Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Thursday, November 30, 2006
BLOG ENCOURAGEMENT
Scott from Malden comes up to me in the NCCYM hallways and acknowledges that my oldest recently turned 22.  What’s up with that???  Oh, yeah— there are actually a few folks that read these ramblings.  I had a handful of comments from the likes of my Boston-area blog reader.  It was very encouraging.  Thanks to all those who offered generous encouragement yesterday.
24 HOURS IN A DAY
Was awake for a complete day’s worth of activity yesterday.  Served as airport limo service for two folks on our way to Vegas. The long airplane ride followed aand we arrived for a 10 am (PST) breakfast.  Took a luxurious tour of the exhibit hall, attended portions of the NACYML meeting yesterday, worked on Patin’s power point, read and finished my 5 Dysfunctions book, attended a sponsored dinner (err- healthy appetizers actually), went to a regional mass, and then attended the opening session. (See more elsewhere.) The night concluded with a run out to a neighboring bar (in Vegas, who would’a thunk?) and a return to the hotel and crashing two parties.  Not bad for the first day of the conference- 24 hours, 1 full meal, lot of fun. [work day]
NCCYM OPENING SESSION
Lots of video in last nights opening session, which to a tech-ish guy was appealing.  The Angel golf tournament video, a welcome to Vegas, and a animated introduction to Bob McCarty last night were some of the highlight.  Bob’s comments are synopsized here by Margmor. On the low-tech side but just out-and-out-funny-from-an-unexpected-source was the greeting from the Vegas Religious Education Office, Sr. Pat.  Jesse Manibusen was delightful as the MC, the music was hot, and the prayer was deep.  We are off and starting.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006
  leaving. . . on a jet plane
My bags are pretty near packed, I’m nearly ready to go – - – with a need for laundry of one shirt tonight.  A power point for me has been moved to the desktop screen as has the second third draft of a power point for a friend. Airplane reading looks to be The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The usual caveat when traveling and blogging is that I am unsure regarding wireless access – I am rarely disappointed in this tech-friendly age but be advised that blogging might be sporadic.  [blogging]

Tuesday, November 28, 2006
  finding heaven during the biennial week from hell
This is the week of the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry.  I ran the conference in Birmingham, Alabama (2000); Denver (2002); and Pittsburgh (2004).  This week always offered the joy of serving the field but also offered the excruciating efforts of managing a mountain of details and political nuances. While the conference ran, I was limited to passing conversations and never stayed anywhere too long. Every two years, it dented into my Thanksgiving holiday and made for a very, very long week.  In 2006, however, I had a great Thanksgiving break.  In 2006, I am rested and actually traveled home from the office today in daylight! In 2006, I’m attending the conference in Vegas looking to have long conversation, network, and actually attend workshops.  [work day]

Monday, November 27, 2006
  22
My oldest kid is now twenty-two years old. Nichole is an all-star young woman-  She works full time at the ASPCA and has made significant strides professionally since she has started there.  She is kind and loving towards her siblings, who she sometimes can find to be complicated (we all are!)  She is a wonderful young woman and I am proud of her. [family & friends]

Sunday, November 26, 2006
  Long weekend in review
Every night was a long night of sleep. Meghan was in for the weekend which was great.  We immediately went birthday shopping for her and bought her a stylish laptop bag.  Her second choice was cool enough that I picked it up for me.  Next stop was shopping for her sister’s birthday.  We cooked turkey (picture below), went to the movies (Deja Vu and Casino Royale), visited the Pennsylvania Millers, played Santa to a group of friends, went to the Symphony of Lights.  Meghan had brother and sister time while I severely caught up on housework and did some Christmas decorating. Last night finished off with White Christmas on cable. Amazingly enough, I feel rested and ready for December.  [family & friends]
  personal pet projects 4
Seemingly, I slept in on each of the "New Mornings" (project 1). If I am really good, I will be blessed for sending off the mitzvah outline (project 2).  The process of convergence (project 3) involves others to converge- it might have to wait until NCCYM. (I did, however, develop a power point that I will never deliver.) Meanwhile, 2007 should find me weekly in the podcast Studio (project 4) with 53 friends and contacts. [blogging]
  If the trumpet give an uncertain sound
Pat Buchanan offers (A conservative’s) take on Bush. "What these strategic reviews suggest is that not only do our leaders not know how to achieve "victory," they are no longer sure it is worth the cost. (The president sits) asking questions, seeking ideas, searching for answers. If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" Read more here. [culture]

