HERE IS A NEED FOR A SIMPLE AND CLEAR understanding of vocation to highlight the sense of call and mission, desire and aspiration, which makes it a concept more relatable to young people at this stage of their lives. Vocation has sometimes been presented as an abstract concept, perceived as too far out of the reach of the minds of many. Young people understand the general sense of bringing meaning to life and being alive for a purpose, but many do not know how to connect that to vocation as a gift and call from God. The term vocation has become synonymous with the priesthood and religious life in the culture of the church. While these are sacred calls that should be celebrated, it is important for young people to know that their vocation is by virtue of their life, and that each person has a responsibility to discern what it is that God calls them to be and to do.

There is a fullness to each vocation which must be highlighted in order to open the hearts of young people to their possibilities.

What Young People Say

It is important for young people to know that their vocation is by virtue of their life. . . . Each person has a responsibility to discern what it is that God calls them to be and do.

By Young Adult Delegates to Presynod meeting To prepare for the October 2018 synod of bishops on youth, faith, and vocational discernment, church officials invited 300 young adults from around the world to meet in Rome in March 2018 to provide feedback on the synod themes.

The document created by this group is available at https://goo.gl/JVYLse. HORIZON presents just one section of this compelling document, which was written following extensive consultation via social media.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 23

Young people of various beliefs see vocation as inclusive of life, love, aspiration, place in and contribution to the world, and way to make an impact. The term vocation is not very clear to many young people; hence there is need for greater understanding of the Christian vocation (the priesthood and religious life, lay ministry, marriage and family, role in society, etc.) and the universal call to holiness.

Vocational discernment Discerning one’s vocation can be a challenge, especially in light of misconceptions about the term. However, young people will rise to the challenge. Discerning one’s vocation can be an adventure along the journey of life.

That being said, many young people do not know how to intentionally go about the process of discernment; this is an opportunity for the church to accompany them.

Many factors influence the ability of young people to discern their vocations, such as: the church, cultural differences, demands of work, digital media, family expectations, mental health and state of mind, noise, peer pressures, political scenarios, society, technology, etc.

Spending time in silence, introspection and prayer, as well as reading the Scriptures and deepening self-knowledge are opportunities very few young people exercise.

There is a need for a better introduction to these areas.

Engaging with faith-based groups, movements, and likeminded communities can also assist young people in their discernment.

We recognize in particular the unique challenges faced by young women as they discern their vocation and place in the church. Just as Mary’s “yes” to God’s call is fundamental to the Christian experience, young women today need space to give their own “yes” to their vocation. We encourage the church to deepen its understanding of the role of women and to empower young women, both lay and consecrated, in the spirit of the church’s love for Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Young people and accompaniment Young people are looking for companions on the journey, to be embraced by faithful men and women who express the truth and allow young people to articulate their understanding of faith and their vocation. Such people do not need to be models of faith to imitate, but instead living testimonies to witness. Such a person should evangelize by their life. Whether they are familiar faces in the comfort of home, colleagues in the local community, 24 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

or martyrs testifying to their faith with their very lives, there are many who could meet this expectation.

Qualities of such a mentor include: a faithful Christian who engages with the church and the world; someone who constantly seeks holiness; is a confidante without judgement; actively listens to the needs of young people and responds in kind; is deeply loving and selfaware; acknowledges their limits and knows the joys and sorrows of the spiritual journey.

An especially important quality in mentors is acknowledgement of their humanity—that they are human beings who make mistakes: not perfect people but forgiven sinners. Sometimes mentors are put on a pedestal, and when they fall, the devastation may impact young people’s abilities to continue to engage with the church.

Mentors should not lead young people as passive followers, but walk alongside them, allowing them to be active participants in the journey. They should respect the freedom that comes with a young person’s process of discernment and equip them with tools to do so well.

A mentor should believe wholeheartedly in a young person’s ability to participate in the life of the church.

A mentor should nurture the seeds of faith in young people, without expecting to immediately see the fruits of the work of the Holy Spirit. This role is not and cannot be limited to priests and consecrated life, but the laity should also be empowered to take on such a role.

