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July/August 2008 Issue
Back to Feature
Articles
The last word - Challenge
for adults: Surround teens with adventurous did they have
teens in the time of Jesus?
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Well,
they counted the years the way we do, but to be a teen
then might have been different from what we experience
in our culture today. To be a follower of Christ these
days, say from the age of 12 to the age of 20, has challenges
and opportunities that are special to this era. The
Gospel of Luke gives a remarkable glimpse of the youthful
Jesus. At age 12, he is described as the dutiful son
of devout parents who faithfully visit Jerusalem and
the temple every year at Passover. They were among a
caravan of people who took to the road from their towns
and villages to observe the great festival. How exciting
this experience must have been for a child. What a close
family bond they must have enjoyed with one another
and their many relatives in the course of the journey. |
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Their parents and elders must
have carefully planned what was needed for a safe and faith-filled
pilgrimage. All the more, then, can we sense the apprehension
and fears of Mary and Joseph over the disappearance of their
normally responsible son. Yet, however dependable Jesus may
have already proved himself to be, his eager and enthusiastic
desire to "be about his father's business" moved him to want
to speed up the years. He yearned for the great mission he was
sent here to accomplish. It seems like he couldn't wait to grow
up. This sounds like a familiar story. Young people today have
their own eagerness and enthusiasm. They, too, brim with impatience
to grow up and make their mark in the world. Yet our culture
seems to lengthen the time before they are ready to be on their
own. Much is expected of them. Much is also often offered to
them. Many of them have opportunities to learn and to develop
skills and proficiencies that no previous generation enjoyed.
The challenge for adults of faith is to surround teens with
adventurous rituals and journeys that will sharpen their interest
and give them experiences of the community on the march toward
God. They, too, will want to linger in God's house and ask many
questions. They deserve a respectful hearing and the best answers
we can give. As the young are anxious to do their part, the
elders in the church need to help them find themselves. Then
they, too, will advance in wisdom, age and favor before God
and the community, as Jesus did.
Msgr. Gaspar F. Ancona is recently retired.
He is the author of Where the Star Came to Rest, a history
of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
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