“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.” Dt 4:9
Anyone who goes to church regularly cannot ignore the lack of young people at the Sunday Eucharist, and though we should not reduce our faith to the obligation of weekly participation at mass, it is a clear indicator that the present generation has rejected or drifted away from of the practice of faith. Recent PEW research reminds us that when asked about their religious preference, "one-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever" (PEW 2014) in polling.
This phenomenon, while alarming, should not make us defensive, but ought to be a stimulus to our thinking and praying about how to announce the Gospel more effectively and passionately. We know that it is our obligation to keep the memory of God's love for us alive, especially as it became incarnate in Jesus, but we should not think that a more intense religious education will win the day. Rather, our witness to the Gospel in daily life, not our harping on the failure of young people to articulate their faith or to celebrate the Eucharist, is the best response we can offer to the next generation.
Today, pray to be more conscious of your role as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
What do you think is the most effective tool for evangelization in the 21st century?
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