JESUS YOUTH | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2022

Author: Dr Edward Edezhath

Participation begins by listening to different voices

 ‘At this stage, gathering youth can be risky. They want only fun and play, not spirituality. But, even if we try no youth would come. And those who come will create problems.’ One priest spoke up strongly and many others supported this note of caution. The group was discussing if we should have a youth convention or not. This is from one of my early memories of starting a Charismatic Renewal youth ministry in the state, which eventually became Jesus Youth. 

In early May 1978, a letter came from Fr Fio from Mumbai suggesting that the newly constituted Charismatic team of Kerala, as their first step, have a large youth gathering. Later that month all senior leaders met at Thrissur to discuss the matter. As I hinted earlier, most of them were against the idea. Only three or four of us were youth and we did not even have the confidence to express our earnest wish to gather our friends. Sitting close to one another we could only pray amidst the onslaught of the ‘cautious wisdom’. 

Then, with his gentle beaming smile, Fr Justin raised his hand. ‘Look at these lovely youth.’ Pointing to our little group, he said. ‘If we can have a hundred like them, how wonderful it would be.’ Fr Thuruthimattom spoke next. ‘The Lord has some special plans with our youth, and he will surely use their enthusiasm.’ Then someone suggested, ‘Let us pray for a while.’ A little time of praise and then from here and there people started giving out messages. All of them were positive assurance from the Lord, speaking of bright future and abundance of harvest. Sr Cleopatra spoke up, ‘It is clear that the Lord wants us to gather youth.’

You can imagine the joy we experienced seeing the Lord’s intervention and the sea change in the group. Someone suggested to form a youth team. Three of us were nominated. I was asked to go around to see if we can get at least a hundred youth for the gathering that Fr Fio proposed.

Today when I look back this was one of the numerous occasions in the history of Jesus Youth when the Holy Spirit guided the community through a synodal process.

Participation is key to synodality

The Universal Church is now reflecting on synodality. Synod is a process of ‘journeying together’. The Church is to be synodal, and so the core spirit of the Church as well as every community in it is to be synodal. As we look back into the history of Jesus Youth movement, we realise how the Spirit of God has been teaching us the dynamics of synodality.

Synodal process happens in a community setting and its outcome is a renewed sense of mission, but central to this process is a participative approach. What then is participation? It is being actively involved in or the action of taking part in something. We immediately think of participation in the life of a community or taking one’s share in the daily responsibilities of a family. But most important of all, participation means people have a part in the decisions that affect their lives.

Harkening to the ‘still small voice’

In the first book of Kings, Prophet Elijah waits for the Lord but does not find him in the storm, earthquake, or fire, but only through a still small voice. This image becomes important in the synodal process. What does it signify? Faced with a challenge, problem or question a group of Christians gather seeking solutions or the Lord’s guidance about it. In these meetings we often hear big ideas and strong voices, but often the way forward is revealed from unexpected quarters through ‘still small voices’.

How do we reach these stirrings of the Holy Spirit? A conversion from ‘what we have always done’ and our big ideas to ‘His ways’ is important. An important part of this search is encouraging everyone to speak out. We have to tell the rebellious ones and the quiet ones ‘don’t hesitate; speak what is in your heart’ and slowly new paths open up. 

Participation in life and mission begins here

An attitude of ‘we leaders know and will tell you and you follow us’ is the big enemy of the growth of loving communities and a sense of mission. We call this attitude ‘elitism’ or ‘clericalism’. Vatican’s document on synodality says, ‘An ecclesial mentality shaped by synodal thinking joyfully welcomes and promotes the grace in virtue of which all the baptised are qualified and called to be missionary disciples  . . . avoiding the temptation of an excessive clericalism which keeps them [lay people] away from decision-making’ (# 104).

Group leaders having a synodal mentality realise the significance of participation of every person in the group and this leads to effective community building and formation of missionary disciples. This is the secret of missionary dynamism in Jesus Youth groups. But where is the starting point of this process? Basically, it is participative decision making and the path to this is seeking everyone’s ideas and opinions and giving freedom and encouragement to express them in the group. 

With respect and love

My Jesus Youth journey began soon after my school days. Then, we had never heard of ‘synodality’, yet we had numerous opportunities to gather, seek the Lord’s will and take decisions together.  I was very well conscious at that time of my own inexperience and the expertise those bigwigs among whom I was sitting. But that did not stop me from being impatient for change. My great blessing was that those giants around me humbly bent down to ask my opinions respectfully and listened carefully to immature ideas. This in turn helped me to grow, build close relationships and empowered me to take risks in mission. In brief this participative attitude is at the heart of the synodal process.

The discernment meeting of 1978 decided to give the youth a chance. The condition was that if we could get a hundred youth to come together, we would have the programme at the end of that year. A sum of ₹500 was set apart for my travel around to consult youth groups. The outcome was unbelievable: during the six months that followed we could forge together a network of hundreds of young people. For the December conference, not a hundred but eight hundred youth came.