Promises, Promises

I wasn't Catholic at the time I attended Catholic high school, but what I most remember about "youth ministry" is how much my friends (who for the most part were Catholic) and I despised any adults who tried to be "relevant" to us. That and projects aimed at raising self-esteem. Hated those. By the time I was 9 I already figured the meaning of life had to be more than "Me. Me. Me." Mike Aquilina describes the successful youth ministry of the Church Fathers --capable of inspiring thousands of conversions and even martyrdoms among the young.

How did the Fathers do it?
They made wild promises.
They promised young people great things, like persecution, lower social status, public ridicule, severely limited employment opportunities, frequent fasting, a high risk of jail and torture, and maybe, just maybe, an early, violent death at the hands of their pagan rulers. The Fathers looked young people in the eye and called them to live purely in the midst of a pornographic culture. They looked at some young men and women and boldly told them they had a calling to virginity. And it worked. Even the pagans noticed how well it worked.

That's what the drive-by media never understand when they cover World Youth Day or similar events. No one's going to give himself over for something easy; people --especially young people-- need a big dream, something that's worthy of engaging the whole heart. Engaging the young has nothing to do with teaching them hippie hymns beloved of Boomers. It's a matter of making wild promises.