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Jesus Youth: A Simple Turning to the Lord

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In Jesus Youth, prayer is meant to balance a friendly, joyful exterior with a clearly ordered interior flow. To an outsider, the group may simply appear warm, connected, and caring. But within, the prayer gently moves forward, step by step, forming a meaningful whole.

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How We Pray in Jesus Youth:

I once heard Sibin share his encounter experience. Growing up in a Catholic family, prayer and spirituality were not new to him. But early in his youth, when a season of deep darkness came over him, he felt completely lost. In God’s providence, he came across a group of young people and joined one of their gatherings. As they sat together, some of them began to talk to the Lord in a very natural manner.

‘They spoke to Jesus in a very personal way, as if He were a friend sitting there in front of them,’ Sibin said. ‘That was so cool!’ he thought. ‘I, too, want to have that kind of warm, personal relationship with God.’ That simple experience set him on a renewed journey – one that radically changed everything in his life.

This is often how prayer begins in Jesus Youth: not with methods or techniques, but with a simple turning of the heart to the Lord.

The Heart of the Movement

‘These people are so prayerful. That’s why I love Jesus Youth.’ When a sister once said this enthusiastically, I didn’t know whether to feel happy or uneasy. Happy, because she loved these young people and sensed their depth and sincerity. Uneasy, because if Jesus Youth were understood merely as a group of young people who pray a lot, something essential would be missing.

A good Jesus Youth, to me, is mission-driven, joy-filled, and prayerful – a person and a community alive in the Spirit and oriented outward. That was what moved Sibin so deeply, and that is often what touches others whenever Jesus Youth reaches out. Prayer in JY is never an end in itself; it fuels mission, joy, and loving service.

One Prayer, Many Expressions

To understand the distinct Jesus Youth approach to prayer, we need to see it in its various expressions. A person turns to the Lord:

• personally, in one’s own quiet time

• communally, in a friendly and faith-filled gathering

• through mission, in concrete encounters with people and their needs

David, a parish trustee and active in Jesus Youth, is a good example. When people in his parish are deeply troubled, they come and ask him to pray with them. In a short span of time and despite other members of the parish office, David has won hearts as someone who will actually sit down, listen, pray with, and intercede for them.

How did this come about? David is part of a small Jesus Youth weekly gathering where members chat, share life, and pray together. Even more importantly, through Jesus Youth, he has acquired the habit of a daily quiet time – a personal prayer that keeps him alive and attentive to the Spirit.

In Jesus Youth, this triad is essential: personal prayer, community prayer, and spirit-led mission, each nourishing the other.

Don’t Get into a Rut

When Joseph first joined a Jesus Youth small group, he was delighted by the singing. But after a while, when it continued to be only singing and nothing more, he grew frustrated. Later, he remarked, ‘What I look for in good prayer is a balance between the heart and the head, between spontaneity and order.’

This insight applies not only to community prayer but also to personal prayer. In Jesus Youth, prayer is meant to balance a friendly, joyful exterior with a clearly ordered interior flow. To an outsider, the group may simply appear warm, connected, and caring. But within, the prayer gently moves forward, step by step, forming a meaningful whole.

At this point, it is helpful to clarify some misplaced expectations about prayer.

• Chasing an emotional high: Peace and joy often accompany prayer, but deliberately seeking excitement or emotional intensity can mislead us. Prayer is about presence, not sensation.

• Looking for an orderly performance: Life is not always neat and well-arranged, and neither is prayer. Distractions, dryness, confusion, and even boredom are part of the journey. This does not mean prayer has failed.

• Always wanting a perfect and holy time: Jesus contrasts two people at prayer: a smug Pharisee confident of his holiness, and a confused, repentant sinner who simply lifts his heart to God. The Lord commends the latter. What matters is sincerity, not perfection.

Seeing the Lord Present

The Psalmist says, I keep the Lord always before me (Psalm 16:8). This quiet awareness of God’s nearness, sometimes consoling, sometimes challenging, is like an underground stream nourishing everything in the garden of prayer. Several elements help a Jesus Youth remain anchored in this presence.

