“TEENS = ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT NEEDED”

That should be written on the foreheads of many Catechists across the country - perhaps the world. I believe that it is one of reasons why many teens these days leave for college and never come back to Mass; no one shows faith in them.

I’ve even been warned to “watch out for” certain students. “Troublemakers” should be dealt with properly; they’ll never learn to behave.

Last year was my first year teaching a Confirmation preparation class by myself. It was a room full of twenty-two high schoolers, including a handful of “troublemakers”. At the end of our last day, the one student whose life story seemed to others a testament to his permanent inability to contribute to classes or excell in a relationship with God, quietly pulled me aside and asked, “Are you going to be my teacher next year?”

He asked this question because it seemed that I was one of the first people to believe in him - to believe that his questions were much deeper than his “cool” facade suggested. In fact, I look forward to his barrage of questions, while I suspect other Catechists dread them. “What do other religions believe about heaven?” “Why should I subscribe to organized religion?” “How can we be sure that God exists?”

Teenagers are seeking what everyone is seeking: Love Incarnate. The world around them, however, gives teens the impression that religion is not hip and therefore not worth their time. The media which has so great a place in their lives, tells them that God is a lie, a joke, and a fad all at once.

Isn’t it normal, then, that surrounded by such attacks on faith and moral absolutes, young people feel uncomfortable, threatened, or bored in a Catechism class that they are forced to come to, led by an adult in whom they find no reason to admire and who has already given up on getting anything of value across to teens?

Teaching preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is by far one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. In my heart, I hold the constant prayer that God will allow me to keep teaching the faith to teens for as long as possible. Teenagers are capable of fierce loyalty. They can sniff out genuity from miles away. They constantly question the world around them, and aren’t afraid to stand up for the truth.

But first? They must find the Truth.
May we love them and bring them lovingly to Their Heart’s Desire.

P.S. Today was the first day of my class’s second year together. It’s a blessing to take this journey with my students. (Reminds me of Freedom Writers.) I was told that they’ve already begun asking whether I will be teaching them next year, as well.