Archive for May, 2007
A recent innovation on the Internet is the popularity of Catholic video podcasts (a.k.a. vodcasts) that show up on YouTube and other media as a means to spread the faith. For example, Philadelphia’s archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali used YouTube during Lent to provide brief video reflections on the gospels and recieved thousands of hits (visits).
I’m wondering about how catechists might be able to use YouTube to reach those we teach, not in place of teaching in person, but as a complement to it. Might catechists offer a brief reflection each week? A few practical suggestions for how to live the lesson taught that week? A brief summary of the lesson taught or a brief preview of the upcoming lesson? A question to ponder for the upcoming session?
I also wonder about legal issues and safe environment issues. What would catechists need to be most aware of in these areas to ensure that children are protected? What oversight do the DRE and pastor need to have? Catechists are agents of the parish community, not independent practicioners. What ramifications might this have on the extent to which a catechist can “teach” through YouTube?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue that I find truly fascinating and filled with potential.
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.).Click on the following to read:
Part One: The Decline of Social Rules
Part Two: Excessive Individualism
Part Three: You Can Be Anything You Want
Part Four: The Age of Anxiety
Part Five: The Attitude of “Yeah, Right…No Point in Trying”
Part Six: Sex - “Generation Crude”
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: the “equality revolution.”
The Equality Revolution – In terms of minorities, women, and gays, Gen Me is very tolerant and inclusive. That’s how they’ve been taught since their infancy. The whole idea of these groups struggling for acceptance is foreign to Gen Me. Gay relationships are no big deal. Women are considered equals and men and women Gen Me-ers more easily share roles when it comes to housework, etc. Girls have been just as involved in sports as boys throughout their lifetime. They don’t understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to Gays.
How Catechists Should Respond: This sense of equality is a good thing and is a strength of Gen Me that needs to be affirmed. At the same time, because Gen Me is growing up in a significantly more pluralistic society than previous generations, the danger of relativism is very real. In other words, Gen Me-ers are very quick to assume that we are all equal and that there are no differences between various groups of people. While this is good in terms of showing respect for all people, it can also cloud one’s approach to the practice of a particular faith tradition. Assuming that we are all the same can lead one to abandon one’s unique faith tradition. Gen Me is quick to assume that “we all pray to the same God” so “why bother with all of these external differences?”
The truth is that the key to unity is a recognition of diversity. In terms of ecumenical dialogue, progress is not made by ignoring our differences but by better understanding our own unique tradition so as to more intelligently dialogue with those of other traditions. In terms of morality, Pope Benedict XVI has warned against the dangers of moral relativism or the idea that moral principles have no objective standards.
Gen Me often considers adherence to a creed of essential truths as fundamentalism and therefore intolerant. They are prone to see belief as the cause of differences and conflict. As a result, unbelief is becoming popular. It is no surprise then that Gen Me is being lured by a “new atheism” (hence, the popularity of books such as God: The Failed Hypothesis – How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist by Victor J. Stenger; The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins; God is Not Great: The Case Against Religion by Christopher Hitchens; and Letter to a Christian Nation and The End of Faith by Sam Harris)
Bottom Line: Pope Benedict XVI has said very clearly that the antidote for relativism is faith which is belief in revealed truth. We can help Gen Me to overcome the temptation of relativism by helping them to recognize that, not only is there truth, but that we can understand this truth. To believe in truth, as revealed by God, is not to be equated with intolerance. Jesus tells us that he is truth (“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6). Truth, therefore, is found in relationship with Jesus, who reveals to us the face of God. To combat relativism and the “new atheism,” we need to embrace the call to engage in a “new evangelization,” inviting those we teach to a relationship with a loving and merciful God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.).
Click on the following to read:
Part One: The Decline of Social Rules
Part Two: Excessive Individualism
Part Three: You Can Be Anything You Want
Part Four: The Age of Anxiety
Part Five: The Attitude of “Yeah, Right…No Point in Trying”
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: “Generation Crude” - the author’s (Jean Twenge) description of Gen Me’s attitude toward sex compared to earlier generations.
