Today's TLA is YAC

Young Adult Catholics

I want to specifically write about young adult Catholics today, because well I am one. I would probably identify myself with the label of Christian Catholic. The reason why I label myself as a Christian Catholic is because I have been attending a new church (Baylight Church Community). My Filipino parents were not very pleased when I disclosed this new fact. My mom was simply pissed. "Ano! (What!), Didn't we raise you to be a "good Catholic"? But you went to Catholic school all your life, don't you know anak (my child) 'A Catholic Education makes a difference'!" Granted I still love them very much and they still love me very much as well, and it's not a knock on the Roman Catholic Church at all. But perhaps the Roman Catholic Church has become a bit out of touch with regards to young adults.

First and foremost, why does it matter that I went to Catholic schools all my life? Will I go to heaven because I went to Catholic schools? I don't get the logic. So I have been institutionalized by Catholic schools all my life. So what? Why do Catholic schools matter with regards to my faith and my relationship with God and others? How does attending a Catholic school define what the word "church" means? Anyways, my bold claim is that most young adult Catholics today can not define and are confused by what the word "church" really means to them. Is it a building with nice art and nice music? Is it a spiritual gas station where you just refill for an hour every Sunday? Is church eating the wafer and sipping some of the diluted wine? What does the wafer and wine really mean? What does the word "church" mean and why as a young adult Catholic do you go to "church"?

These are 2 really good questions to ask not only for young adults, but for everyone as well. Are you looking for selfish reasons to go to church? Is it peer pressure? Some may say, "...Well I go to church, because my friends go to church." Some may go for social reasons "...There is that really cute girl who always sits in the third row." Do young adults go to church, because your parents always have gone before, and "it's only natural" or "it's just one of those things you should always do?" Shouldn't we go to church to remind ourselves of God and God's love for all humanity? I mean God did give up his only Son to die for people's sin and suffering. As young adult Catholics shouldn't we start thinking about these things?

For early Christians, the word "church" simply meant a small assembly of believers of Christ. For me church simply means community of believers. Community is at the core of being a believer. What good is it to believe in God and passionately love God if you can't share your beliefs and love with other people? It would be like Picasso or Beethoven creating amazing influencial art and music for their selfish selves. It would be a great tragedy if such talents provided by God were never exposed to other people to enjoy, critique, study and love.

So a loving relationship with others is the key to having a healthy Christian community and for simply being Christian. It's also good to emphasize the belief of God dying for man's sin and suffering through his only Son. For Roman Catholics it's not just a wafer and wine every Sunday. It is the breaking of the "Body and blood" of Christ for humanity. Christ trancends every Sunday to make his body into bread and his blood into wine. God loved us so much that His son died for humanity. The least we could do is not call it a wafer and a wine thing that Catholics do.

Now that we have emphasized our belief, let's take a look at love for others in more detail. This theory takes us back to Jesus' two main commandments. Simply love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. Secondly love others as yourself. So Jesus never said to love a particular building, or even go to church because there is that cute girl who always sits on the third row. And Jesus definitely never meant to go to "church", simply because of your mother and father. For me, it seems like Jesus is just saying church is all about love. Love for God and love for others. So how come the Roman Catholic church can't get these simple ideas? Maybe it's too corporate, institutionalized to make changes. Maybe its too busy with the current sexual scandals to think of their flock and the church in these simple ways. Maybe the Roman Catholic church haven't taken a survey of their young adult members to see their reasons for attending church.

Perhaps it's time for Roman Catholic parishes to go back to the simple idea of having small home churches/communities where you spark this new love for God and a profound love for others to keep the faith. This is not only what young adult Catholics want, but I think this is what most young adults want in general. A sense of belongingness/connection with others and most importantly with He/She/God who always was, always is, and always will be.

Enjoy,
Jonathan