One way is to go backwards, but never do it.

As I remain fascinated by the impact of Generation Z influencers, upon our world, I came across an article by Robert Mickens (UCANews - 26th Sept, 2925), regarding the rise of interest in the Latin Mass.  He hinted at the role played within this church movement, by "a cadre of Gen Z youth on social media who call themselves "Catholic influencers'".   

What Mickens does not mention in his article, which I understand, is that Gen Z feels left out, badly done by in history, so they are searching, wanting to make their mark.  Where do they turn in their search?  Not necessarily in the wisest direction.  

Only, this weekend, Deutsche Welle's 77 Percent took a look at young, African influencers.  Here is what stays with me.  

Who defines the truth?  

Government, business, the people?  I note they did not mention Church or religion or elders.  

The 'who' sit under the scrutiny of defining questions, asking if these institutions can be trusted and if they have an agenda.  

What is truth?

Trurth is presented as relative.  Nothing is absolute.  

Right information is the basis for truth.  Any information may also be relative, according to its source.  

Where do values stand in this?  

The culture is immediate and now.  

The audience's attention span is short.     

Where does this leave me in my fascination and pondering.  My fear is that ones may just follow what is easiest or fastest.  There is no point in going backwards.  Going forward is my rule of thumb, even when I am caught in my bubble.

I share here a photo from Mickens' article.  It may look like an old and backward scene.  It is anything but that.  It is a photo of a grand procession of bishops, at St Peter's Basilica , during the Second Vatican Counil.  This procession is an embodiment of moving forward from a past, that was becoming deadening and thus challenging change for the good.   This movement was both noble and courageous, taken together.  It is still challenging us today, embodied in the quest of Gen Z influencers.  Their quest is ours, and together we can move forward.  

  

Ultimately, do I get it?

As I look back at my last entry, I see it was far too long.  I think, "What was I trying to do?  Was I working hard to make a point or was I hitting someone over the head?"  I fear it may have been the latter for, at the time of writing, I was dealing with one of my core issues, namely, the over-clericalization of the Church.  This had raised its head that day at mass, with .the sudden arrival of multiple clergy wanting to concelebrate.  

Maybe this is simply what happens at a cathedral, but that line does not work with me.  I also concede that many would not get my point of concern.  So I will not dwell on it, but simply make my point and proceed.

Still, as I contemplate this conundrum, I wonder if I too live in a bubble.  This struck me just in the past week, when I discovered a whole world out there in social media, that I never even knew existed.  It is the world of social, political and religious influencers.  

As people of church, we may think we are having a profound influence on world affairs and people's lives, but I fear we may be kidding ourselves.   So much has changed, so quickly, such that the traditional influencers of life have fallen behind, being overtaken by users of social media.   

In our world, people are searching, with having been disillusioned and disaffected by traditional institutions of all kinds.  Their world has no real legacy.  So what is there for them?  They are searching, finding self-assuring voices online - social media influencers who exert a strong voice in our world.  

The questions arise.  How genuine, authentic, reliable are these influencers?   On my part. these questions can serve as a distraction from my real challenge, which is to get out of my small, church based bubble and face the fact that my staying self-assured, behind closed doors, is not good enough.  Move out and join the conversation that is happening in the world beyond, unknown to me.  

I am puzzled by what I have learnt.  Here, I am pursuing a conversation.  Conversation is ongoing and open ended.  Conversation seems lost in today's world.  That is my take, but am I correct?  Am I being arrogant in saying this?  Conversation is happening in new ways and in new realms.   This is a complex issue, not readily owned by my world.  I acknowledge this.  We too easily assert gospel truths, instead of entering into healthy conversation.  Do I really yet get it?

    

 

O happy fault!

"Felix culpa" is my great war cry leading to the Triumph of the Cross, the great feast, we celebrated this week.  This feast is an important date on my annual calendar, for it reminds me of friendships that are dear, sustaining and life-giving.   