Thursday, November 23, 2006
  thanksgiving
When I’m worried and I can’t sleep,  I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small,  I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings. (Irving Berlin from the 1954 movie "White Christmas".) [family & friends]

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
  thanks and gimme a break
(Sunday BYCC post is up!) I’m in the office early and hopefully out of the office early this day.  Then comes a Meghan visit and the Thanksgiving break.  And I’m shutting off the blog machinery for the long weekend.  Everyone could stand a break, including, probably you, dear reader. Soooo, thanks for being a reader, have a great Thanksgiving, and we’ll all check back in on Monday morning, ok???   [blogging]
  Last Project before Turkey break
(Today, another Compass e-newsletter went out, announcing, among other things a resource guide to the movie The Nativity Story and podcasts from BYCC’s Mike Patin . . . ’cause, like, y’know, nothing else has happened in the last two weeks!  Heading home at 3:45pm! Yea!!!   [work day]
  personal pet projects 2 and 3
While the holiday might offer more time on "New Mornings" (project 1), I am also in the midst of addressing the mitzvah (project 2) of the act on convergence (project 3) [blogging]
  Indonesian Religious youth write to bush
Seven religious youth organizations welcomed the scheduled Nov. 20 visit of U.S. President George W. Bush, but asked him to desist from policies that cause suffering in developing countries. "We are writing you … to show our strong disagreement with your hegemonic foreign policies which worsen (the) global world order," the groups said in a Nov. 17 letter to be given to Bush during his Nov. 20 visit with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. War is not the answer, the youth leaders assert, adding that one cannot democratize a country through undemocratic means. "Your war in Iraq and Afghanistan has been creating a culture of violence and hatred which, in the long run, will be disadvantageous for Americans. Furthermore, Iraq and Afghanistan as your occupation territories are fertile soil to cultivate a new generation of terrorists," they wrote. Read more here. [culture]

Monday, November 20, 2006
  the pope confronts islam
Few people saw this coming. Nobody truly expected Benedict to be a mere caretaker Pope–his sometimes ferocious 24-year tenure as the Vatican’s theological enforcer and John Paul’s right hand suggested anything but passivity. But this same familiarity argued against surprises. The new Pontiff was expected to sustain John Paul’s conservative line on morality and church discipline and focus most of his energies on trimming the Vatican bureaucracy and battling Western culture’s "moral relativism." Although acknowledged as a brilliant conservative theologian, Benedict lacked the open-armed charisma of his predecessor. Moreover, what had initially propelled John Paul to the center of the world stage was his challenge to communism and its subsequent fall, a huge geopolitical event that the Pope helped precipitate with two exhilarating visits to his beloved Polish homeland. By contrast, what could Benedict do? Liberate Bavaria?
Well, not quite. But this year he has emerged as a far more compelling and complex figure than anyone had imagined. And much of that has to do with his willingness to confront what some people feel is today’s equivalent of the communist scourge–the threat of Islamic violence. The topic is extraordinarily fraught. There are, after all, a billion or so nonviolent Muslims on the globe, the Roman Catholic Church’s own record in the religious-mayhem department is hardly pristine, and even the most naive of observers understands that the Vicar of Christ might harbor an institutional prejudice against one of Christianity’s main global competitors. But by speaking out last September in Regensburg, Germany, about the possible intrinsic connection between Islam and violence, the Pontiff suddenly became a lot more interesting.   Read more here. [pope]

