Ignite Your Torch

 
So often, in the media, we hear about young people who are lost and dull their pain with all manner of false gods. It can seem there there is no hope, that we are a culture destined for self-annihilation.
 
Yet, Pope John Paul II declared an unfolding springtime of the Church, beginning with the Jubilee year. (Just think, Devin and I will be graced with children–please God–who will grow up during the Church’s springtime! Alleluia!) And, last weekend, I was gifted with a glimpse of this springtime. Please allow me to share stories from the Ignite conference in Louisville, KY.
 
The conference is hosted by Catholics United for Life and the St. Martin de Porres community, a third-order Domican lay community, at Spalding University in Louisville. It offers a sweeping portrait of the richness of our faith, with session topics ranging from service to the poor to pro-life to the occult to religious life. I’ve never before seen such an abundantly Catholic youth conference! We were blessed by the participation of numerous professed religous, such as the Nashville Dominicans, the Sisters of Life, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and many diocesan priests. It felt a little like heaven to share lunch with so many “eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom.”
 
But, by far, the most incredible sign of the Church’s springtime was the witness of the youth present. They were amazing! We were blessed with the participation of about 200 youth, who seemed to me to be the cream of the JPII generation’s crop. They were educated in the faith, articulate, excited about evangelizing the culture, and totally cool! For example, during one my talks, which focused on the demonic attitudes of anti-femininity in our culture, I asked the participants how abortion and “the pill” are harmful to women; I expected a few vague answers, which would offer me an opportunity to educate my listeners. But, they did all the work for me! They knew about the physical dangers of contraception, such as increased risk of breast cancer and problems with fertility. They knew about the awful effects of abortion, from post-abortion syndrome to punctured colons to death. They even took my topic further, by suggesting pornography and the fight for “equality” of women as other manifestations of our culture’s anti-woman attitudes. Praised be Jesus Christ!
 
If the faith of these youth is any indication of the Holy Spirit’s movement in the Church, I eagerly await the unfolding of our springtime in the years to come. YKC!