It will make no sense to the uninitiated to learn that "O happy fault" is a line that brings me great joy.  It is a joy that comes with relishing so many memories of good friends and good times.  Our world may be a basket case, may be deranged, but it is ever full of love, friendship and good memories.  The world may be down but it is not defeated, not by a long shot.   

On feast of the Triumph of the Cross, we have been good friends for 39 years.

I sense that, if we lose our sense of mortality, we lose a sense of true religion and thus lose touch with the deeper realities of life.  This leads to our becoming self-contained and comfortable, even arrogant in our perspectives on life, denying what truly matters in life.  

Despite all the calls for otherwise, I am seeing a church that too often remains as a clerical sect.  I feel strongly on this issue, for clericalism contributes to a church in decline and to a loss of whole generations to the church and faith.  I see this at least, in the West, where a social price is being paid for the loss of religion and its life giving values.  

In today's world, the Church is called to respond to the cries of lost generations, those suffering in wars and conflicts, our poor and marginalised, mot to running clerical shows.  As I share this, sometimes, I feel like a lone voice, but that is okay.  Here, I am not running on a tangent.  Rather, I am hitting on a core issue, which is - "We are all equal, we are all in this thing, called life, together".  If not, we become disconnected and dislocated.  

Going back to where I started, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross shows us God's most poignant act of love, carried out for the sake of life for all.  This was committed in the midst of harsh, human reality and incredible suffering.  It involved raw emotion, within the rough and tumble of life.  All this was experienced by God, whose powerful and everlasting act of love and life was lived out in the midst of humanity, as we are, and continues to today.  Our God is truly a God with us.  

We give witness to this essential truth, core value of life, through friendship.  True friends are a great gift from God.  They are also reminders that we are called to be a friend with neighbour and planet, helping each other through it all.  Much more, they tell us who God is in the midst of life's disasters and chaos, through every possibility of life.  They tell us that God is with us, no matter what.  

O happy fault.     

Or is our world just a basket case?

"Basket case" is how a good friend described her part of the world, to me, last week.  I smiled and thought, "Maybe she's got a point.  After all, I have reflected how deranged our world can be."   

This past Sunday, Pope Leo canonized Blessed Carlo Acutis, who had died at the age of 15, in 2006.  He was an extraordinary lad who lived his short life, devoted to Jesus and the eucharist.  He was kind to all, prayed continually and used his IT skills to promote the eucharist and the church.  His last words to his mother were: 

“Mom, don’t be afraid. Since Jesus became a man, death has become the passage towards life, and we don’t need to flee it. Let us prepare ourselves to experience something extraordinary in the eternal life.” 

On seeing all the wars, destruction and ruthless behaviour around us, our world can be aptly described as a basket case.  There again, is it not too easy to dwell upon the wrongs and evil in our world, and for far too long?  So we readily identify what we see as a basket case.  The challenge is not to be seduced by social media and the news, nor by a sense of social pessimism.  Instead, we are challenged to stand up against the evil that is tearing our world apart and act to right the wrongs being committed for far too often, wrongs that are violating the dignity of persons and creation.   

Then along comes a teenager, named Carlo.  He reminds us that our life and world are ultimately ruled by faith, love and goodness.  In a world driven by immediacy, personal satisfaction and comfort, we can easily forget what life is really about and why our world exists.   We can easily forget God.  In this vein, I was struck by this line:  

"While it can sometimes seem as if saints are a thing of the bygone era, or that they do not have modern interests and talents like ours, St. Carlo Acutis shows us that saints can be “normal” teenagers with extraordinary faith—even in the Internet age!" 

Has it simply become old-fashioned to believe in goodness and the un limited possibilities for love and kindness among humanity.  if so, it is time to pray to St Carlo.  

 St. Carlo Acutis, the Millennial saint—pray for us.  Help us to stop our world becoming a basket case.