Sunday, November 19, 2006
  At the end of 650, I wish
Here’s what I wish…  After a lifetime of programmatic goodbyes, I wish I had the teenager’s sense of nostalgia when it comes to departure time.  I wish I could sit in the middle and not restlessly on the periphery attempting to figure out "what’s next." I wish that I wasn’t so agenda-driven and was much more intentional about relationships with those with whom I serve. (I believe others would probably think I was wrong about that but I want so much more than what I am doing.) I wish I could really hear it when people say "thanks for all that you did this weekend" instead of deferring it to the team or believing it is just what I do. I wish I was a much younger man and didn’t drive the 170 miles home in a near hallucinatory state. (Thank you, God, for Ravens football on the radio.)  I wish and I pray that in two weeks times, when NCCYM comes rolling, that I’ll be rested; not overwhelmed with making sure the trains run on time (hey, I have no agenda narrative to deliver!!!); and that I will be present to the people and program around me.   [blogging]

Saturday, November 18, 2006
  in the middle of 650
Greetings from BYCC!  I was reminded again last night that the hardest work of a conference is the actual getting it going. Once the snowball is rolling downhill, there is really quite actually little to do than to remove obstacles along its way and avoid being run over yourself.  Opening night went well. The House Band rocked the joint.  Mark Pacione sang the rules to the kids- -  somebody cell-phone digital-taped it so that might someday make YouTube.  Mike Patin took the room over as subtly as a sledgehammer attempting to peel a tomato. (Pictures will be posted whenever I got the moment to hook laptop and camera together.) Keep the prayers comin’   [youth ministry]

Friday, November 17, 2006
  call for prayers
This weekend is the Baltimore Youth Catholic Conference (BYCC). Please offer a prayer this weekend for the 650 young people and their adults in attendance. May they have safe travels and open hearts. This weekend is BYCC. Please offer a prayer this weekend for Mike Patin who has four keynotes and one adult workshop. This weekend is BYCC. Please offer a prayer this weekend for Bishop Malooly who will be with our young people but has been on the go with the Basilica and the USCCB meeting. This weekend is BYCC. Please offer a prayer this weekend for the office team that has been on the go for quite a few weeks now. This weekend is BYCC. Please offer a prayer this weekend.   [youth ministry]
  BAD strategy
Wow, you review the outcomes of the USCCB meeting this week, and it seems fair to imagine that all they were concerned about was sex.  Let’s see: first there is Married Love, then Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination, and then the Worthy to Receive the Eucharist letter which was aimed (or generated in part) to addressing  pro-choice Catholic politicians.  They also released more money for research on sexual abuse of clergy while cutting back on their own staff.  Geeesh!  Do these guys ever get any public relations advise about timing it all out or was the plan to get it all out in one fell-swoop? [church]

Thursday, November 16, 2006
  Baltimore- -  the Premier See
  Why Baltimore?  Here’s a response from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio in the United States, given to the USCCB’s opening session on Monday morning.
  There is a “grace of office” (of Bishop) and there is also a “grace of the place.” As we all gather here in Baltimore, the senior metropolitan See in the United States, we can feel this “grace of the place.”
  In this city, some 200 years ago, the first Bishop of the United States, Bishop John Carroll – surrounded by enormous difficulties from both within the Church and beyond, laid the cornerstone of this Cathedral of the Assumption on July 7th, 1806, with great solemnity. At 71, an age considered particularly “old” at that time, the Bishop must have certainly considered that his eyes would never look upon the completed Cathedral and, in fact, that was the case. The first American Bishop would not be conditioned by age or difficulties: the Glory of God, fidelity to the mission entrusted to him by Jesus Christ, his service to the present and future of the Church, were all at the core of his great faith, tremendous courage and creative apostolic passion. These remarkable virtues have remained solid and firm, like the stones of this Cathedral which now has been restored by His Eminence Cardinal Keeler, and they continue to speak to the American Catholics of this day.
  Cardinal James Gibbons wrote: "What the Temple of Jerusalem is to the Israelites, what Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome is to the Faithful of the Church Universal, this Cathedral is to the American Catholic."
  The name – “Baltimore” brings to mind the four General Chapters of the Clergy, the first Synod of Baltimore (1791), the meeting of the American Bishops in 1810, the seven Provincial Councils and the three Plenary Councils. These dates and events pass before your eyes with images of your predecessors, who were instruments of God for the rooting, expansion and consolidation of the Catholic Church in the United States.
  We cannot forget the Baltimore Catechism – which for decades, formed the religious, moral and civil conscience of American Catholics.
. . . I pray that the “grace of the place,” the grace of Baltimore will bring you the faith, the courage and the vision of your predecessors. [church]

