If we want to see the future now,
what we have to do is to
look at our youth today. Yes, the youth indeed hold the key to what is
to come. How they are now determines to a certain extent the character
of the world in the next generation. And so we need to see to it that
our young ones receive the proper formation now.
This is the challenge we, the elders, have. Preparing the
youth for the future is a task that is becoming more exciting, more
daunting, precisely because of the complicated issues that practically
wrap the world today.
As recent Popes have been saying for some time now, the
world ethos today seems to be saturated with what is more technically
known as moral relativism. It’s an attitude, a mentality, and even a
lifestyle and culture that banishes any moral absolutes, while making
tolerance an absolute law to follow.
It ultimately boils down to denying the existence of God,
and to the belief that things just depend completely on us. So,
morality or what is to be considered good or bad would just be a
matter of opinions, consensus, and would just be based on such
criteria as practicality, popularity, convenience, and the like.
In the end, we are making ourselves our own God. We deny
that we are creatures, that our existence is something given and
received, not self-generated. We deny that we need to be with God
always, to put our mind and heart on him.
With this mindset, a good part of the world, especially
the more developed Western part, has gone to the extent of legalizing
abortion, mercy-killing, same-sex marriage, etc.
If we are not careful, this scourge is going to enter our
own country also. There are already clear signs. The RH Law, touted
Divorce bill that some groups are pushing, the same-sex marriage buzz
that we hear around—these are symptoms of an emerging moral confusion
that threatens to be made part of our law and culture.
We have to give due attention to our youth today,
equipping them with the means that would help them tackle the great
responsibility before them. I was happy to learn that a big group of
young people went to a UN conference sometime ago and made their
voices heard. They were complaining about a document, still in the
making, that contained precisely questionable moral positions. That's
a good sign.
In fact, we need to reclaim the original meaning of
morality, human sexuality, marriage, etc., in order to help the youth
extricate themselves from the elaborate spin used by those with the
mindset of moral relativism.
Caring for the youth is no easy task at all. My own
experience with dealing with young college students for many years
indicates that they need abiding attention, a lot of patience and
understanding, a good amount of flexibility and creativity, and at the
same time, an unwavering hold on the faith and the doctrines that go
with it.
Each one has to be handled in a very personal way. Away
with putting them in boxes and branding and stereotyping them. Once
this personal relationship is established, then things can be expected
to go far.
The young people need constant encouragement. They
sometimes strike me as toddlers who are still learning to walk
properly—in the moral and spiritual life. They can be up one moment,
and down the next moment. But they have a lot of energy to go on.
We just have to make sure that they are given the solid
dose of formation in all its aspects—human, spiritual, doctrinal,
apostolic and professional. We have to make sure that these aspects
are properly integrated through the impulse of a genuine love for God
and for others, because only then can they acquire a life and
creativity of their own.
Caring for the youth actually never stops. It's not just
one stage in a life-long process. We just have to make it clear to
them that our life requires continuing formation, continuing
conversions and renewals.
In their weak moments or when they are down, we have to be
quick to re-motivate them, showing them new horizons and strong
reasons to hope. We have to show them the way, getting practical
ourselves and not just remaining in the theories.
We should try to adapt ourselves to them, and if possible
to speak their language, without abdicating our role as elders and
teachers. In the end, we can only help them properly if we ourselves
take care of own spiritual and moral lives. We can't give what we
don't have.
look at our youth today. Yes, the youth indeed hold the key to what is
to come. How they are now determines to a certain extent the character
of the world in the next generation. And so we need to see to it that
our young ones receive the proper formation now.
This is the challenge we, the elders, have. Preparing the
youth for the future is a task that is becoming more exciting, more
daunting, precisely because of the complicated issues that practically
wrap the world today.
As recent Popes have been saying for some time now, the
world ethos today seems to be saturated with what is more technically
known as moral relativism. It’s an attitude, a mentality, and even a
lifestyle and culture that banishes any moral absolutes, while making
tolerance an absolute law to follow.
It ultimately boils down to denying the existence of God,
and to the belief that things just depend completely on us. So,
morality or what is to be considered good or bad would just be a
matter of opinions, consensus, and would just be based on such
criteria as practicality, popularity, convenience, and the like.
In the end, we are making ourselves our own God. We deny
that we are creatures, that our existence is something given and
received, not self-generated. We deny that we need to be with God
always, to put our mind and heart on him.
With this mindset, a good part of the world, especially
the more developed Western part, has gone to the extent of legalizing
abortion, mercy-killing, same-sex marriage, etc.
If we are not careful, this scourge is going to enter our
own country also. There are already clear signs. The RH Law, touted
Divorce bill that some groups are pushing, the same-sex marriage buzz
that we hear around—these are symptoms of an emerging moral confusion
that threatens to be made part of our law and culture.
We have to give due attention to our youth today,
equipping them with the means that would help them tackle the great
responsibility before them. I was happy to learn that a big group of
young people went to a UN conference sometime ago and made their
voices heard. They were complaining about a document, still in the
making, that contained precisely questionable moral positions. That's
a good sign.
In fact, we need to reclaim the original meaning of
morality, human sexuality, marriage, etc., in order to help the youth
extricate themselves from the elaborate spin used by those with the
mindset of moral relativism.
Caring for the youth is no easy task at all. My own
experience with dealing with young college students for many years
indicates that they need abiding attention, a lot of patience and
understanding, a good amount of flexibility and creativity, and at the
same time, an unwavering hold on the faith and the doctrines that go
with it.
Each one has to be handled in a very personal way. Away
with putting them in boxes and branding and stereotyping them. Once
this personal relationship is established, then things can be expected
to go far.
The young people need constant encouragement. They
sometimes strike me as toddlers who are still learning to walk
properly—in the moral and spiritual life. They can be up one moment,
and down the next moment. But they have a lot of energy to go on.
We just have to make sure that they are given the solid
dose of formation in all its aspects—human, spiritual, doctrinal,
apostolic and professional. We have to make sure that these aspects
are properly integrated through the impulse of a genuine love for God
and for others, because only then can they acquire a life and
creativity of their own.
Caring for the youth actually never stops. It's not just
one stage in a life-long process. We just have to make it clear to
them that our life requires continuing formation, continuing
conversions and renewals.
In their weak moments or when they are down, we have to be
quick to re-motivate them, showing them new horizons and strong
reasons to hope. We have to show them the way, getting practical
ourselves and not just remaining in the theories.
We should try to adapt ourselves to them, and if possible
to speak their language, without abdicating our role as elders and
teachers. In the end, we can only help them properly if we ourselves
take care of own spiritual and moral lives. We can't give what we
don't have.
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