Sex: Generation Crude – Because Gen Me is putting off marriage, they are seeking ways to avoid painful breakups that come with relationships while not “missing out” on the experience of sex. The result is “hooking up” which is having sex with someone you have no expectation of seeing or talking to again. Another is “friends with benefits” in which friends engage in sex strictly for the physical enjoyment. Gen Me-ers believe that sex takes practice and their attitude toward sex is very casual and relaxed. They have been exposed to extra-marital sex on TV for their entire lives and find it perfectly acceptable.
How Catechists Should Respond: What Gen Me will NOT listen to is a blanket condemnation of their sexual attitudes. They will simply dismiss this as being “out of step” and “out of touch” with reality. Gen Me does not need to hear the Church preaching about how sex is wrong, but about what a marvelous, wonderful gift it is and how that gift must be respected and protected. Gen Me needs to hear the Church talking about how God does not “look the other way” when his creatures have sex. God is not embarrassed about sex. God “invented” sex! God gave it to us as a gift. Gen Me needs to hear that Catholics consider sex between a husband and wife to be an encounter with divinity…it is a sacrament through which the divine is encountered in the same way that we encounter God in all the sacraments. We encourage frequent reception of the Eucharist. Gen Me should hear the Church encouraging married couples to have frequent sex!
Gen Me is not shy when it comes to talking about sex. They need to see and hear from married Catholic couples talking with ease and comfort about sex. They need to hear us teach that sexual expression involves the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul, and that we only fool ourselves when we approach it as something purely physical. A good place to look for language to talk about the Catholic understanding of sexuality is the writings of Pope John Paul II on the Theology of the Body.
Bottom Line: We have our work cut out for us on this one. Because of the Priest sex abuse crisis, the Church has lost a great deal of credibility when it comes to speaking about sex. That’s why I believe firmly that we married lay people need to talk more about this wonderful gift in our lives. Sex is a part of our vocation…it is part of our calling. It is our encounter with the divine. We need to help Gen Me hear God calling them to this vocation and to this wonderful gift.
Pardon me if I don’t blog for a couple of days…this weekend is my daughter’s high school graduation! I’ll be back on May 29.
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.).
Click on the following to read:
Part One: The Decline of Social Rules
Part Two: Excessive Individualism
Part Three: You Can Be Anything You Want
Part Four: The Age of Anxiety
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: the attitude of “Yeah, right. No point in trying.”
Yeah, Right…No Point in Trying – Gen Me has so much exposure to events and circumstances (cable news, 24/7) that seem so far out of their control that their response is often, “why bother?” They have a pervasive cynicism that serves to protect their self-esteem. They have little sense of control and feel very little use for protesting and voting. They tend to blame others and make excuses in order to protect their self-esteem. The victim mentality is prevalent in Gen Me. As a whole, the prophetic charism is lacking as they see little possibility of bringing about change on a large-scale basis.
How Catechists Should Respond: Working for a better world is not about control but is about doing the will of God, even when it seems futile. Author Stephen Covey talks about “principle-centered” leadership, emphasizing that “Real character development begins with the humble recognition that we are not in charge, that principles ultimately govern.” Catholic Social Teaching provides us with principles for living in harmony with our world and with one another, not in order to control, but in order to live as God wants us to live. Briefly, here are seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching as outlined by the U.S. bishops:
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
We are called to ask whether our actions as a society respect or threaten the life and dignity of the human person.
Call to Family, Community, and Participation
As the central social institution of our society the family must be supported and strengthened.
Rights and Responsibilities
The only way to protect human dignity and to live in a healthy community is for each of us to accept our responsibility to protect those rights in our own interactions.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
We are called to defend and promote the dignity of those who are poor and vulnerable and meet their immediate material needs.