Wednesday, November 15, 2006
  Compass E-Newsletter
Our office newsletter went out again today. I’ve got to say that I am particularly please with this effort as it included publicity links (well, sure) but also a note from the boss, two pod-casts, and three news related articles.  Goof stuff!!  [work day]
  The Nativity Story
Sat down in an obscure movie theater last night and watched a full length pre-screning of The Nativity Story.  The movie was fine as was the company (about 30 US Bishops and two dudes from EWTN.)  The only bad news is that there now is a sense of obligation to make resources available. [work day]

• Official Movie Site
• Nativity Movie resources
  • Video Clips
  • Sermons
• Interlinc Youth Worker Kit
• Catholic News Service
  • Movie Review
  • Actor who is Joseph in ‘Nativity’ film may not stay unknown for long
  • When filming about Jesus’ birth, animals don’t always follow script
• Christianity Today
  • Behind the Scenes of the Movie
  • Profile of Screenwriter Mike Rich
  • How details of the Nativity became tradition
• American Catholic press release
• MSNBC
  • ‘The Nativity Story’ to premiere at Vatican
  • Holy Hollywood

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

  KIWI: The Illusion of flying
After last weekend, there is something fitting about this.  (I’m posting early in hopes of being shut down for a few extra hours.)  [culture]

Monday, November 13, 2006
  The after-glow
  Here’s the weekend recap (and what a weekend!):
  Saturday started with son Clark in the apartment.  He was car-deficient throughout the weekend and was staying with me to serve as my driver when needed, but otherwise to have a car for the weekend.
  A quick stop was made for the Pastoral Care Day training happening.  It was just to help out with registration and I was in-and-out quickly.
  Moved into the Catholic Center for some chores and to be in position for the Illumination Mass.  Move-in of equipment and people began about 3pm.  There were a few frantic moments of getting this or that, but all in all it was a pretty stress-free event on the logistics side of life. 
  The Basilica was crowded, probably more so than most any of the other events of the week of celebrations.  Young people were eager to see the "newness" of the old church.  Cardinal Keeler welcomed them and Bishop Malooly had a warm and generous homily. The Loyola College Campus Choir and Gospel Choir lifted everyone in song. Son Clark was a reader of the prayers of the faithful.  Listen here.
  Mass was followed by an extraordinary light show and the official historic first-ever lighting of the exterior.  Tours followed afterwards and everyone just sort of hung around.  Move-out of the equipment and such followed quickly and we closed the doors on the night.  Dinner followed afterwards at a local restaurant know as the Causbar which featured Mediterranean food and (this evening) belly-dancing!
  Up the next morning and back to downtown for a full Sunday.  It started at the USCCB hotel headquarters for an in-service on the NSYR with about 30 bishops.  It was fine.  Baltimore spent a portion of the rest of the day offering hospitality to our nation’s bishops, first at the hotel and then off to the Basilica for an evening Mass with the guys!
  It was a wonderful Mass with lots of love and appreciation for Cardinal Keeler  Cardinal Stafford  referred to the 1858 decree of the Holy See granting this first archdiocese "prerogative of place" in the US church, but stated that Cardinal Keeler enjoyed not only the honor born of seniority, but a "prerogative of esteem" among his people. Quoting a Baltimore layperson, the major penitentiary said this was due to Keeler’s preeminence as "the kindest, gentlest soul in the archdiocese." And another standing ovation was had.
  On the way out of the Basilica, we diverted ourselves out a side door known to those folks who have spent too much time in the old church.  As early escapees (Mass was 135 minutes!), we were recruited to serve as hospitality for the post-Mass reception at a local hotel.  Some of the finest cheeses and wines were available to us as well as many carving stations, etc.  (This is certainly an upgrade from the usual parish donuts following Mass!)
  And, so….  regarding Illumination and the Church…  the future is so bright that I gotta wear shades! [church]

