A bored young catholic

Anonymous asked this question:

Hi ye all!

I think the RC church would full up and people would pay entrance if the clergy gets modernized in their reunions.

Don’t you think the mass is pretty boring? Always the same!!! No variations!!!! And the parents oblige you to attend.

Why don’t they play rock? Young people we would like it! Some strobe lights! I have heard some churches have chicks dancing. That would be nice!

You can add some more thoughts how to modernize mass.

Please help the young people!

See ya!

A bored Catholic

Answer:

Man oh Man you got a problem. Let me tell you something:

Some 30 years ago in midst of the rip and roar of the liturgical adaptations after the Vatican Council I was responsible for the youth area of my parish. My God, we did some things:

We changed the music and thank God we took the tunes of Negro Spirituals. They had rhythm and the words were easy to spaniolize. We armed at the back of the Church a giant Screen and escorted the prayers and the Bible readings with wonderful images, photos and collages. We had background music and meditations for young people. We taught yoga, Zen and other oriental stuff. Boy we were modern. I remember after one of those silent meditations a guy told me: Please, couldn’t you put some cushions in the corner of the church." You can imagine what for…

The Lord bestowed on me one privilege that is very rare here in Latin American. I have worked almost 30 years with the same parish in different ministries. So I have observed various generations. I am blessing now the marriages of the children of the marriages I blessed 30 years ago. If I resist some additional year the wear and the tear of this life I will bless the marriage of the grandchildren. I have watched the generations and the development of their faith. Here in Peru they say: "More knows the devil for being old than for being the devil". I have seen it.

It does not work. Those who were foremost in these then newfangled things – boy you are resurrecting things we buried 20 years ago! – almost all had to be recovered. All the noise and the movies and the togetherness and touch and pray and sing along has not been able to give them the most important thing, FAITH. Forget it if you are looking for something that smells, tastes and feels like the presence of God by your idea of modernizing the church. It doesn’t work. You won’t find it the way you are trying to.

And it is not your fault, brother (or is it sister?), and at least not all your fault. When you overtrain one ability generally the other senses shrivel. Probably your "hearing for music" is in overdrive. And probably you are hear impaired and once married you will have to install amplification because you will not wake up when the baby cries. And when your wife or husband whispers sweet things into your ear you will have to say: "Come on, speak up!", and romance will vanish. Too much decibels in young years! So you can’t hear the spoken word. Your "hearing for words" is atrophied. How many times has your mother to repeat things to you? It is not your fault, at least not all your fault.

I am sorry. The solution goes through the "hearing for words." It’s in the Bible:

Romans:  "But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ⁹ That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹ As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" ¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:  "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." But concerning Israel he says,  "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." 

I bet you haven’t believed in your heart and much less professed with your mouth. And don’t tell me you haven’t heard the message pronounced. You have, if your parents obliged you to participate in mass. The problem is you are not brain damaged but faith damaged because you were too busy being rebellious. And instead of growing up in your faith you grew down.

Is there a therapy for you? Yes and for two reasons: God loves you and your parents are praying for you.

Would you care to take a calculated risk? Nobody will take away your free will. That is the calculation about the risk I am offering you. The risk? Well, you could experience a "crush", magic, thrill, and obsession regarding Christ. That is the risk. It IS dangerous because you could finish up as a saint. Just kidding. I don’t want to scare you off. But I guarantee that you will not be bored ever again. You will fight it out with the Lord, you may feel resentment against Him, you will protest, you will cajole, you will reason with Him, you will perhaps be stubborn and mute before Him. But you will never ever be bored again. Isn’t that worth the risk? And any time you can jig out if it all. When it becomes too dangerous…

If you want to take that risk read the chapter 11 of Romans and come back with your discovery: Where did you recognize yourself? I will hurry you on then.

And be careful. Don’t take down the Bible in the full view of your parents. They might faint.