JESUS YOUTH | KAIROS GLOBAL | AUGUST 2018

Author: Dr Edward Edezhath

In Jesus Youth, why this emphasis on Self Awareness?

One of the first memorable trainings in the movement was by Fr Gino Henruques in January 1982. At that time, he was the Chairman of the National Service Team (NST) of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in India. He was a well-known management specialist and a leadership trainer. After taking up his responsibility in the NST, he started challenging different teams to streamline their vision and working style. His historic sitting with the Kerala Service Team in September 1981 resulted in appointing a working team to formulate a vision for youth coordination. One of the main suggestions of the working team was to give a comprehensive training for the youth leadership of the time.

The first Self Awareness program

This pathbreaking leaders training was held from January 22-26 1982 at CRC Manjummel, near Cochin. About a hundred youth, selected from all parts of the state came for the training. Kerala was already divided into 14 areas or zones, and each of them had a coordination set-up including a team. These zonal teams selected the participants and they were asked to meet together and come prepared with a piece of dramatic presentation when they came for the training. The idea was that they would already know one another in a creative setting and look forward to some activity during the bigger gathering.

The four day training mainly focused on self-awareness and was an eye-opener for all. Until that time the programs were mainly Bible based theological reflections and music rich prayer sessions, but Fr Gino’s approach was more of self-analysis, with firm basis on the Bible and psychology. During the sessions we would go into buzz groups every ten or fifteen minutes to share and listen to the bits of insights we had. Indirectly, this was bringing out a lot of personal openness and also very effectively building up the community. Those days were so very enjoyable and insightful. In the Charismatic Retreats of those days, there was already a

practice of setting apart one session for emotional or inner healing, often followed by an adoration to pray over past hurt experiences. This present training was also in the same line, but with much greater breadth and depth.

Some of the insights from this training have since been used often in the ensuing years in all Jesus Youth programs. People are unsteady and vacillate in life because they lack self awareness. Our experience of God has to deepen through times of reflection and reworking life through the growing awareness. We have to continuously ask this question ‘Who am I?’. I am unique. But from our early childhood we are often compared with others and we too compare ourselves with others. This often results in feelings of inferiority and unhealthy competition. The antidote is this – remember that the loving Father has created us in His ‘image and likeness’ and each of us is very special and beautiful. Discover that beauty. When we learn to accept ourselves, we will accept others as well. This self-acceptance is thus the basis of a healthy mutual love. The discovery of my own special-ness and the special gifts the Lord has given me, in turn leads to finding my special call in life. We build communities and ministries by discovering our personal charisms and connecting them with the gifts of others around us.

The follow up training

The four day program was so life-changing that all others who learned about it wanted to go through such a training. As Fr Gino was the main resource person all the sessions had to be in English, but as the majority of leaders were from the rural areas with no proficiency in English, there was also an immediate need to have one program in the vernacular, Malayalam. From among the people who attended the January training a few got together to prepare for another leaders training in the same mode as the first one.

The Malayalam language self-awareness training was held in July 1982 at S.H. College, Thevara, in which about 250 participants from all parts of Kerala attended. A number of participants from the first program helped in the second training as resource persons and also as volunteers. From provision buying to cooking, serving and washing, they were all very actively involved. In other words, the whole program had an atmosphere of a joyful family setting. This rich ambience together with very effective sessions made the program another milestone in

building the network of Charismatic youth in the state.

One unexpected outcome of the July ’82 training was the formation of the ‘First Line Group’. With the help of our senior team member C C Alicekutty, I made a list of 18 very active leaders who organized the training and asked each of them if they were interested in forming a committed fellowship that would grow and minister together. They all eagerly agreed. The group started meeting on the third weekend of every month. This group continued to meet for about 5 years and laid the foundations of a fast growing network, which in a couple of years began to be called the Jesus Youth movement.

An attitude and life orientation

After the initial rapport building time of the ‘First Line’, we thought of giving trainings to the growing ranks of leaders in the movement. In early 1983, a four day training package was prepared by a team. It was called KYP – Know Yourself Program. The twin emphases of this formation initiative were self-awareness and leadership training. Here also our emphasis was on imparting an attitude of reflection and a joyful lifestyle. The input sessions were broken into short reflections followed by quick buzz-group sharing. The whole training was the outreach of a big joyful team with no segregation or hierarchy based on expertise or ‘visitor-speakers’. There

were a lot of songs, games and self-discovery journeys. The prayer sessions and training in the use of charisms of the Spirit gave spiritual depth to these vivacious and youthful periods of learning. For a crowd that was quite used to preaching and charismatic missions, this was a very surprising and a life transforming change.

All this happened almost 35 years ago. But that surely set the tone and style of the movement. This was a shift from ‘preaching’ to ‘reflection’. Often spiritual instruction can be others telling us what we ‘have to do’. After a time this ‘others telling us’ can create some puppets of believers. But a culture of ‘reflection’ helps me to ask who I am, who the Lord is and where I have to go. Difficult questions may come up in a path of such search, but with openness and loving fellowship this will lead to richer life of faith and commitment.

This topic as well as the dynamics of self-awareness has continued to build Jesus Youth movement. The topic in its different shades finds place in almost all trainings. This reflective + awareness dynamic has built the very foundations of Jesus Youth. Personalizing one’s faith and an emphasis on a daily personal plan of growth has led to the idea of six pillars. Starting with the 1982 Self Awareness Training the formation programs have become quite creative and very much out of the rut. And since then there has been clear emphasis on finding one’s own personal call and getting ready for one’s own unique mission. The topic as well as the life orientation of self-awareness should always enrich lives in the movement.

Dr. Edward Edezhath, one of the pioneers of Jesus Youth movement, is a retired professor from St. Albert's College, Ernakulam. He is one of the Animators of the International Council. He lives with his wife Audrey in Kochi, India.