Saturday, November 11, 2006
  Echoes of light
In the most In the multitude of hub-bub over the Basilica reopening (in general) as well as tonight’s Illumination (specifically), I had the blessing to hit the Symphony last night (after altar server and deacon practice) and listen to the celestial reflections of some Hubble-related scientist dude with the appropriate symphonic soundtrack for a starry, starry night.  It was a perfect pleasure.  [culture]

Friday, November 10, 2006
  spiritual warfare
In the most recent issue of the journal of student ministries, there is an insightful plea for the end of use of war metaphors in youth ministry. A quote: "If we believe we’ll win the battle in the public square, we’ve already lost. The public square is too small and has too narrow a vision." (Acknowledgements to Marko, who has been on a roll lately, for the hyperlink reference) Read more here. [youth ministry]
  secrets of greatness
Seemingly, it comes down to this: practice, practice, practice. Read more here. [culture]
  isnowhere
In honor of another article published, I’ve updated the publishing page with a little link-box on the side.  I kinda amazed myself with how much there is!  What a blessing of opportunity! [blogging]

Thursday, November 9, 2006
  GODISNOWHERE
The Catholic Review did pick up on the godisnowhere article and published it today.  Cool! [youth ministry]
  Faith-Based Youth Groups
Of all the organized activities teens participate in, faith-based youth groups provide the highest rates of personal and interpersonal growth experiences, according to a new University of Illinois study published in the September issue of Developmental Psychology. Read more here. [youth ministry]
  Discipleship 101
An encounter with Christ can change your life, says Benedict XVI. Speaking at today’s general audience, the Holy Father commented on St. Paul, whose encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus "literally revolutionized his life."  "Christ became his reason for being and the profound motive of all his apostolic work," the Pope said to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. "In his letters, after the name of God, which appears more than 500 times, the name most often mentioned is that of Christ — 380 times," the Pontiff said in the second reflection on St. Paul in his series of reflections on the men and women of the early Church. The Holy Father said that in meeting Christ, St. Paul "no longer lives for himself. … He lives from Christ and with Christ: giving himself."
This is "the new orientation that the Lord has given us, which gives us faith. Before the cross of Christ, highest expression of his self-giving, there is no longer any one who can glorify himself," said Benedict XVI. The Pope illustrated his words with what St. Paul writes in the Letter to the Galatians: "But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!"  [pope]

Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Just breathe
It’s boring, I know… 
But the to-do list continues to grow.
I’m not just in this work for the dough.
Perhaps I should be feeling low.
But each day is wonderfully beyond the status quo.
                 << Yes, this is absolutely indicative of the mush of my brain today.>>  [blogging]
  RE: Process
The guy who invented the wheel was an idiot.
The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius. (Sid Caesar) [blogging]

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
voting with my feet
Another caffeinated-induced long day- filled with multiple meetings and multi-tasking.  It’s busy, it’s hard, and I am very happy.   [work day]
viva Las Vegas
NCCYM registrations surpassed the 1900 mark on October 31, a week and a half before the Riviera Hotel’s hotel block cut-off which has already surpassed 100% full.  Seemingly either 1) The NCCYM has earned a quality reputation; 2) Las Vegas was an attractive choice of a location despite concerns regarding it’s political correctness (as if there are only sinners n the area and it is not one of the fastest growing Catholic dioceses in the country; and/or 3) the NFCYM again is experiencing "luck beating smart." One or all possibilities work for me.    [youth ministry]