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The basic rights of workers must be respected: the right to productive work, to fair wages, to private property, to organize and join unions, and to pursue economic opportunity.
Solidarity
Because God is our Father, we are all brothers and sisters with the responsibility to care for one another.
Care for God’s Creation
God is the creator of all people and all things and he wants us to enjoy his creation. The responsibility to care for all God has made is a requirement of our faith.
Bottom Line: We can help Gen Me to overcome the temptation to “not bother” by helping them to see the importance of living a principle-centered life. In the movie , Saint Thomas More explains to his daughter the importance of holding on to principles: “when a man takes an oath, Meg, he’s holding his own self in his hands like water. And if he opens his fingers then, he needn’t hope to find himself again.” Living according to principles is not a matter of control but is a matter of character. For a generation motivated by success, this type of thinking is very challenging. It is a completely radical approach to motivation.
Personally, I find this type of thinking best exemplified in my own experience by the late Fr. Larry Craig who worked in prison ministry for many years. When asked how many lives he turned around, Fr. Larry said, “Let’s see…15 years, about 5000 inmates I’ve worked with….I’d say six.” When I asked him what motivated him to keep going when he had such a low “success” rate, he replied, “I do it because it’s the right thing to do. Jesus said, ‘When I was in prison, you visited me.’”
Now, THAT’S principle-centered!
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.).
Click on the following to read:
Part One: The Decline of Social Rules
Part Two: Excessive Individualism
Part Three: You Can Be Anything You Want
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: “the age of anxiety”
The Age of Anxiety – Gen Me has more than other generations but feels worse (in terms of the rates of depression and loneliness). Although they have been relatively free from major traumas such as the World Wars and Vietnam, they are anxious. This is a result of the disproportionate focus on self which magnifies ones’ own disappointments. Gen Me has less of a sense of perspective when it comes to their own disappointments. As a result of putting themselves first and having so much freedom, they experience more loneliness and isolation. They are marrying later and thus experiencing a longer adolescents with more painful break-ups of relationships. Gen Me has more anxiety and stress in relation to college acceptance and job searching because they have such high expectations (that leads to bigger disappointments). They tend to lack the following: stable close relationships, a sense of community, a feeling of safety, and a simple path to adulthood and the workplace.
How Catechists Should Respond: One of the phrases that appears most often in the Bible is “be not afraid” or variations such as “fear not,” “do not fear,” and so on. It would seem that Gen Me is not the first generation to experience fear and anxiety. However, it appears that anxiety is magnified for Gen Me because of their very high expectations which are often unrealistic.
As catechists, we can offer Gen Me an antidote to anxiety and despair: trust in God. Although we have justifiable fears about how dangerous our world can be, we tend to have a much greater fear: we fear that God’s love will not be enough for us. We do not trust that God’s grace is all we need. And so we search for things to place our trust in, only to be betrayed by their inability to satisfy us. Through it all, God invites us to return to him and to place our trust in him. Why is this so hard for Gen Me? Because to trust someone is to admit dependence on them. Gen Me’s focus on the self and independence leaves little room for trust.
We can help Gen Me to cope with anxiety by instilling an attitude of trust. This attitude is highlighted in our Creed and in the Lord’s Prayer. When we say the words, “We believe in one God,” we are saying that we trust God. To pray the words of the creed at Mass is to proclaim a relationship. All too often we think of the creed as a list of doctrinal statements to which we have sworn intellectual assent and adherence. Perhaps if we mentally inserted the word trust wherever the word, believe appears, we would have a different understanding of what it means to profess our faith.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray the words, “Thy will be done.” Four simple words. And yet these are among the hardest words to utter, especially for Gen Me. To say, “thy will be done,” is to surrender. That’s something that we don’t do very readily. This world teaches us to fight for control, to win at all costs, to never give in. TV reality shows suggest that they key to survival is the ability to exert one’s will over that of the other contestants. We need to help Gen Me understand that to say “thy will be done” is not a sign of weakness but rather is the only thing that can truly make us strong. Why? Because God’s will is the driving force of the universe. Conspiring with God’s will is the ultimate strategy for strength. Standing in the way of God’s will is the ultimate folly. As we strive to become more like Jesus, the next logical step is to pray in the words that he used and that he taught us: “Thy will be done.”
