I had the fantastic pleasure of hearing Bishop Kicanas from Tuscan, AZ speak this afternoon on Catholic Social Teaching and Immigration Reform. I was really excited... it's a modern topic, there's lots of political/social/economic debate surrounding immigration, and it had the potential to pull in people from the community as well as youth and young adults from Chaminade University and Saint Louis School. So I went, prepared to fulfill my duties as MC, and full of hope.
I walked into the chapel where the lecture was taking place, and my spirits dropped instantly. I was the youngest person in there by at least 20 years (with the exception of a few 30-somethings and two of my high schools students that I forced to come). Wow. A relevant topic, from a Bishop and the Chair of CRS, with a well-known passion for social justice, and there were about 60 people in attendance....none of whom were from my generation. All I could think was, you failed me again, Church: you failed me again, peers.
Nevertheless, I sat and listened. Bishop Kicanas is a phenomenal speaker. He mixed in jokes, Church doctrine, immigrant statistics, personal stories, and meaningful quotes from various authors and poets. He was engaging, informative, inspiring, and very likable. Altogether, if was a wonderful lecture. But I just couldn't shake off the fact that there weren't any young people there. The only thought in my head was "we're in big trouble." My generation didn't show up... there was no interest in Catholic Social Teaching or immigration reform. That scares me for the future of our country... what will happen to the immigrants? What will happen to the Church? What will happen to US?
And in his prophetic wisdom, Bishop Kicanas said that we are passed the days where we can sit idly by and just expect things to happen...that it is our duty as people of faith to get up and make it happen!
So there I sat, pointing the finger at the Church for not reaching out to my generation. There I sat, pointing the finger at my generation for not engaging in the Church. There I sat fearful of the future of this country, of social justice, of immigrants' rights, and so much more. There I sat, idly by, expecting things to happen. I didn't do anything to make anything happen. I didn't reach out to my friends or grad-school-classmates and invite them to come. I didn't ask more students to come or take time to bring coworkers. I didn't reach out to the Diocese office for Young Adult ministry. I didn't reach out to any immigration offices or CRS groups. I didn't do anything! There I sat, idly by, just expecting things to happen.
So yes, we are in big trouble in terms of the future of the Church and a compassionate and just society. My generation can be complacent and uninformed. We can care more about ourselves, the latest music and movies, the best bar with the cheapest happy hour, and what time to hit the gym before the rush gets there. We can easily sleep in on Sunday instead of being part of a worshiping community. We can forget about our neighbors and the dignity of each individual, and buy the cute new top made in the sweatshops of Honduras. We can choose to limit our world views to our own selfish needs. We will be in big trouble if/when those decisions prevail. But before looking out, I must look inward. I am in big trouble too...for not doing my part to make things happen. So next time, before I fill with anger, frustration, and finger-pointing, I'll ask myself one thing. Did I sit idly by and expect things to happen, or did I do my part in making something happen?
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