Monday, November 6, 2006
On the road
I think that the office is gonna be in the midst of a sense of vacation lust. I tried to solve mine with last Thursday’s train trip to New York, and yet Illumination, BYCC, and NCCYM all loom on the horizon.   [work day]

Sunday, November 5, 2006
As for me and MySpace. .
. . . we will serve the Lord.  I just posted up two more articles in the ironically named "publishing" section as this qualifies as the third and fourth in a series of unfortunately unpublished (a situation soon to be resolved, fingers crossed) articles. Blogs- Would Jesus be in MySpace? was submitted last month for the NACYML newsletter.  The other, godisnowhere, was sent last Tuesday to the Catholic Review.  [blogging]
As for me . . .
. . . I have not paid all that much attention to the whole Ted Haggard debacle, but I do think that Tony Compolo has gotten it right in this Denver radio interview. Listen to it here. [culture]

Saturday, November 4, 2006
out of the darkness
After visiting last Monday, Rocco commemorated the official re-opening of the Basilica today with a posting that was worth the wait. "As the light returns to the nation’s mother church, so may it resonate beyond its walls, that its rediscovered purity and brilliance stand not only as the defining marks of its structure, but of the gathering of souls for whose care it was built." Read more here.  The Baltimore Sun’s Liz Kay chips in here as well.   [church]

Friday, November 3, 2006 (Feast of Another Day)
BishopS on the MOVE One
The largest issue facing the church today is the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the youngest generation of Catholics, known as the "millennials," said Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson. One of the most important issues facing the church today is how to hand down the tradition of the Catholic faith to the newest generation of the church, he said in an address at Boston College.  Read more here.
BishopS on the MOVE Two
"Now is the time for teaching the faith," said Archbishop Donald Weurl of DC. "We live in an age of hope." Urging all present to open their hearts to Christ, he said, "God will grace His Church in everyone who is prepared." He noted that even among Catholics, there is a desire to clearly know what the Church proclaims. "We’re challenged to awaken people to awareness" of faith and knowledge, Archbishop Wuerl said. "Many of the people we work with today simply drifted away," he said. "They are not angry at the Church; they simply don’t know what it is we have to say." Read more here. [church]
BishopS on the MOVE Three
Bishop Jaime Soto, of Orange, CA, was present last night as Fordham University (me, too!) looked at “Catholic Teenagers: Faith at Risk?” examining the data and interviews from the recent National Study of Youth and Religion that found Catholic teenagers falling well below other Christian teens on a number of measures of belief, experience, practice, and church involvement.  Bishop Soto os the Chair of the USCCB Committee on Youth and Young Adults. Read more here. [youth ministry]
View from the Top
A friend passed along this picture taken from inside the dome at the Basilica.  I’m bitter that I did not take it! (As always, click to enlarge.) [church]

Thursday, November 2, 2006 (Feast of All Souls)
moralistic therapeutic deism
I hit upon my own variation of a definition: This secular faith professes a general confession to a “whatever” God by individually “doing good” within a relativistic society without specific adhesion to a centuries-old creed or community. [youth ministry]
more basilica news
Yea, I’m bitter. I took a meeting yesterday and passed on the Catholic Center Employee tour yesterday. I’ve already toured twice. In doing so, I missed out on a tented reception, a baggie of goodies, and access up into the dome. oh, well!  George Weigel has his own reflections on the restoration. Read more here. [church]
Travel Restoration
I’m hitting the road (actually rails) for the restorative effects of travel today. The gods of Amtrak are going to help me get my lost Monday back from earlier this week! [work day]
sweating to the website
Well, I guess that if I have website, I cannot begrudge him having one, too! Read more here. [funny business]

