My Experience of Young Life Camp As a Catholic Adult Guest

This guest post was written by Hugo de la Rosa, a Catholic teacher and campus minister in the diocese of Brownsville, TX. Hugo and a delegation of other Catholic leaders from S. Texas, participated at a special YL-Catholic Adult Guest Program at Camp Buckner in February.

Twelve brave souls made a pilgrimage from the Diocese of Brownsville in the Rio Grande Valley (very bottom of South Texas) to Camp Buckner over Valentine’s Day weekend. We were invited at the request of Michael Havercamp and Bishop Daniel Flores, head of the over 1,000,000 Catholics who live in our area. Our goal was to experience a Young Life weekend camp as adult Catholic guests.

I’d never heard of Young Life before this invitation, so I was entering the experience with no preconceived notions of what to expect. We had the pleasure of meeting with Michael the morning of the weekend, and I drove over to the Camp with him; these were my initial impressions after those two conversations:

• Young Life’s stated mission is to intentionally & passionately reach kids at the margins – the unchurched, the ones who do not have an active connection to Jesus and his church (in whatever denominational flavor that happens to be; Young Life is non-sectarian and not focused on any one Christian tradition)
• This initiative to reach out to the Catholic Church goes hand in hand with Pope Francis’ desire for a new evangelization, using methods and steps that may be new, risky and messy; doing everything in a “missionary key,” going beyond the confines of what is safe and comfortable, reaching out to kids where they’re at
• It aims to tie kids back into their own faith traditions, or, as sometimes happens, have kids join the faith tradition of their adult leaders if no connection to another faith tradition exists
• The basic message of the Gospel is delivered in engaging, age-appropriate ways to help foster a response that ultimately leads the child to a relationship with Christ and his Church
• Young Life aims to bring young people to Christ through attraction, and only later will they receive appropriate catechetical / liturgical formation in their own faith traditions
• They aim to foster one on one relationship between adults (college age and up) and kids (middle school / high school / college)
• This relationship is fostered through one on one meetings, small group meetings, and weekly/monthly Club meetings
• Adult leaders will spend at least 4-6 hours each week with direct contact to their kids (visiting schools at lunch, attending extra-curricular activities, etc.)
• This investment of time and attention gives the adult leader the “right to be heard” in the child’s life – eventually leading to conversion experiences at weekend or week long camps (such as the one taking place this weekend)
• The Catholic Church, while being very good at sacramental and catechetical instruction, sometimes lacks in helping to foster a prayerful, direct relationship with Christ
• A partnership with Young Life can help bridge that gap
• Because much of Young Life is led by evangelical / non-denominational adults, having a Catholic presence (i.e. developing Catholic Young Life leaders) is crucial to leading Catholic students back to their parishes

The rest of the weekend bore out those initial impressions. I saw staff greeting teens with enthusiasm and genuine care, using music, costumes/personalities & humor to create an engaging and non-threatening environment for the campers. I saw leaders gathering together to plan and pray, intentionally choosing their teenage friends to be part of activities that would help bolster their self-esteem and bring them closer to God. I saw a definite Young Life culture that leaders and participants shared, bridging generational, cultural, denominational and economic differences.

At Club I saw youth and adults who were joyous and joyful. The music, games and antics started at a fast pace, eventually moving towards a short message that introduced elements of the Gospel to the gathered crowd. I then saw youth being led by their mentors for some reflection time. And then, most powerfully of all, I saw youth and adults spending free time together, playing games, and simply talking one on one or in small groups.

It strikes me that this goes to the heart of Catholic social teaching – leaders were engaging with these adolescents not as a ploy to “get them to church,” but because of their inherent worth and dignity as people lovingly hand-crafted by their Creator. Even if the gathered young people never grace the hallowed halls of a church building, they will have experienced the love of God through the love of their adult leader. While the end-game is eventual Church membership and church service / activity, even if that doesn’t happen we have still loved and served them as Jesus loves and serves us.

