JESUS YOUTH | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2025

Author: Dr Edward Edezhath

Bringing Jesus to a fast-changing youth world

As soon as this girl got into my car and settled down, she blurted out, “I cannot wait. Please tell me all about how Jesus Youth movement began. Everyone told me that you have been there from the beginning.” I was going to take a session for the “Jesus Youth Cultural Exchange” program and this young JY leader from Sri Lanka was traveling to the program venue with me. (For those who don’t know, Cultural Exchange is a monthlong exposure program that Jesus Youth Kerala organises every year for hundreds of young people from rural and tribal regions of India. 

I am quite used to this question about the beginnings of the movement. Over the years I have developed a narrative with quick focus on a few key milestones, like 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982 and 1985. The rest of the history is a quick glossing over. 

• In 1976 a group of us came together, and discovered a smiling, singing and friendly spirituality and took steps to continue it in a new youth group. 

• In 1978 a challenge in the form of a letter from Fr Fio to network and bring together young people. 

• In 1981 a new challenge was put forward by Fr Gino to develop a youth focused vision and also the need for a continuing search for it. This led to an informal, yet deeply committed fellowship called ‘the First Line group’. 

• This group, taking up a new challenge from Pope John Paul II, prepared a very creative conference, ‘Jesus Youth 85’, giving the movement a name and a direction. 

• During its keynote speech Fr Gino made the crowd chant, “I am a Jesus Youth” and in this way the name came to assume a new significance. Thus, the usual narrative goes on.

  
  

Each session of these story narrations brings in a flood of new light. A reflection of history helps us see God’s hand in ever newer ways. This time our discussion returned to the points of 1981, when Fr Gino challenged the Charismatic Service Team to have a focused approach for reaching out to young people and giving them formation. During this car journey the rest of the discussions were around that.

Revisit your approach to youth

In that September, the senior leaders had come together to plan a big national event slated for the following year. I was to prepare one thousand volunteers for all committees, but that seemed impossible. “But two years ago, you gathered a thousand youth and where are they now?” Fr Gino asked. You can bring youth together, but if you want them to continue and want them as future leaders you need some special approach. The usual Charismatic Renewal is not enough for youth, they need a special youth relevant spirituality. But often all of us think, we know what is good for them. The youth world is rapidly changing, so don’t let us presume that we know the content and the approach needed for the youth of today. All these discussions led to some very important steps. Interestingly, a team was formed that day to have wide consultations with young people and report back. I told this girl traveling with me, “I still have that report I presented to the KST”. She was so excited, “Can I sometime see it?”. “Sure!”.

‘We have to do something about our youth’. We hear this refrain at different levels of the Church and society. At national and international levels different forums discuss it; dioceses and parishes struggle with issues on youth guidance; city and village administration rack their heads; schools and neighbourhoods wonder how to help youth; and most of our families every now and then wonder about the best way to bring up the young. I often thank the Lord that we, in Jesus Youth movement, have learnt some very important lessons of youth guidance over the years. 

“What does the youth of today dislike the most?” I often ask youth groups. “Advice,” they usually reply. “But do you resent an advice from your charming and friendly companion?” “NOOO! We would love it”. So, what today’s generation run away from is not life-tips, but the context and manner in which it is offered to them. Where Jesus Youth ministry is effective, there, some people would invariably offer to youth some very essential help for life, but in a positive and joyful way. My companion in the car was immediately mentioning how some excellent young people left groups only because some of us were quite rigid and judgemental. 

Another important youth guidance tip: don’t presume to know it all! A disposition of love-enriched humility along with an attitude of sympathetic listening will help you discern fresh opportunities of being useful to young people. Children and youth of every place and age presents a different challenge as well as a fresh opportunity of creative endeavour. I believe, Jesus had such a disposition and a disciple surely needs the same approach. When the Lord spoke about wine and wine skins and stitching new patch to the old cloth, what else was he hinting at? (Mt 9:16,17) The heart of Youth Ministry is the very young Jesus and the ever-new ways in which Jesus is brought to the young, without losing the freshness of its flavour.

When we reached Ayroor, where the Cultural Exchange gathering was taking place, my friend was reluctant to get out of the car. “There is so much to learn about the way in which the Lord builds up Jesus Youth. And sorry we have to stop here.” “Surely, another time,” I assured her. “And I want to see that vision plan you all prepared after all the discussions”. I replied, “That’s not much, but I will show you, some time”. Surely God has a lot of dreams about young people and he challenges them in unique ways.