Wednesday, November 1, 2006 (Feast of All Saints)
ALL the Saints
According to the New York Times, All Saints’ Day is a good time to remember that while most saints led lives of quiet service, some led the life of the noisy prophet, speaking the truth to power — even when that power was within the church. Today the Catholic Church rightly honors all of its saints, even those it once mistreated, silenced or excommunicated. Read more here. [church]
Christ-follower VS. Christian
Here are faith-based parodies of the PC vs. Mac commercials:

[church]
Start spreading the news
Last night, an e-newsletter went out.  (Hmmmm, trick or treat???) You, who are regular blog readers, have all heard it here before!  [youth ministry]
fried coke
(Just because it has been forever since I’ve had a funny entry. . .)  The latest rage at state fairs is Fried Coke! Read more here. [funny business]

published in the Catholic Review, November 7, 2006

On the weekend of November 18 and 19 hundreds of Catholic young people from across the Archdiocese of Baltimore will gather in Ocean City for the Baltimore Youth Catholic Conference. Nationally recognized keynote speaker, Mike Patin of New Orleans, will likely at some moment of the event go to a blackboard and write:

godisnowhere

He identifies that the way one reads that contrived sentence-word is often indicative of one’s attitude regarding faith. If one reads it as “God is no where,” they likely believe God is absent from their daily lives. Patin makes a strong argument that young people should read the statement as “God is now here.” He would suggest that God is a God who is intimately involved in their lives. Why? Because God loves them.

Recently, there have been two studies indicating that today’s young people might be more likely to understand God as ‘no where” or missing. Baylor University conducted a national religion survey of people’s opinions regarding God’s character and behavior. Did they believe that God was actively engaged in worldly and personal affairs? Did they believe that God is angered by sin and tends to judge humanity harshly?

From those dimensions, Baylor split their American survey respondents into four
different styles of believers:

A) Those who believe in an Authoritarian God who is highly involved in their daily lives and world affairs. This God helps them in their decision-making but is capable of punishing the unfaithful or ungodly.

B) Believers in a Benevolent God agree that God is very active in our daily lives but is primarily a force of positive influence in the world.

C) There are those who reverence a Critical God and think that God really does not interact with the world but will, nonetheless, judge them in the next world.

D) Finally, those who believe in a Distant God think that God is neither active nor angry but is more like a cosmic force which set the laws of nature in motion.

The Baylor study suggests that those who ascribe to an Authoritarian or Benevolent God are more likely to attend worship services and/or pray regularly. Regarding the Catholics survey, there were, however, mixed results. American Catholics are more likely to see God as distant (29.2%) or as benevolent (28.2%). Although, as a Church, we have attempted to communicate that “God is Love;” we still have more good news to share
with those Catholics that see God as primarily authoritarian (22.6%) or critical (18.6 %.).

The University of North Carolina has published the results of its own National Study ofYouth and Religion (NSYR) in the book Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. In it, the authors describe what appears to be a major transformation of faith in the U.S., away from the substance of historical religious
traditions and toward a new and quite different faith the authors call "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." This secular faith professes a general confession to a “whatever” God by individually “doing good” within a relativistic society without specific adhesion to a centuries-old creed or community.

Dr. Christian Smith, lead investigator for the NSYR, has said, "The vast majority of teens who call themselves Christians haven’t been well educated in religious doctrine and therefore don’t really know what they believe. With all the competing demands on their time, religion becomes a low priority, and so they practice their faith in shallow ways."

godisnowhere

As parents and as Church, we must recommit ourselves to our role of communicating to the next generation that our God is now, always has been, and always will be, here. Our God has chosen to intimately love us and seeks to engage us in relationship.

We find this in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which we remember and celebrate in the Eucharist. We find this in the generosity of the community of faithful disciples committed to transforming the world by working for justice. We find this within our relationship with each other and we come to recognize it in ourselves as members of Christ’s Body.

The depth of our Scriptures and our faith tradition continuously point us to a loving God present in our world. This is the gift and message that we must pass along to future generations. We can not complacently be satisfied with faith practiced in shallow ways.

Godisnowhere

Let us do something about that, shall we?