Can you call your family your home?

Young People and Religiosity in the Socio-cultural context of Europe

Asian Pacific Group
Paolo Liu Qing Chun
Caesar Dizon, SDB
Grea Duzon Mendoza, DSFS

Group Sharing for 3 December 2008

In our group discussion, we think that the major problem nowadays with regards to the youth’s degradation of spiritual orientation and growth lies from their “ little world” which is the family itself. We all know and based from our experiences, as in the context of our Asian culture, our first spiritual values, learning and traditional orientation and personal consciousness had all started from our families. If they haven’t learned good things and not that founded from the family, which is the basic structure and reality of our young ones how could the society exist in such profundity of religious principles and beliefs?

We just want to ask our young people today: what can they say about their family? Is it the place they would call home, where they communicate something about love that would somehow transmit the spiritual values of what they believe in and for in the society they are living?

Here, plays a major role our parents and educators which keeps their faith truly to take the responsibilities of living a coherent life of faith in this complex reality. We just would like to challenge them as we are, to transmit and communicate in the language of the young their valued learnings and traditions which truly are essential in their bringing-up these little souls to a consciousness of the Truth.

Yes, it might be good to ask of what are the likes and dislikes of these youths regarding the practice of religion? The process of entering in the language of religiosity in the “youth world” might create more an impact if we know the point of entrance.

∞ Sr. Grea Duzon Mendoza