Gary Huber writes from Houston, Texas. He works at the Johnson Space Center for the International Space Station Program. He is the spiritual coordinator for the Bay Area Young Adults and works with numerous Catholic Churches in the Houston area to help promote this vital youth ministry. He is also involved with Opus Dei. Gary can be reached at thehube1@yahoo.com.
by Gary E. Huber
It’s the weekend of the big air show and a camera would be the perfect way to catch the awesome fly-by’s, aerobatic maneuvers, skilled formations, and military strength.
Having waited until the last minute, you race to the store and purchase a new digital camera so that you can see the results immediately. There is one left on clearance for $100. Giving it no thought you snap it up quickly. You arrive at the show just as the thunderous jets adorn the sky overhead. Turning on the camera you imagine the pictures that will be cherished forever. You press the shutter button and wait. To your surprise it takes a full two seconds for the camera to respond. By the time the image is captured, the aircraft is gone. Disappointed, you wait for a slower plane and try again, but the image is distorted and blurry. Your frustration heightens as you spend the rest of the day trying to obtain the perfect picture, never to succeed.
You’ve missed the enjoyment you came for. You tell yourself, “If I had only planned this better I would have bought a camera that was capable of capturing the thrill of that show. I know it would have taken more time, help from an expert, and a bigger investment, but it would have been worth it. If I had only done some research and compared the different models, my pictures would have all been in focus. What an awful day.”
Determining focus in our lives and for our Catholic young adult groups is much like as the story above. It demonstrates why we must be educated about our Faith and take the time to plan and pray. The air show represents our happiness here on earth. The pictures taken of it symbolize the goal, God, our Heavenly Father. The camera signifies the road we choose to obtain that goal. If we go the cheap and easy way, which is the way of the devil, we will most certainly end up lost. If we make a bigger investment in God here on earth, our reward will be great.
The formation of a Catholic young adult group within a parish can unquestionably be a rewarding ministry, bringing together those who share a common Faith. To those of us entrusted in giving direction for those seeking Him, we have the moral responsibility to provide the focus needed to make the right decisions about our Faith. Being Catholic young adults, we are presented with many challenges in this area. For example the type of events we sponsor in our groups, ensuring that they help to provide direction for those less knowledgeable about their Faith. There are many steps that must be taken towards the development and preservation of such a group’s mission and purpose. A real issue facing young adult groups is the desire of some of its members to partner with local Protestant groups in an effort to populate the calendar with more diverse events. At first glance one might view this as a wonderful opportunity to share in the lives of other Christians, but it causes us to look much deeper into our own Faith.
Fundamentally, we are all Christians but as Catholic Christians we share several beliefs that other Christian groups do not, most notably that of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. This becomes the very center of our belief structure and much weight must be given to this when dealing with the dissimilarities between Catholics and Protestants. The teaching of the Church maintains that when we receive Our Lord at Communion, we are receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. John 6:52-58 shows us that Jesus spoke literally when saying to the Jews, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” We can say that Jesus was very clear when speaking, even using a Greek word for eat that means “to gnaw” or “to chew.” No matter how it is argued, many Protestants continue to assert that Jesus spoke symbolically.
Many Protestants also maintain that salvation is acquired by faith and faith alone. We as Catholics know this not to be true, but rather, hold firmly to Jesus’ words as documented in Matthew 7:21-23 proclaiming, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven.” We know that salvation requires more than a simple proclamation and acceptance of our Lord as our personal Savior. James 2:17 reminds us that “Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
These beliefs make us strikingly unique from other faiths and we have the responsibility to preserve that uniqueness, helping other Catholic young adults to understand more fully those Holy Doctrines. With these fundamental differences in mind, we must understand that people are on different paths and different stages of learning. Despite one’s theological background, it is the group’s responsibility to promote the Catholic Faith as the one, true, holy, and apostolic faith. By introducing the availability of non-Catholic events within a group, we may inadvertently introduce Protestant views which are contrary to the will of Jesus and the teaching of the Church.
Are we willing to take the risk of losing someone to a Protestant faith when we can foster within that soul a strong devotion to the teachings of the Catholic Church? The argument will be made that we should offer “non-spiritual” events from the Protestant group on our calendar. As Catholics ministering to others in all walks of life, we cannot make the distinction between spiritual and non-spiritual events. If we are to set an example to others through continuous practice of our Faith, then our spirituality should pervade into every aspect of who we are as a group. This means that when we go to Mass we are proud to be Catholic, when we attend a Rosary we are proud to be Catholic, and when we go to midnight bowling we should demonstrate our Catholicism there just as strongly.
We cannot check our Faith at the doors of the Church and we cannot sling Jesus on a coat-hanger in place of our favorite dance clothes. A strong devotion to our Faith and the willingness to share it with others must be part of the rock that we build our young adult group upon.
We know that part of the Christian initiative is evangelization. Protestants love to ask the question, “Are you saved?” For a Catholic who doesn’t know the correct response to that question, then the subsequent conversation could indeed lead to the next statement, “Why don’t you come to my church and find out how you can have your name inscribed into the Book of Life forever.” It is possible that this exchange could occur with an individual attending a “non-spiritual” Protestant event.
We should therefore continue forward with our good work as Catholic Christians while making every effort to place our focus on events that foster allegiance to the Magisterium of the Church. These can include Bible studies using the Catholic Bible, Rosary and dessert nights, “Theology on Tap” type discussions, retreats, and attending Mass together. Coupled with sports, camping trips, charity fundraisers, and volunteering; a Catholic young adult group with the proper focus will serve to bring people together and change lives. We are part of the Body of Christ, the Church, and through the guidance of the Holy Father and the Church’s constant and Divine Inspiration, we have the moral responsibility to promulgate that Faith to those we work with, our friends, and our family.
