The Catholic Standard & Times - ‘ … And my Son loves you’

‘ … And my Son loves you’

by Barbara Fitzgerald
Special to The CS&T

In an “i- world,” where young adults are surrounded with iPods and iTunes, and are able to instant message at will, a big challenge is getting them to unplug and find peace with the great “I AM.”

That was the message of a recent rally at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, where more than 400 Philadelphia area students in grades eight through 12 gathered for a day of prayer, song, and worship, centered on finding peace through Jesus in the Eucharist.

The rally, titled “iPeace,” was part of the Archdiocese’s “Fan the Fire” program. It challenged students to find authentic peace in a world that throws distractions at them from every angle.

“We came up with the theme because we were just looking at the fact that, with iPods, iFilms, and iTunes, it seems like the message of the world is that all this stuff — happiness, peace, love, joy — it all comes from within ourselves, apart from God,” said Scott Anthony, vice president of the Catholic Youth Foundation, which organized the rally.

“Actually that message is false,” Anthony said. “The only peace or love or joy or fulfillment is in Christ. So that’s what we’re offering up today.”

“I think it’s so good that they give us something we can relate to, because iPods are so common with everyone. That’s something on our level,” said Alyssa Kichula, a junior at Mount St. Joseph Academy in Flourtown.

The teenagers began the rally by watching a short video depicting an angry young man seeking peace through an ethereal song on his iPod. Whenever he was upset, he tried unsuccessfully to calm himself by withdrawing into a headset — which never gave him what he needed; then a friend suggested Jesus.

There followed a rousing talk by the musician and speaker, Father Stan Fortuna of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who challenged the students not to accept a peace that is false or ambiguous — something warm and fuzzy, but in the end, meaningless.

True peace, Father Stan said, quoting the late Pope John Paul II, comes from accepting the demands of love.

And who is Love? God.

A disruption of peace occurs when “Love is not loved,” he repeated throughout a talk that was infused with jazz rifts, Biblical readings, stories of St. Francis, and quotes from the late Pope and Mother Theresa.

So many people say, “‘Get rid of this person or these people and I will have peace.’ Or, ‘Solve this problem, and I will have peace,’” Father Stan said. “We make demands on God — ‘Fix it, fix it, fix it now. And if You’re not going to do it now, tell me when You’re going to do it — and do it when You tell me you’re going to do it, and I’ll have peace.’”

But peace does not mean the absence of conflict or suffering, he said: “Would you be open to the kind of peace that transcends what you understand?”

He said Jesus came to light a fire that is the fire of His love.

“God doesn’t love you half-way,” he added. “He doesn’t do anything in half-measures. When God does something, He does it with the fullness of who He is. … He is the fullness of love, and anything less than that will not give you peace.”

To partake of that love requires an examination of your life and the lives of those around you — family members, friends, and most importantly, yourself, he said: What is it that God is looking to change?

Along with Eucharistic adoration, confession and Mass, students at the event were able to attend a series of workshops focused on finding peace — in suffering, through Mary, in chaste love, and in accepting and practicing mercy.

They were also asked to pursue peace in discerning their vocation, whether that be to the married, single or consecrated religious life.

“I think it’s wonderful for students to come and see people that are excited about their faith … [and who] incorporate it into their normal, everyday life,” said Sister Rose Mulligan, assistant vocations director for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. “The other piece of this is that … it encourages them and they ask questions.”

Inviting teens to an encounter with God is really what John Paul II did, said Father Christopher Rogers, vocations director for the Archdiocese.

“I think [the rally] today provides — in a similar way and in a more local level — that encounter with God through confession and through the Eucharist, and in that they find their vocation,” Father Rogers said.

Speakers at the workshop that focused on finding peace through suffering cautioned the teenagers who attended not to buy into the false impression that peace can be found through wealth, fame, popularity or success.

That message resonated with Chris Landis, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

“I dealt a lot with trying to be popular in high school, trying to make new friends, trying to find peace in all those other things and not in Christ,” Landis said. Then, he said, “I saw those things that I was going after were not where I was going to find peace. …

“It’s a really important message — to start to work on your relationship with Christ, any little thing, just to get it moving,” he said. “It will grow. You’ll get close to Him a little bit, and He’ll draw you into that relationship, and it will become stronger and stronger and stronger.

“And He’ll be there when you need Him,” Landis added. “In high school years there are some tough times, and to have that is a great benefit.”

Mary, the mother of God, is the greatest example for students who want to draw closer to God, said Art Bamert, president of the Catholic Youth Foundation. He believes young adults have to realize that the struggle is the goal — and that such a day-to-day struggle is beautifully evident in the life of Mary.

Adults will help the young people in their lives by showing them that they also struggle and are still seeking perfection, Bamert said: “I think teens sometimes look at adults … and think, ‘You’ve got it all together. You’re so holy,’ and they don’t understand we struggle with prayer, we struggle with our temper, and we struggle with issues between our peers, just like they do. It doesn’t go away.”

Internets spots such as “MySpace” are vehicles that kids use to scream out “‘Notice me,’” he added.

Bamert said teenagers need to be told, “‘You’re so much more of a person than what your ‘MySpace’ profile is. … God not only notices you, but He knows you so intimately that He counts the hairs on your head.’”

“Nobody tells kids that any more,” Bamert said. “They don’t know this, and they just think, ‘Why would God pay attention to me?’

“And that’s where Mary comes in,” he said. “She’s a mom, who says, ‘I know, because I know my Son — and my Son loves you.’”

Barbara Fitzgerald is a freelance writer and a parishioner of St. Ignatius in Yardley. She can be reached at babsfitz@earthlink.net.