Bottom Line: Dependence is beneficial when the one we are dependent on is stronger than we are. To be like a child before God is to realize that God is stronger than we are and that we are in need of his protection. It is no coincidence that right after we pray the Lord’s Prayer, the priest prays that we will be protected from all anxiety. Anxiety results whenever we face something or someone that we feel ill equipped to deal with. When we pray that God’s will be done, and acknowledge that all power belongs to him, we have no more reason to be anxious. And when we are not anxious, we are capable of hope and are filled with peace—the peace of Christ. This is what we can offer to Gen Me!
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.).
Click on the following to read:
Part One: The Decline of Social Rules
Part Two: Excessive Individualism
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: the belief that “you can be anything you want to be”
You Can Be Anything You Want – More than any previous generation, Gen Me has a focus on the self. Since they were very young, Gen Me-ers have been given choices that other generations were not given. Rather than being raised to fit into and contribute to society, Gen Me has been raised to take advantage of opportunity. They have been told to never give up on their dreams and that they can be anything they want to be as long as they put their minds to it. They experience very little regret as long as they feel they did their best. The focus on self has led Gen Me to an obsession with appearance (tattoos, piercings, etc.) Materialism has a high priority for Gen Me.
How Catechists Should Respond: Two things from our Catholic Tradition come to mind when thinking of how we can minister to Gen Me with regards to these issues.
The first is our tradition of an examination of conscience. This practice is an honest self-assessment, recognizing where and how our limitations may have hurt others. Unlike tattoos and piercings that “cover up”, the examination of conscience reveals the truth which sets us free.
The second is the Catholic tradition of living with a spirit of poverty. Gen Me’s notion that they can be anything they want translates into a desire to have everything they want. Materialism, a problem for all generations, is a particularly acute problem for Gen Me. Living with a spirit of poverty is an attitude of detachment from material things. Cheryl Crow captured the essence of this spirit in her song Soak Up the Sun when she sang “It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.”
Bottom line: It’s good to dream dreams and to think great thoughts. It is also very important to have realistic expectations and a healthy sense of limitations. Embracing limitations is OK…in fact it is a key to emotional and spiritual health which is all about surrender and not accumulation. We can help Gen Me to steer clear of the pitfalls of opportunism and materialism by inviting them to recognize how God’s grace comes to us when we let go of other things and to recognize that this grace is everything we need
On May 18, I began a 7-part series, offering some thougts about how to teach the Catholic faith to “Generation Me” (those born in the 70s through the 90s; Generation Me, Jean Twenge, M.D.). Click here to read the intro and part 1.
Today, we address another unique characteristic of Generation Me: excessive individualism.
Individualism – Since the time they were very young, Gen Me-ers have been bombarded with messages intended to boost self-esteem. It is imperative that they feel good about themselves. This focus on self-esteem, while well-intentioned, has resulted in a dramatic increase in individualism and narcissism. Gen Me celebrates the individual with an unshakable belief that they are important. The message is: believe in yourself, be yourself, express yourself because you are special.
How Catechists Should Respond – Our self-esteem comes, not from a notion of self-importance, but from the knowledge that we are loved by God even though we are not worthy. In other words, our self-esteem is not a focus on the self as an individual but on the self in relationship with God. In Catholic tradition, self-esteem takes a back seat to humility. It is in the realization of our limitations – our lowliness – that we become open to the grace of God which truly fulfills us. Our finest example of this humility, of course, is Mary, who, in finding out that she is to be the mother of the Lord, directed praise, not to herself but to God, calling herself the handmaid of the Lord. Mary does not magnify her own greatness, but the greatness of God that is being manifested in her life.
