Forming The Next Generation

Last evening, I attended Mass at St. Anselm College with three to four hundred young adult college students.  At least 100 of them were in the excellent choir!  Some were Central Catholic graduates, who filled in the pew where I was kneeling.  Danny Chomat, a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, now a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, recently addressed the freshmen during a retreat, speaking about the "transition of faith," that is the movement toward an adult faith which often means the inclusion of spiritualities from other religious orders, such as in in his case, the blending of Marist Spirituality with that of the Priests of the Holy Cross.  He realized that although he thought his own Marist
Spirituality was sufficient, he found room to add insights from the spirituality of the Holy Cross Fathers.  The students at St. Anselm's wil discover elements of Benedictine Spirituality which will help them grow in their understanding and living of our faith.
How encouraging it is to know that there are young adults "out there" who take their faith seriously enough to reflect on it and foster its growth.  What an incentive for those of us who have passed the young adult stage, to pursue further growth in our own faith by continuing to learn from others.  Our "elders" had an influence on us, and we, in turn, can have an influence on those younger than we, and, at the same time, learn from them as the share their insights with us.  Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to continue his work, and, as evidenced by what is happening, the Holy Spirit is as active now as in the early Church.  Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hears of your faithful, enkindle within us the fire of your love.
Bro. Rene