Connections

If you have spare time for reading, the other 99 percent of us are thinking mean, envious thoughts about you!

But seriously, it is not easy to find time for reading. I have had time recently only for shorter items directly related to ministry. Here are a couple of the better things I have seen.

Stewardship and Teenagers: The Challenge of Being a Disciple

Approved by the USCCB right after NCYC, this five-page document is well-written for a young audience. It reminds us that “everything you have to share is from God, and it is all meant for sharing.”

The document encourages youth to turn to Jesus as “your best friend and guide” on the path of discipleship and stewardship. Prayer, Scripture, and the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist are encouraged. I love its personal pastoral tone when it says: “Trust us! God is always there, waiting to hear from you and wanting you to know of his unconditional love for you.”

I also enjoy the document’s closing challenge, which also points back toward us as youth ministry leaders. It says we should be “a Church that is not afraid to require much, after having given much; that does not fear asking from young people the effort of a noble and authentic adventure.”

I found myself wondering “Are we giving enough?” “Are we asking enough?”

You can find the document at the USCCB website . Check it out, and take a moment, as I have, to visit with your bishop and see how you might use it in your diocese and parishes.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

You might think I need to get a life, reading all these bishops’ documents. But hey, I live in Iowa, where we decide whom the rest of y’all get to vote for in November! Seriously, this statement on faith and politics, produced every four years, is a good resource to share with youth as they explore our church’s social and moral teachings. Read the document online in English or Spanish at the USCCB website.

Unlike the voters guides you find on your windshield after Mass, the bishops make clear they will not tell you for whom to vote. “Our purpose,” they write, “is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth.”

Re-reading the document after the Iowa caucuses, I was heartened to hear them say “our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths.”

The document does a thorough job explaining Catholic teaching on abortion, war, poverty, climate change, and countless other issues. Ultimately, as I experienced on January 3, you will not find a perfect candidate in this race when you measure their positions against this document. It is a relief to hear the bishops acknowledge this hard reality. However, that did not stop them from speculating that our votes could affect our individual salvation. That brought to mind Mike Huckabee’s recent statement that “Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office." As long as Jesus is not on the ballot, I will have to take heart in the basic truths of the bishops’ statement: Vote with a well-formed conscience. Do not be a one-issue voter. Do good and avoid evil; and when in doubt, vote for the lesser of evils.