The specific charism of Young Life – reaching out to disenfranchised youth with no other purpose then to love them as they are; the no-pressure environment, the pre-evangelistic nature of it; the acceptance of meeting them where they’re at, going to their schools, going to their games, getting to know them; investing the time to “earn the right to be heard” (a phrase that I love!) – it sounds so very . . .Jesusy to me. J

I think that all of us came out of the experience with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the ministry that Young Life leaders are exercising all over the country. I came back humbled by the willingness of the staff and leaders to share with us as Catholic adults. I came back personally challenged to incorporate the culture of Young Life into my own ministry as a teacher and campus minister at a PK-8^th grade Catholic school. I came back energized and excited at the prospect of partnering with such a vibrant and obviously Christ-centered community.

I think that a partnership between Young Life and the Catholic Church (specifically in my area, but all over the country as well) has the potential to be life changing for both adults involved in ministry and the kids that are ministered to, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I have to be a small part of making that a reality.

Why Evangelization Is Falling Flat

“Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?” I was on a conference call when I happened to glance over at an opened copy of The Joy of the Gospel. This single question nearly jumped off the page. It began to gnaw at me. What does an outsider see when looking in at church people? What do non-Catholics see when gazing into the world of Catholicism?

The more I thought about it, the more it all came into focus. As the Church struggles to retain its aging population, much less to attract the younger generations, we routinely point to outside factors which, we argue, are making it nearly impossible to do the one thing that Christ sent us out to do (for those of you questioning what that is, I’m talking about evangelization!).

Yet I sometimes wonder if non-Christians (or non-Catholics) look at the Church, at the way we live, at the way we act, and say to themselves, “Why would I want to be a part of that?!” In the ninety-ninth paragraph of his evangelical reflection, Pope Francis wonders the same thing:

It always pains me greatly to discover how some Christians, and even consecrated persons, can tolerate different forms of enmity, division, calumny, defamation, vendetta, jealousy and the desire to impose certain ideas at all costs, even to persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts.[1]

In a litany of vice that reads more like a mob story, Pope Francis is talking about us! He’s talking about those who have been baptized and confirmed, those every Sunday church-goers that Jesus called “the light of the world.”[2] We are the motely crew that Jesus has chosen and appointed to bear fruit, the kind of kingdom fruit that will last for eternity.[3] Yet when the world looks at the way we act, is it any wonder that we’re finding a hard time convincing people to join our club?

John the Evangelist asserted, “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did” (1 Jn 2:6). Now for those of us who almost unconsciously begin to wag our fingers at those other “so-called Christians” who clearly do not live up to the demands of the Gospel, the following verses are for us:

Anyone who says, “I am the light” but rejects another Christian is still in darkness. But anyone who loves other Christians is walking in the light and does not cause anyone to stumble. Those who reject other Christians are wandering in spiritual darkness and don’t know where they are going, for the darkness has made them blind.[4]

Our dis-unity in Christ (as Christena Cleveland puts it) is a sign of spiritual darkness that has already blinded us. Our enmity for one another throws water on the flame of God and renders us wandering in the cold ourselves, unable to inspire the hearts of others or lead them to the safe haven of the Church.

“Let everyone admire how you care for one another,” Pope Francis urges. “Let them admire how you encourage and accompany one another.” This is the pathway to evangelization, the Scriptures say. This is Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father: “That they all be one . . . in us. . . so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). There is a direct relationship, according to the Word of God, between our unity in Christ and our ability to evangelize. So what are we waiting for? “We are all in the same boat and headed to the same port!” Pope Francis reminds us.  “Let us ask for the grace to rejoice in the gifts of each, which belong to all.”[5]

---

[1] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), 99.

[2] Mt 5:14.

[3] Jn 15:16.

[4] 1 Jn 2:9-11.

[5] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 99.

Getting Burned

“The Gospel,” as the saying goes, has an uncanny way of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” Given the time to reflect over the last year I have been comforted, without a doubt. God’s presence was abundantly clear to me in 2014. Yet I am afflicted by the uncomfortable truth that my comfort, simply stated, has gotten in the way of Jesus.