To put it bluntly, Catholic spirituality teaches us the following message: it’s not about you. This is not to put down the individual but to put the individual into context: as a member of the community. To be Catholic is to be a member of the Body of Christ. We are not just a loosely connected fellowship of like-minded people. We are organically linked to one another in Christ.
Bottom Line: we need to help Gen Me see the value in humility and to understand that humility is not the act of beating our selves up but of acknowledging that we are in the presence of someone greater than our selves. By inviting Gen Me to consider the virtue of humility, we can help them to recognize and embrace their true limitations while at the same time recognizing the grace of God that comes to us in our weakness. By inviting Gen Me to practice humility, we can help them to recognize their need for community and thus overcome the narcissism and individualism that comes from excessive self-esteem.
Recently I had the pleasure of reading Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before (Jean M Twenge, M.D., Free Press, 2006). In her book, Dr. Twenge, herself a member of “Generation Me” (aka, Millennials, Gen Y), those born in the 70s through the 90s, uses findings from a large intergenerational research study (1.3 million respondents over six decades) to reveal how profoundly different today’s young adults are.
Dr. Twenge comments on seven specific unique characteristics of Generation Me (Gen Me) which I have summarized in my own words below. Following each is my own commentary on what this means for us as catechists who are seeking to proclaim the Gospel to a new generation. (Over the next 7 days or so, I’ll post one characteristic per day).
- The Decline of Social Rules – Rather than social rules, behavior for Gen Me is driven by individual needs. The rallying cry is “Just do it” and “don’t care what others think.” Gen Me-ers are non-conformists and being different is seen as a virtue. A result of all of this is a decline in manners and a willingness to ignore social taboos.
How Catechists Should Respond: God’s very essence is selfless love. God gave us his only Son. Jesus gave us his life. The Holy Spirit gives us his constant guidance and presence. God loves us with an enduring selfless love. We need to proclaim this selfless love to Gen Me and work with them to see that the only appropriate response to God’s selfless love is our own selfless love for God and for others. Social rules are not simply a way of behaving appropriately in order to conform but are ways we express our selfless love and respect for others as a response to God’s selfless love for us and in recognition of being created in the image and likeness of God.
The people of Israel were jubilant when God gave them the Law on Mount Sinai because they saw it as a sign of how much God loved them and wanted to care for them. We need to proclaim to Gen Me that the Commandments are a gift from God, to protect us from ourselves and from one another when selfishness prevails.
We need to proclaim to Gen Me that we are not called to conformity for the sake of conformity but, rather, are called to conform to Christ who is the perfect revelation of God. By conforming to Christ, we find our true selves and most clearly reflect the image of God.
Bottom line: we need to help Gen Me see that rules do not bind and restrict us, but rather allow us to truly be free. Here’s a metaphor: Let’s say I want to be free to enjoy a good game of golf. However, I am trapped (enslaved) by my inability to swing the club properly. If I get coaching from a golf pro, he or she will teach me the rules of a good golf swing. If I follow these rules, I will be free to truly enjoy the game of golf. In the same way, social rules (and the Commandments in general) free us from our inability to fully engage with and enjoy our neighbors.
I mentioned in my post yesterday how, in many places of the world, the catechist is seen as one of the most respected people in the Catholic community because he or she is the one who forms disciples of Jesus.
The flipside of this prominence is that, in some countries where the Gospel is a threat to the political and economic status quo, catechists are seen as a threat and they are often singled out as the primary target of violence and even murder.
Today we celebrate the feast of one such person: Saint Peter Lieou, a Chinese native, a convert to Catholicism, and a catechist who was martyred in 1834 during the persecution of Christianity by the Chinese government.
Most of us catechists in the United States do not take our lives into our own hands when we go to teach. This is not true in some parts of the world. May we take inspiration from those catechists who place their lives on the line to impart a way of life that they and we hold firmly as the way to salvation.