All such mentors should benefit from being well-formed, and engage in ongoing formation. n

RESOURCES FOR SERVING YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS List of diocesan Young Adult Ministry Offices https://goo.gl/BhFzyn Young Adult Ministry in a Box, created by BustedHalo.com youngadultministryinabox.com National Dialogue on Youth and Young Adult Ministry (See article on page 2) nationaldialogue.info National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) ncyc.info Catholic Campus Ministry Association ccmanet.org

What Young People Say

2018-19 Religious vocation events

EVENT

DATE

POSSIBILITIES

Synod on youth, faith, and vocational discernment

Oct. 3-28, 2018

Hold a synod watch prayer service. Convene a synod study group to read documents leading up to the synod. Sponsor a “We all have a vocation” night. Begin regular Mass attendance at a young adult parish and stay for coffee. Invite young people to advise your community about faith outreach.

Convocation of National Religious Vocation Conference

Nov. 1-5, 2018

Plan to be refreshed, renewed, educated, and inspired at our 30th anniversary gathering in Buffalo, New York. Register at nrvc.net today. For maximum impact bring a member of your leadership team and/or a member of your vocation committee.

National Vocation Awareness Week

Nov. 4-10, 2018

HORIZON readers have responded with creativity and enthusiasm to this annual occasion to celebrate the ways that God calls. Use this moment to educate laity who work in your sponsored ministries (they can be great vocation ambassadors). Consider homilies, Masses, prayer services, social media posts, newsletter reflections, or open houses. Those in parish work might invite each group in the parish to celebrate the week in its own way.

World Youth Day

Jan. 22-27, 2019

World Youth Day will be in Panama. Register to be part of the Vocation Fair at panama2019.pa. Those who are unable to attend in person can take part in the at-home programming of their diocese. Consider sponsoring a WYD event of your own at your motherhouse or at a ministry that is attractive to youth.

World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life

Feb. 2, 2019

Opportunities abound to pray with and for those in consecrated life. Consider holding prayer services at your sponsored ministries. Or perhaps use this opportunity to uplift membership by reminding them of the beauty of their vocation through rituals, prayer, mementoes, and gestures.

National Catholic Sisters Week

March 8-14, 2019

Communities have recognized this week with social media campaigns, pairing of sisters and college students to complete video projects, open houses, prayer vigils, and ministry immersion days. Learn more and investigate funding at nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.

Religious Brothers Day

May 1, 2019

From study days, to Masses, to social media campaigns, there are many ways to celebrate brothers. (It’s even OK to steal an idea from National Catholic Sisters Week!)

Similar to the week for sisters, this day is recognized and celebrated by brothers themselves and by those who appreciate their witness and service.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 25

He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name.

Psalm 23:3

26 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

Book notes

In celebration of youthful noise and mess

D

URING HIS TRIP TO RIO DE JANEIRO for World Youth Day 2013, Pope Francis met with a group of young Argentine pilgrims in the city’s cathedral. Visibly relaxed among his own, the pope was able to slip into his native Spanish and speak from the heart: “Let me tell you what I hope will be the outcome of World Youth Day: I hope there will be noise [espero lío].” He continued: Here in Rio there will be plenty of noise, no doubt about that. But I want you to make yourselves heard in your dioceses, I want your voices to go out, I want the church to go out into the streets, I want us to resist everything worldly, everything static, everything comfortable, everything to do with clericalism, everything that might make us closed in on ourselves.

Photo by Der Brauni, Flickr

According to the pope’s biographer, Austen Ivereigh, the Spanish expression espero lío has a particular meaning in Argentina, where going out into the streets to shout and bang saucepans indicates the people’s passion for a cause. Make some noise. Take to the streets. Stir things up. Or, as English-language headlines around the world proclaimed: Pope urges young people to “make a mess.”

Although the headline requires a bit of explanation, it nevertheless captures the spirit and energy that bursts forth whenever Pope Francis speaks with young people. In The Courage to Be Happy, (Orbis 2018) Robert Ellsberg draws together the pope’s World Youth Day speeches in Rio (2013) and Kraków (2016), along with his annual Youth Day messages, and his addresses at youth events in Italy, Korea, Paraguay, Uganda, and elsewhere.

None of these speeches constitutes a sophisticated theological treaHahnenberg | Book Notes

By Edward P. Hahnenberg Edward P. Hahnenberg, Ph.D., is the author of Awakening Vocation, Theology for Ministry and other titles. He teaches theology at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Summer 2018 | HORIZON | 27

tise—although every one contains theological insight.