And it all came down to one thing. Prayer.

The lightening rod for this challenging, dare I say afflicting truth came from a reflection that I came across years ago, a collection of spiritual wisdom that I recently resurrected for a staff meeting. I will share here but I offer this warning. Be careful. You, too, might get burned.  

The Fire of Prayer

To pray is more dangerous than throwing a torch into a dry woodland.

In a burning forest you can run for cover, but if you begin to pray there is no escape, no place you can hide from the raging fire of God.

At least that’s what happened to the saints when they prayed.  All of them will testify that their encounter with God was like gold being tested in a furnace, seven times refined.

St. Teresa of Avila warns:  “authentic prayer changes us – unmasks us – strips us.”

What she means is that sitting in the presence of a passionate God purges away all the dross, all the impurities of selfishness, pride, falsehood, hypocrisy, meanness until only pure gold remains.

It’s no wonder, then, that many kneel just outside the furnace door – close enough to keep warm, far enough to keep from getting consumed – and call it prayer.  Certainly this is a comforting and consoling exercise, but it is not prayer.

The ancient desert elders said it this way:  “Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said, ‘Abba, as much as I am able I practice a small rule, all the little fasts, some prayer and meditation, remain quiet, and as much as possible I keep my thoughts clean.  What else should I do?’  Then the old man stood up and stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like torches of flame.  And he said, ‘if you wish, you can be turned into fire.’”

And there’s the crux:  Do you wish?  Do you wish to be turned into fire?

By praying this prayer, you have already stepped into the furnace.  But to melt into pure gold you must hold fast as the temperature inside continues to rise.

To be turned into fire, you must believe that if you knock, God will answer.

To be turned into fire, you must move toward a forgiving heart, working through any legitimate anger against those who have hurt or harmed you.

To be turned into fire, you must be patient and persistent, knowing that God will give you what God knows you need in God’s good time.

To be turned into fire, you must pray for daily bread.

To be turned into fire, you must spend time with God, getting to know and love what God fashioned in your mother’s womb 

To be turned into fire, you must give without counting the cost “good measure, pressed down and running over.”

To be turned into fire, you must act on what you pray, your life must be consistent with the word of God.  You cannot, in other words, pray for your enemies and support war; pray to be forgiven and harbor resentment; pray so that God’s reign may come on earth and not do all in your power to eradicate poverty, to stand against injustice, to protect human dignity 

How do you know if you’re becoming fire?  How do you know if you’re melting into pure gold?

Blessed are the pure ones, Jesus said, for they shall see God.  And saint Mechtild of Magdenburg said, “The day of my spiritual awakening was the day I saw all things in God and God in all things.”

Being turned into fire, being melted into pure gold, then, has something to do with seeing God in every man and woman, in all created things and being transformed into a person so transparent that others see the flame of God shining through you.

Picture the three young men from the Book of Daniel, dancing and praising God, unharmed, in the midst of the blazing furnace.  What the onlookers see when they look in is “a young man with the face of God.”

The hope of this prayer is that it may help each of us dance in the flames of love until we become burning love itself.[1]

It was one stanza that really burned me. Perhaps it afflicted you as well:

It’s no wonder, then, that many kneel just outside the furnace door – close enough to keep warm, far enough to keep from getting consumed – and call it prayer.  Certainly this is a comforting and consoling exercise, but it is not prayer.

That’s me. Kneeling just outside the furnace door – keeping warm but not getting too close – and calling it prayer. I have been saying prayers, but how often am I really praying? The question becomes, “Do you wish? Do you wish to be turned into fire?”

“I have come to set the world on fire,” Jesus said. “And I wish it were already burning” (Lk 12:49). Call it a resolution, a conviction, a discernment, whatever, but this year I want to be set on fire. I want to burn with the all-consuming love of Jesus. I want to hold nothing back. I want to jump in with both feet and not be afraid of the fire. I want to give Jesus the permission to change me, to form me, and to lead me where I may not want to go. I want to do the most dangerous thing on earth. I want to really pray.