• Something of beauty: A song, a video clip, an image, or a beautiful natural setting can stir the heart and gently lift it toward the Lord.

• The Word of God: The life and words of Jesus, and the stories of Scripture, clear the inner fog and help us behold the face of the Son.

• Creative gestures: A simple posture, symbol, or action – used appropriately in personal or community prayer – can open a new path to the Spirit’s movement.

• Free praise: Allowing the heart to express itself in short phrases of love, gratitude, or surrender – spoken or sung – keeps prayer personal and alive.

• Praying and singing in the Spirit: At times, words flow freely as the Spirit prompts praise or intercession beyond prepared texts.

• Listening and responding: Prayer is not only speaking but also listening – allowing God’s gentle promptings to shape our response.

• Connect to the Lord and others: In personal and community prayer, this shared turning to the Lord builds unity and deepens mutual care.

Finally

Praying in Jesus Youth is essentially a simple turning to the Lord, held within a healthy balance between spontaneity and order, freedom and form, joy and depth. When prayer flows this way, it keeps us rooted in Christ, open to the Spirit, connected with the others, and ready for mission. That simplicity is not shallow; it is profoundly evangelical.

Ask Fr Bitaju

In the Book of Wisdom, ‘wisdom’ is referred to as ‘she’. Jesus is the Wisdom of God. Shouldn’t ‘wisdom’ be known as ‘he’, since wisdom is Christ?

Your question of how to refer to ‘wisdom’, particularly in the context of the Book of Wisdom and its relationship to Christ, involves a nuanced understanding of biblical language, theological concepts, and the nature of personification in Scripture.

Personification of Wisdom: In the Book of Wisdom, as well as in other wisdom literature such as Proverbs, ‘wisdom’ is often personified as a female figure. This personification serves to convey the qualities of ‘wisdom’, such as insight, understanding, and guidance, in a relatable manner. The use of ‘she’ in this context highlights the nurturing and life-giving aspects traditionally associated with femininity.
Christ as the Wisdom of God: In Christian theology, particularly as articulated in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is identified as the Wisdom of God. For instance, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:24, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. This identification of Christ with wisdom does not negate the personification of wisdom as female in the Old Testament; rather, it expands the understanding of wisdom to include the fullness of divine revelation in Christ.
Gender and Divine Attributes: It is important to recognise that God transcends human concepts of gender. While Scripture uses masculine pronouns for God and Christ, it also employs feminine imagery to describe various attributes of God, including wisdom. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that ‘God is neither man nor woman: He is God’ (CCC 370). Thus, the gendered language used in Scripture reflects cultural and linguistic conventions rather than definitive statements about God’s nature.
Theological Interpretation: The Church understands that the personification of wisdom in the Old Testament serves a specific purpose within the context of salvation history. Wisdom, as a divine attribute, is fully realised in Christ, who embodies all that wisdom represents. The Church Fathers and theologians have often reflected on this connection, emphasising that Christ fulfils the role of wisdom in a way that transcends the original personification.
Liturgical and Devotional Language: In liturgical and devotional contexts, the language used to refer to wisdom may vary. While some may choose to use ‘she’ when discussing the personification of wisdom in the Old Testament, others may prefer to refer to wisdom in the context of Christ as ‘he,’ reflecting the understanding of Christ as the incarnate Wisdom of God. Both usages can coexist, depending on the focus of the discussion, whether it is on the literary and theological aspects of wisdom in the Old Testament or on the Christological fulfilment of that wisdom.

In conclusion, while Wisdom is personified as ‘she’ in the Book of Wisdom and other wisdom literature, the identification of Christ as the Wisdom of God allows for both interpretations to coexist. The gendered language used in Scripture serves to convey deeper truths about divine attributes and the nature of God. The Church embraces this complexity, recognising that Christ, as the fullness of divine wisdom, transcends human categorisations of gender.