Personal reflection: Need to understand the new situations of today’s young people

I am attaching two photos which are from my experience in passing on the faith to Children and Youth.

The first photo captures an experience of sharing the Gospel with the Children between 5 and 13 years. When celebrating mass with them, they were very attentive and curious listening to what I was trying to share with then about Jesus. You could see their faces changing immediately when one mentioned to them about Father or mother because of they never stayed with their parents, they even do not know them. So it was difficult to get the language fitting them.

The second photo goes back to an experience with Youth in secondary school. When gathering with them, celebrating mass with them... you could see the joy and feelings of being in the group/crowd. But speaking with individuals, they have a lot of difficulties. This difficulties include getting the school fees, not having time with the parents, some they have never prayed together with both parents and they had done catechism only with the catechists or religious teachers in the school. Therefore it is difficult to transmit faith to the Youth through Families and also through the society and the church. We need to search for the new aspects which are immediately going with the situations of today (the well preparing of a PEER GROUP has been successful in some of the schools I worked).

Joseph Minja