---

[1] Adapted from The Fire of Peace, Pax Christi, 1992.

Getting to Know "the Other"

We all hold onto stereotypes. In a way, we can’t help it. It’s a product of what social psychologists call cognitive miser, our natural tendency to conserve mental energy. Practically speaking, our brains think it’s too much work to form individual opinions about everybody. So we categorize and make blanket judgments. “Those people are all alike.” Or “Oh, you’re one of those.”

Protestants and Catholics have had the greater part of five hundred years to galvanize these kinds of stereotypes about one another. “Oh, Catholics are all about rules and regulations. They don’t have a relationship with God.” Or “Those Protestants are all about ‘me and Jesus’. They’re only concerned with themselves and their personal salvation.” "Catholic works righteousness." "Protestant fluff and entertainment." I’ve heard them all, and so have you.

It’s easy to hold these stereotypes when you live in a bubble of like-minded individuals. But what happens when Protestants and Catholics step out of that bubble and take the risk to really get to know each other?

Here’s my top ten quotes from Protestants and Catholics who took the time to do just that:[1]

“God really has changed my heart through this and not in some lofty, abstract way. It’s in the way that my behavior and thoughts are actually different. The Spirit has changed my heart in the way I see ‘the other,’ in which I don’t see them as the other but as a friend.”

“I came into these meetings with preconceived notions of the “other” and the fear of this becoming a giant doctrinal slugfest between the two sides. What came of it couldn’t be further from the truth. What I found was shared experiences . . . I found people who experienced God’s love during tough decisions, struggle, tragedy and death. I found people who despite differences, have the same fears, anxiety, and stress as well as hope, dreams and love that I do.”

“I was surprised to discover how much our faith in God and God’s presence in each of our lives truly unites us. . . deeply. As I listened to the stories of the people I did not know, I was amazed how much I could relate to them. I’m a little surprised actually that I am surprised by this! It’s something that I’ve always believed in some way, but here I truly experienced it, and powerfully so.”

“My heart has been softened in the sense that now I want to hear about a person’s story with God rather than just assuming, because they affiliate with a denomination, that they don’t really have a relationship with Jesus. I can’t stereotype a denomination like that.”

“I used to get really caught up in proving certain points about being Protestant vs. Catholic. Now I am seeing those points don’t matter. What matters is our hearts to serve Jesus and that we believe in Him. We are all after the same thing and that is spreading the Good News of Jesus.”

  “This process. . . has helped me to see that I can disagree with people and not feel attacked or intimidated by that, and still love them very, very well. I can love my brothers and sisters well despite denomination and hold true to some of my beliefs. . . It is a wonderful exchange and gift we can give one another.”

  “I respect what Catholics are doing more now. I just need to listen to them. Our differences don’t seem that important anymore.”

"Every time I was able to laugh or cry with the other, there was healing. Every time someone nodded their head affirmatively, I felt healing. I felt connected with the other and that was healing for me. I felt like we were in this together. We were loving kids and pushing in towards Jesus.”

“[This journey] of tears, laughs, Jesus, vulnerability, and raw emotions have brought us together and revealed a common bond of Jesus between us all. I think of the line in Austin Powers when Dr. Evil tells Austin that ‘we’re not so different, you and I’ and it turns out they are really brothers. We are all brothers and sisters.”

“One of the biggest things God has revealed to me through this is the way we are all parts of the Body of Christ. Each one of us, Catholic or Protestant, fills a role, a calling by God.”

“[Protestants] and Catholics must let themselves continuously be transformed by the encounter with the other and by the mutual witness of faith.”

From Conflict to Communion, a joint project of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity

---

[1] These quotes were drawn from my doctoral project, “One Lord, One Body, One Mission,” an ecumenical endeavor involving storytelling, relationship building, and discovering our common mission in Christ.