Today history
will be made. Pope Francis will welcome a staff person from Young Life at the
Vatican. But first a little backstory.
In 1968,
Young Life’s founder, Jim Rayburn, visited Rome where he met with five Catholic
seminarians studying for the priesthood. Rayburn loved it. He loved them. He reveled
in the meeting, calling it “the highlight of my European tour.” Whether he knew
it or not, that meeting ushered a rising tide of unity and shared mission has
been growing for half a century. And it is about to reach a true watermark for
the kingdom.
In 1969, one
year after Rayburn’s powerful visit to Rome, a young man named Marty Caldwell
met Jesus Christ through a group of Young Life leaders in Phoenix and it changed
his life forever. Nearly
50 years later Marty is now the Executive Vice President of Young Life
International Ministries, overseeing the explosive growth of YL ministries in
over 100 countries around the world.
Marty has
always embraced the ecumenical vision of Young Life and has built abiding
friendships with Protestants and Catholics across the country, and in his
current role, around the globe. For years Marty has been working with a group
of ministry leaders from Phoenix who pray the John 17 prayer of unity for the
sake of the city.
Today
Marty and this group of John 17 leaders, both Protestant and Catholic, will retrace the
steps of Jim Rayburn in Rome but will take it a step further. They will be
received by Pope Francis himself. This is truly a day to celebrate as it
exemplifies the prayer of Jesus, that we may be one, that we may reach across
the dividing lines and walk hand in hand into the world of kids and share with
them the abounding love of God in Jesus Christ.
Pope
Francis understands the valuable work youth ministers do every day. “You are
the ones who accompany young people on their path,” he says, “helping them find
the way that leads to Christ.” He furthermore understands the incarnational
approach of Young Life that is necessary to reach kids today. “Much more than
promoting a series of activities for young
people, you walk with them,
accompanying them personally in these complex and difficult times.” It is this
ministry of accompaniment, meeting kids where they’re at, and walking with them
through all of life’s challenges, that creates real and enduring connections.
“It’s in this connection,” Pope Francis says, “where a true dialogue can be
engaged in by one who lives a personal
relation with the Lord Jesus.”
Marty notes,
“This is a wonderful opportunity. Our group is small enough to have a good
discussion with Pope Francis – about Jesus, about evangelization, about the
Church. We’re trusting God is up to some big things among the diverse churches
who yearn to see Jesus lifted up.” In a special moment, the group will pray the
prayer of John 17 together with the Holy Father. I can only imagine the
celebration in heaven, including the likes of Jim Rayburn whose insistence on "majoring in the majors" set the course so many years ago for such a momentous occasion today.
Pray with
me, with the mission of Young Life and with the entire Church universal, that
our unity today will help the world to know the love of God in Jesus Christ and
embrace the life that can only come through him. All glory be to God!
