It is not easy to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in this day and age, but I think you might be surprised to know there are thousands of young people in this diocese who are trying very hard to follow that path. I am impressed with the programs we have available to nurture your spiritual growth such as To Encounter Christ (TEC) and the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). We have also been sending people to the ND Vision program at the University of Notre Dame for the past two summers, and they have been coming back with rave reviews. We're listing information about all of these offerings right here with this column. I know how full your schedules are, so now is the time to think about incorporating one of them into your summer next year.
Part of the success of programs like TEC and CLI is they are essentially retreat experiences. So I'd like to talk to you a little bit about why I think it's important to make retreats from time to time.
If you are in high school, you probably know that a parish-sponsored retreat is one of the requirements we incorporate into the preparation for all those who are confirmed in their junior year. Making a retreat helps bring us into a closer intimacy with the Lord. We shed the things the world tells us are important and discover that many of the material things around us really are empty. We discover that without all the clutter and noise in our lives, we're able to focus, to find peace and tranquility and to evaluate the purpose of our lives more clearly. I think of the words of St. Augustine, who said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in God." When we step out of our everyday lives for a period of time, our soul really begins to find fulfillment. We begin to really discover who we are meant to be.
I know teens experience enormous pressures. There is a great deal of competition at every level: academically, athletically, financially, socially. In my judgment, that's an unfortunate aspect of our culture. I wish young people were a little freer to enjoy their youth without all the stresses society places on them. Everyone wants to be the best, to score the highest, to get into the right college.
That's another reason I believe making a retreat is valuable. It is a time when young people are accepted for who they are. It can be a great eye opener. They often tell me they didn't realize many of the kids they go to school with have the same values because they rarely talk about their religion with each other. On a retreat they engage in meaningful conversations, and they're encouraged when they find out there are other teenagers who have the same values. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life as well as courtships often begin in this wonderful environment.
Another requirement on the way to confirmation is that students write a letter to me, so I can learn about their spiritual journey and desire for the sacrament. It is not unusual for young people to tell me in their letters that they did not want to make their confirmation retreat. They find it stressful to take a whole weekend away from their studies, their work schedules and their social lives. They readily admit they only go because they know they have to do it in order to be confirmed. The boys, particularly, tell me they fight it.
But time and again, these same young people speak very honestly about the new life they begin to experience because of the retreat. I am always impressed with their genuine candor. What they go through is a conversion experience. They enjoy reconnecting with many of the friends they haven't seen since elementary school, but so often, they tell me they encounter God in a new way during their retreat. They come to appreciate the value of time for silence and introspection.
The letters are very moving and I always read them. Those of us who have been working with youth for a long time know that sometimes, using a little authority to insist on something like a retreat goes a long way and helps form good habits.
Once young people get a taste of this kind of experience, they become eager for more. I certainly see that reflected with TEC and CLI. They become terrific advertisements for the programs because they reflect a new attitude in their lives. They've found a new level of peace, they've bonded to their faith, to each other and to their church in a new way. It is a success story of God's grace at work with our young people.
I think it's good for you to know I do not ask you to do something I am not willing to do myself. I make a retreat with all of the bishops of Pennsylvania each year. Some time ago, I made a week-long retreat on my own up in Guelph, Ontario. I was going to work under the direction of one priest on an individual basis for a whole week.
At that time, I was teaching at the seminary, and when I arrived, the retreat master saw me carrying a number of books into the facility from my car. He said, "You look exhausted, what are you doing with all those books?" I told him I planned to read them during the retreat.
"Take them back to the car," he said. "Go to bed and rest for 24 hours and then come and we'll make the retreat." Remember how I said sometimes it's important to use a little authority to help someone form good habits? I know that from first-hand experience!
But it was sound, good, practical Jesuit advice. We need to discover Jesus's words: "All you who are tired and burdened, come to me and I will refresh you." Take the Lord at his word and you will discover peace.