Instead, the chapters read like little homilies, brief remarks in the pope’s characteristic style: direct, down-toearth, and frequently off the cuff. Given the repetition of themes and the mixed (sometimes colliding!) metaphors, this is not a book that you sit down and read straight through. Better to pick it up and read a little each day.

The sections are short, full of thoughts on life, love, and vocation. Each address offers a wonderful starting point for prayer, particularly for those young people in the midst of discerning a call.

In the book’s introduction, Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. describes Pope Francis as “an elderly person who has been young for a long time” (xiv). The pope’s ability to connect lies not so much in his knowing references to pop culture Will we, as Pope or sports, but rather in his Francis asks, be like that personal authenticity. He innkeeper in Bethlehem is honest about his limits, sincere in his desire to so long ago, who said share what he has learned, to those young people and always ready to listen from Nazareth, “There to what young people is no room for you have to say. I was struck here!”? Or will we adults by the number of times welcome the young?

Francis addresses youth by name—thanking Jun, Leandro, and Rikki for their words of welcome; pointing to a comment made by Manuel; or reflecting on Liz’s challenge of caring for her mother. Rather than pontificating from above, Francis meets young people where they are.

But he doesn’t leave them there. If there is one message that appears again and again, it is the pope’s challenge to youth to become active agents in the world— protagonists of change, protagonists of history, missionary disciples who live life fully, choosing to leave a mark (128). The worst thing, the pope repeats, is when young people “retire” before they turn twenty (53), when they confuse happiness with a sofa, becoming “couch potatoes” who retreat into what is comfortable and safe (132).

Instead of such “early retirement,” this soccer-loving pope calls young people to lace up and take the field (103), to risk high ideals, and to rebel against a society that sees everything as temporary, so that they can make one of the most counter-cultural moves for a young adult today, namely, to make a “definitive decision,” a life-long commitment in response to God’s call (109).

“The Lord is calling you today! Not the masses, but 28 | HORIZON | Summer 2018

you, and you, and you—each one of you” (100). Pope Francis tells the story of how when he was 17, on his way to go out with friends, he stopped at a church for confession. The encounter with the priest that day changed his life. “We keep looking for God, but God is there before us, always looking for us, and he finds us first” (163).

How do we learn to listen for God’s call? Pope Francis’ advice to young people is simple and surprising: Talk to your grandparents. Look for the good in other people.

Be a friend to your friends the way Jesus is a friend. Go to school. Try the works of mercy, one each month. Read the Bible. Become a little poorer. Look for trustworthy guides. Don’t be afraid to dream. Hope. Pray. And, when necessary, go out and make a mess!

As I finished The Courage to Be Happy, the news was full of images of young people taking to the streets in Washington, D.C., and in cities around the country, to demand a response from their elders to the scourge of gun violence plaguing our nation. Will we, as Pope Francis asks, be like that innkeeper in Bethlehem so long ago, who said to those young people from Nazareth, “There is no room for you here!” (187)? Or will we adults overcome “our own immaturity” and welcome the young into our conversations, into our politics, and into our church?

The pope writes, “Today, we adults need you to teach us, as you are doing today, how to live in diversity, in dialogue, to experience multiculturalism not as a threat but an opportunity. You are an opportunity for the future.

Have the courage to teach us, have the courage to show us that it is easier to build bridges than walls! We need to learn this” (129).

Will we say the same to those young people among whom we are privileged to work? Will we learn something from this fearless mess they are making? n

MINI REVIEW Pope Francis: a Man of his Word This 96-minute film is chock full of the wit and wisdom of Francis, much of it never before captured on film.

Similar to the book The Courage to Be Happy, this film is probably best digested in small pieces, as it’s difficult to consume so much dense, rich spirituality all at once.

The filmmaker turns an adoring, uncritical gaze on his subject, but if you’re a fan, you may not mind the lack of objectivity. Poignant moments from this pontificate are captured here, including the famous, “Who am I to judge?” and scenes of the Holy Father tenderly talking with poor individuals from various parts of the globe.

—Carol Schuck Scheiber Hahnenberg | Book Notes

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